The Critical Hour

Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Announced That No Major Defense Cuts to the US Budget are Expected

On this edition of The Critical Hour, host Garland Nixon talks to Scott Ritter about Biden's plans to supports a sustained U.S. military footprint of up to 1,500-2,000 on the ground — primarily for special operations against Daesh and other terror threats — in the war that began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks 19 years ago.
Sputnik

Biden made news on Thursday when he told Stars and Stripes that he supports a sustained U.S. military footprint of up to 1,500-2,000 on the ground — primarily for special operations against Daesh and other terror threats — in the war that began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks 19 years ago. "These forever wars have to end ... but here's the problem, we still have to worry about terrorism," he said.  What does that mean for America if Biden wins the election?

The development of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany should not be linked to the case of Alexey Navalny, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, amid bristling tensions between the two countries. Will the US and EU Hawks be successful in stopping this economic project?

Belarus investigators have officially charged a protest leader with incitement to undermine national security, the Investigative Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.  Is this government abuse or reasonable action to protect the legitimate government?

Chinese President Xi Jinping met via video link with top European leaders on September 14  to shore up relations that are under significant pressure from an increasingly belligerent United States.Will the EU ignore US pressure and act on their own economic interests?

Conservative MPs have reacted angrily to an intervention by Joe Biden, the US Democratic presidential candidate, in the UK Brexit talks, accusing him of ignorance of the Northern Ireland peace process. What are the underlying issues that VP Biden missed with his comments?

Speaking at an event hosted by the RAND Corporation, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper called for an increase in funding for Navy shipbuilding. In the speech, Esper said he wants the Navy to have “over 350” ships. Is this a good idea for a country that is mired in pandemic and economic disaster?

The United States said on Wednesday it plans to impose sanctions on those who violate a U.N. arms embargo on Iran, which Washington says will now stay in place instead of expiring in October as agreed under a 2015 nuclear deal.  Will this plan isolate the United States economically and diplomatically from the EU?

For our last segment, Retired Major Danny Sjursen joins us to argue that The election season timing of the latest Mideast peace deals is hardly coincidental and that the road show is less about scoring regional "peace" than partisan points.

Guests:

Scott Ritter, Former UN weapons Inspector in Iraq 

Alexander Mercouris, Editor in Chief at theduran.com & host of "The Duran" on Youtube.

Mark Sleboda, Moscow based international relations security analyst

Brad Blankenship, Prague-based American journalist, political analyst, and free-lance reporter

Dan Lazare, Investigative Journalist, Author of America's Undeclared War\

Caleb Maupin,  Journalist and Political Analyst

Ray McGovern, Former CIA analyst and co-founder Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Peace

Danny Sjursen, US Army Major Retired & Author of "Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War"

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