The Critical Hour

Rockets Strike US Bases in Syria; Belarus Drops EU Partnership

US forces in Syria come under intense rocket attack as Iraqi and Syrian militias declare open war on occupation forces.
Sputnik

Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss Syria and Iraq. US forces in Syria come under intense rocket attack as Iraqi, and Syrian militias declare open war on occupation forces. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government calls Biden's bombing attacks blatant and unacceptable violations of sovereignty.

Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss the UK provocation in the Black Sea. Leaked or lost documents show that the British government lied about their provocation off the coast of Crimea. There was significant opposition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan for a military confrontation with Russia and the story that was released was contradicted by several sources, including the BBC reporter that was placed on the HMS Defender.

Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wants to detach the bipartisan part of the infrastructure agreement from the parts of the project that will be pushed through the reconciliation process. Also, our guest expounds upon the concept of asset recycling and how the process works in favor of powerful corporations. 

Joe Lauria, editor-in-chief at Consortium News, joins us to talk about Julian Assange and Mike Gravel. Long-time peace advocate and retired Senator Mike Gravel has passed away at the age of 91. Also, we review a Counterpunch article in which Julian Assange is discussed in the context of current threats against the First Amendment.

Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss Iran. President Biden met with the Israeli president and promised him that Iran would not get a nuclear weapon. Also, Biden said that the recent bombing of Iraqi and Syrian resistance groups was meant as a message to Iran. Is Biden deliberately sabotaging the nuclear negotiations?

Mahder Tella, data scientist and strategic planner for the Tigray Action Committee, joins us to discuss Ethiopia. Reports are that the interim government of Ethiopia's Tigray region has fled, and that rebel fighters have advanced into the region's capital. 

K.J. Noh, writer and peace activist, joins us to talk about the "rules-based order." Our guest speaks about a recent article in Responsible Statecraft in which the claims of a rules-based order are examined. The article posits that “since the ‘rules-based order’ is never adequately defined, America’s claim to uphold it can never be disproved.”

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Belarus. The Western regime change attempt in Belarus has backfired, as leaders of the Eastern European nation have announced that they are cutting ties with the EU and further integrating their tax and economic system with Russia. 

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