4/8/26 Robert Pape: Trump’s Ceasefire Does Not Close the Escalation Trap

Scott brought Robert Pape of the University of Chicago back to discuss the attempted ceasefire that went into effect on Wednesday night. Pape explains why this is not actually a meaningful step away from the escalation to a full-on war that he’s long been warning about. He also talks about how this is war is cementing Iran’s status as a world power and why he expects the Iranians to abandon their previous stance, begin earnestly pursuing nuclear weapons and attain them quickly. Discussed on the show: “The Pause That Isn’t: Why the Iran Ceasefire Changes Everything” (The Escalation Trap) “The War Is Turning Iran Into a Major World Power” (The New York Times) Robert A. Pape is Professor of Political Science and Director of the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats and the author of Bombing to Win: Air Power and Coercion in War. Follow him on Twitter @ProfessorPape Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth app: Use code HORTON50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings, sound like a pro, and also support the Scott Horton Show! For more on Scott's work: Check out The Libertarian Institute: Check out Scott's other show, Provoked, with Darryl Cooper Read Scott's books: Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine (The audiobook of Provoked is being published in sections at Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism: Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan Follow Scott on X @scotthortonshow And check out Scott’s full interview archives: This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated Moon Does Artisan Coffee Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom and Dissident Media You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at or Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to 4/8/26 Robert Pape: Trump’s Ceasefire Does Not Close the Escalation Trap online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

4/8/26 Robert Pape: Trump’s Ceasefire Does Not Close the Escalation Trap is an episode from Scott Horton Show Interviews by Scott Horton.

This episode is 52:26 long.

This episode was published on Apr 9, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Scott Horton Show Interviews when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.