Scott Horton Show - Just the Interviews 11/18/25 Barry Eisler on the CIA, Venezuela and Using Novels to Wake People Up
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Nov 21, 2025 
Barry Eisler, a former CIA officer and now a political thriller novelist, shares his transformation from insider to critic, highlighting the disarray in U.S. foreign policy and the alarming prospect of military action in Venezuela. He explores how storytelling can awaken minds to political realities and emphasize the importance of cognitive empathy in understanding differing perspectives. Eisler also tackles critical themes like American exceptionalism, the role of elites, and the motives behind regime change, while providing craft advice on writing engaging yet meaningful fiction.
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How Media Echoes Shape Worldview
- Barry Eisler describes how reading diverse outlets still delivered a uniform establishment view that masked alternatives.
- Discovering bloggers like Glenn Greenwald opened him to critiques of U.S. empire and shifted his framing of foreign policy.
From CIA Recruit To Skeptical Observer
- Barry Eisler recounts joining the CIA in 1989 with conventional American-exceptionalist beliefs and later doubting them.
- Books, blogs and life experience gradually enabled him to view U.S. actions more dispassionately like an outsider.
Normalization Of Endless War
- Eisler highlights how U.S. bombing and covert actions have become normalized to Americans but look bizarre abroad.
- That normalization lets presidents start or continue wars without public debate or formal declarations.
