The John Batchelor Show

Wednesday 22 January 2020

Air Date: 
January 22, 2020

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-hosts: Gordon Chang, Daily Beast, and David Livingston, The Space Show
 
Hour One
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 1, Block A: Arthur Waldron, Lauder Professor of International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania; in re: History speeding up, in the context of China. Wuhan coronavirus: Without governmental legitimacy there’s no transparency; without transparency in a crisis, there’s panic. An illegitimate Chinese dictatorship that won’t protect its population from pandemics.
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 1, Block B: Peter Huessy, director of Strategic Deterrent Studies, Mitchell Institute of the Air Force Association, in re:  His “THE SECOND EVIL EMPIRE” article (see below).  The Pakistani Khan network gave nuclear weapons tech to Libya Iraq, Iran, ___ and North Korea.  Iran wants to control the world price of oil and kick the US out. Susan Rice and Ben Rhodes were basically all right with that.  Iran has been the world’s largest proliferator of nuclear technology, been invited into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.  Book:  The Nuclear Express, A history of the bomb. b  y Thomas C. Reed.  What to do about Iran? I’d do everything possible to bring this regime down.   We need to take their money away, and bring down the price of oil.
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 1, Block C:  David Rennie, The Economist magazine in Beijing; writes the “Chaguan” column; in re: Artificial intelligence; the contest between the US and China. From the first Cold War: how adversaries can agree not to destroy each other: even when you don't trust each other at all, you can nonetheless discuss a new technology that could abruptly change everything, destroy everything. Now we have three, not two, parties: Russia, US, China.  Even during the Cold War, you could send an inspector to see what was being done; but no way to see an algorithm.  . . . Unenforceable compliance.  Left making a distinction: countries’ saying best not to have this technology; but major powers (not rogue powers), it’s possible for large countries to agree that biowar, for example, is unimaginably dangerous & stupid, just not worth having. . . .  The PLA is focussed on nonnuclear war. [Really? —ed.]
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 1, Block D:  Michael Yon, Hong Kong reporter, in re:  Carrie Lam: “We won't use the strength of the state against the protestors.”  Why would she make such a promise after having used exactly those bully-boy tactics so far? The last big fighting I saw was on New Year’s Day; I don't know why she’d change now.  Btw, she was at Davos. She can say anything she cares to say, but what’s important is what Xi Jinping says.   The only likely reason for changing strategy might be . . .
The 11 Jan Taiwan; the 15 Jan ___; there’s a new election coming in the US, where Beijing thought Trump would lose, but now may be hedging its bets. Are you aware of any backchannel negotiations? There’s no central leadership among the Patriots— Beijing would have to deal with millions of Hong Kongers.
 
Hour Two
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 2, Block A:  Stephen Yates, former deputy national security advisor to Vice President Cheney and currently CEO of DC International Advisory, in re: The unnamed coronavirus has now been declared in enough countries that airports are being closed.  The WHO announces it will not declare a global health emergency.  At least 17 have died, many now ill. Taiwan, which now has at least one stricken person, has been kept out of the WHO by malice of Beijing. Beijing has exposed Taiwan to great medical risk in what should be humanitarian and health matters. That is, the WHO has been intimidated by Beijing; and the WHO is far from being a world organization.  It’s only the authoritarian regimes where these maladies can spread; in a democracy, information would flow. The weakness of the world’s democracies. Wuhan coronavirus is spreading much faster than SARS did. Monumentally high danger of going to China now.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/taiwan-virus-case-highlights-chinese-effort...
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 2, Block B:  Gordon Chang, in re:
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 2, Block C:  Salena Zito,  author, The Great Revolt, & The Middle of Somewhere column; in re:
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 2, Block D: Salena Zito,  author, The Great Revolt, & The Middle of Somewhere column; in re: Two remarkable Pennsylvania pols who do good deeds in bipartisan votes.
 
Hour Three
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 3, Block A: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, in re: Adam Schiff has made a case that’s extremely difficult o follow. Has accused the president of taking bribes and been a stooge of the Kremlin; read into the Congressional Record. Continues to call him an agent of the Kremlin.  Motive? 
I must first issue a disclaimer that I’m not a psychotherapist. He does this for political advancement.  Witless, mendacious, tendentious weasel that he is.  “The American people cannot be trusted at the ballot box.”  Good grief. We’re all too stupid to know how to vote. He’s lied from Day One, from the Nunes memo on.  He’s espousing a totalitarian mindset. Dithyramb to his own incompetence.
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 3, Block B:  Bill McGurn, WSJ, in re: 
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 3, Block C:  John Cochrane, professor of finance, Stanford; Hoover, in re:
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 3, Block D:  Brett Arends, Market Watch, in re:  Brexit and the economy.
 
Hour Four
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 4, Block A:  The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts, by Graham Robb
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 4, Block B:  The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts, by Graham Robb
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 4, Block C: The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts, by Graham Robb
Wednesday 22 January 2020 / Hour 4, Block D:  The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts, by Graham Robb