Richard Wolff interview with Brian Becker on today's socialist program was pretty hot

Not sure how Lemmy works quite yet and it seems the URL got chopped. Here's what I'm referring to:

The Socialist Program: Teamsters and the Class Struggle

Episode webpage: https://www.patreon.com/posts/teamsters-and-84875551

I wonder if Brian learned anything from this colossal betrayal of trust

Context:

→ “International con-man Brian Becker, another leader in the American anti-war movement, was a part of Muhammad Ali’s visit. His account emphasizes how much the visit was “a threat” to the US government and proved how “negotiations were clearly available as a means to prevent war.” Just because parts of the US government ‘denounced the trip’ does not prove anything at all.

This point is evidenced by a 1995 US Navy paper titled Persian Gulf Hostages: A Case Study in Terrorism, Diplomacy, and Strategy which details the United States hostage policy at the time. It had to maintain the facade of non-negotiation to “be tough on terrorists” while engaging in under the table diplomacy to release said hostages. The paper also details that while the US and UK publicly maintained rhetoric that they would bomb Iraq despite the presence of hostages, this was an empty threat. In essence, the United States needed the hostages released while also saving face. The reality is that these anti-war activists did the work of the US government by taking hard power away from the Iraqi government. This is regardless of whether they were acting on behalf of the US government (although, evidence indicates they likely were). Joseph Wilson notes in the same interview that:

"We were successful in getting one or two hostages out every time, and we would try to load up hostages onto every American who came out. It didn’t make any difference to us. The more, the merrier. If we could get 10 out with [boxer] Muhammad Ali, if they promised us 10 we’d go for 12."

In December, Saddam Hussein let the remaining British and Americans leave Kuwait. We Are The Mighty magazine (affiliated with the US military) praises Muhammad Ali for “freeing the hostages” and notes that he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his actions.

Muhammad Ali (center) and the remaining 15 American hostages leaving Iraq on December 2nd, 1990.

Saddam Hussein gave up the hostages, his insurance against American invasion, based on lies. In January 1991, only six weeks after releasing the American hostages, under the guise of the United Nations Security Council an American-led coalition would begin a horrific bombing campaign and invasion of Iraq.”