Podcast Summary: Part Of The Problem – Dave DeCamp (September 4, 2025)

Podcast: Part Of The Problem
Host: Dave Smith (GaS Digital Network)
Guest: Dave DeCamp (News Editor, antiwar.com; Host, Antiwar Radio)
Theme: U.S. Foreign Policy, Forgotten Wars, Media Neglect, Terror Wars, & The War on Drugs

Episode Overview

Dave Smith welcomes antiwar journalist Dave DeCamp for a critical, in-depth conversation about current and overlooked aspects of U.S. foreign policy—particularly the underreported U.S. air war in Somalia, the record-shattering airstrike numbers under the Trump administration, and the recent escalation of U.S. military action in Venezuela under the banner of the "war on drugs." The discussion exposes the lack of media coverage, bipartisan indifference, and how these ongoing interventions shape America’s global reputation and internal politics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Antiwar.com and Independent Journalism

Timestamps: 00:06–05:07

• Dave Smith extols antiwar.com as a crucial resource for staying informed on global conflicts beyond mainstream narratives.
  • "It is just the most important project on the Internet." (Dave Smith, 01:10)
• DeCamp explains that antiwar.com acts as a cross-ideological coalition, providing a platform for left, right, and libertarian anti-war perspectives.
• Independence from defense industry funding is emphasized, relying solely on reader donations.
  • "We're kind of a David fighting against the Goliath of the military industrial complex." (Dave DeCamp, 02:42)

Notable Moment:

• Dave Smith remarks on seeing Noam Chomsky and Pat Buchanan articles side by side, shattering simplistic left/right paradigms regarding war and peace. (03:25–04:24)

2. The 'Forgotten War': U.S. Airstrikes in Somalia

Timestamps: 05:08–25:15

• The episode's core topic is DeCamp’s recent article: "Trump Administration Shatters the Record for Annual US Airstrikes in Somalia."
• U.S. airstrikes in Somalia hit 71 as of September 2025, exceeding Trump’s previous 2019 record (63 strikes) and likely approaching 100 by year-end. (Dave DeCamp, 10:27)
• Lack of media and public awareness: both hosts underscore how virtually no U.S. outlets cover the ongoing Somalia conflict.
  • "I'm literally the only person in American media ... writing articles … covering this regularly." (Dave DeCamp, 10:45)
• Discussion on the loosened ‘rules of engagement’ under both the Trump and Biden administrations, enabling more aggressive and less accountable military action.
• Historical context: U.S. support for warlords after the Cold War, the rise and subsequent ousting of the Islamic Courts Union, the birth of Al Shabaab, and parallels to the Afghanistan war.
  • "There’s something really disturbing about the fact that you could be the citizen of a country that’s at war, and you don’t even know about it." (Dave Smith, 09:26)
• The failed nation-building efforts and the enduring U.S. role—propping up a government with little legitimacy or territorial control.

Notable Quotes:

• "...You can call it the longest war in American history ... it’s a CIA, JSOC war... didn’t have the sexy features of the other wars ... but man, how bad for the soul of a nation..." (Dave Smith, 08:04)
• "What's the end goal? ... Nobody's even talking about it because nobody's aware of it." (Dave DeCamp, 22:40)

3. Civilian Impact, Media Silence, and Racial Dynamics

Timestamps: 25:19–28:33

• Serious doubts over Pentagon claims of “only killing terrorists”; U.S. record in drone wars shows high civilian death rates (e.g., studies from Obama-era Pakistan strikes).
  • "In the Obama bombing campaign in Pakistan ... 96% of the people killed ... weren’t the intended target." (Dave Smith, 30:24)
• No oversight or accountability: U.S. Africa Command rarely releases strike details.
• DeCamp highlights disparities in antiwar activism and media interest—suggesting there’s less public sympathy or attention for conflicts with primarily black African victims.
  • "It does seem like there doesn’t seem to work up as much sympathy..." (Dave Smith, 25:18)

4. Escalation in Venezuela: War on Drugs or Regime Change?

Timestamps: 33:29–43:49

• New U.S. military strike: America bombed a boat in the Caribbean, killing 11, claiming it was a "narco-terrorist" operation. Parallels are drawn to similar U.S. attacks in Somalia.
  • "All you gotta do is say, they had drugs on the boat. ... and then everyone's like, yeah great job ..." (Dave Smith, 35:23)
• DeCamp traces the background: U.S. sanctions, delegitimization of Maduro, failed coup efforts, and how “narco-terrorist” rhetoric serves regime change, not drug interdiction.
• Massive U.S. naval presence in the area signals possible escalation.
• Skepticism over the drug narrative: Venezuela is not a primary cocaine exporter. Most U.S.-bound cocaine comes from Colombia, not Venezuela.
  • "The Cartel de los Soles or Cartel of the Suns ... doesn’t actually exist..." (Dave DeCamp, 40:36)

Notable Quotes:

• "If you really cared about people dying of drug deaths, you would just call off the drug war. And if you really cared about Venezuela becoming more capitalist, then you would want to just trade with them." (Dave Smith, 49:41)

5. The Homefront: Drug Wars, Cartels, and Futility of Bombing Away Social Problems

Timestamps: 50:37–70:00

• The conversation shifts to the domestic “war on drugs” and proposals by some U.S. politicians to declare cartels as terrorists, inviting drone strikes in Mexico.
  • "They're combining the drug war and the war on terror. ... Narco-terrorists is the new thing." (Dave DeCamp, 50:51)
• DeCamp warns of the dangers of setting such precedents, both in terms of sovereignty and innocent casualties.
• Smith and DeCamp discuss how U.S. intervention often strengthens regimes by feeding anti-American propaganda (“look at the U.S. armada on our coast!”).
• Discussion of sociological studies (the “Rat Park” experiment), the need for deeper solutions to drug abuse beyond prohibition and militarization.
  • "There's a deeper problem when people are OD'ing on drugs ... much, much deeper than the substance." (Dave Smith, 65:40)
• Both hosts criticize the “God complex” in U.S. policy—believing that war and force can mold foreign societies or abolish social ills like scarcity or addiction.

Memorable Anecdote:

• DeCamp reflects on growing up amid the opioid crisis: propaganda breeds distrust, which often leads to experimentation—not abstinence. (68:38)

Notable Quotes

"You can come to [anti-war views] from a left wing or a right wing point of view, and very easily from a libertarian point of view because, of course, war is the health of the state."
— Dave Smith (03:16)

"I'm literally the only person in American media ... writing articles ... covering [the Somalia war] regularly."
— Dave DeCamp (10:45)

"It does seem like there doesn't seem to work up as much sympathy [for Somalia]..."
— Dave Smith (25:18)

"The Cartel de los Soles or Cartel of the Suns... doesn’t actually exist."
— Dave DeCamp (40:36)

"If you really cared about, you know, Venezuela becoming more capitalist, then you would want to just trade with them ... [but] they never try that."
— Dave Smith (49:41)

"They're combining the drug war and the war on terror ... Narco-terrorists is the new thing."
— Dave DeCamp (50:51)

"We can't just bomb this problem away."
— Dave DeCamp (68:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:06–05:07: Introduction, Antiwar.com’s mission, coalition, and media criticism
• 05:08–25:15: Somalia—a record year of U.S. airstrikes, history, media silence, civilian casualties, Afghanistan parallels
• 25:19–28:33: Media and antiwar movement’s blind spots on Africa, race and empathy in foreign policy coverage
• 33:29–43:49: Venezuela escalation—boat bombing, “narco-terrorist” label, regime change motives, sanctions, U.S. naval build-up
• 50:37–70:00: Drug war rhetoric, calls for bombing cartels, problem of “god complex” in policy making, cultural/psychological approach to drug addiction

Episode Tone & Language

The episode is marked by Dave Smith’s characteristic blend of dark humor, exasperation, and clarity, with Dave DeCamp providing rigorous, fact-driven analysis. The tone is conversational, sometimes incredulous, and unapologetically anti-interventionist, with both men passionate about exposing government overreach, the failures of U.S. foreign policy, and the complicity/silence of the political class and media.

Call to Action

• Support Antiwar.com:
  • "If you appreciate him [Dave Smith] and our work and you could help us out, we really appreciate it. That's again, how we get by." (Dave DeCamp, 68:55)
• Follow Dave DeCamp’s daily newscast:
  • Search "Anti War News" on YouTube or visit antiwar.com for daily updates.

Summary Conclusion

This episode is a powerful exploration of America’s lesser-known contemporary wars and interventions. Smith and DeCamp trace the throughlines from bipartisan executive overreach to the military-industrial complex’s perpetual hunger for conflict, connecting distant battlefields to drug war policies at home. Their central warning: what America does in the shadows will not only sow violence and suffering abroad but eventually shape the nation’s soul, character, and standing in the world. The final message is a plea for accountability, skepticism, and supporting independent journalism willing to shine a light where legacy media will not.