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March 25, 2020

Scott Horton Interviews William Arkin on the Military’s Top Secret Coronavirus Plans

Scott interviews William Arkin about his recent Newsweek article discussing the the government’s various contingency plans—both public and secret—to keep a functioning, constitutional government alive during a national crisis. He is not so concerned about the introduction of martial law as usually conceived, which he considers unlikely, but worries about something called devolving succession, a process by which a group outside the usual, public line of succession could declare themselves a legitimate government. One problem with this system is that these figures are essentially unknown to the American public. Arkin believes that more transparency with respect to the government’s succession plans would increase faith among the American people that they are in good hands in emergencies.

— By  Eric Garris

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While some are hoping that warring parties use the global outbreak of coronavirus as an excuse to stop fighting and rethink things, some analysts are concerned that the instability is going to mean extremist groups will see something to take advantage of.

International relations specialist Bertrand Badie called it a “godsend” for such groups, and predicted “the revenge of the weak over the strong” in the weeks to come. As the virus spreads around, this attitude could spread to more countries.

— By Jason Ditz

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Coronavirus Fuels Calls for Sanctions Relief on Iran, Venezuela

Coronavirus is pounding a lot of nations around the world, and with the Trump Administration talking about lending a hand to the most overwhelmed countries, one of the most obvious ways to help would be to not make matters worse, meaning easing US economic sanctions.

— By Jason Ditz

With the shutdown of many sectors of the economy in response to coronavirus, US news outlets are expected to take a big hit. Major outlets that rely on advertising money and print newspapers will hurt the most.

The Stranger, a free weekly newspaper based in Seattle, has asked its readers for donations and explained that 90 percent of their revenue comes "from advertising, ticketing fees, and our own events" and "is directly tied to people getting together in groups." For newspapers like The Stranger, coronavirus quarantines and lockdowns have virtually eliminated most of their funding.

— By Dave DeCamp

Coronavirus Forces Pentagon to Limit Operations

The US military is no stranger to having to adapt to a crisis in one of the countries they are deployed within. Coronavirus is a bigger matter, however, because it’s not just some countries, but all of them, and the military is trying to adapt everywhere.

— By Jason Ditz