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#478 – Scott Horton: The Case Against War and the Military Industrial Complex

whatshot 115 snips

Aug 24, 2025

Guest

Scott Horton

Scott Horton, director of the Libertarian Institute and a veteran antiwar voice, dives deep into the pitfalls of U.S. military interventionism. He critiques the military-industrial complex and highlights the historical implications of U.S. foreign policy decisions, like support for authoritarian regimes. Horton discusses the vital role of whistleblowers in promoting transparency, and reflects on the costs of war, arguing for the power of education and awareness in shaping antiwar sentiments.

10:35:13

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insights

INSIGHT

True Cost Versus Claimed Benefit

The post-9/11 wars caused massive human and financial costs with little strategic benefit.
Scott Horton argues the wars produced refugee crises, veteran suicides, and trillions spent without achieving stated goals.

insights

INSIGHT

Why Governments Double Down On Failure

Bureaucracies protect decisions, not truth, causing policies to persist despite failure.
Horton cites public choice theory and insiders like Daniel Ellsberg to explain decision inertia.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Ellsberg's Moral Break

Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers after seeing sustained deception about Vietnam.
Horton describes Ellsberg's background as a nuclear planner and his moral refusal that led to historic whistleblowing.

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Enough Already

Time to End the War on Terrorism

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Scott Horton is the director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of The Scott Horton Show, co-host of Provoked, and for the past three decades a staunch critic of U.S. military interventionism.
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep478-sc
See below for timestamps, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

CONTACT LEX:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Supplemental Notes & Corrections: https://lexfridman.com/scott-horton-links-and-notes/
Scott’s X: https://x.com/scotthortonshow
Scott Horton Show: https://youtube.com/@scotthortonshow
Provoked Show: https://youtube.com/@Provoked_Show
Scott’s Substack: https://scotthortonshow.com/
Scott’s Website: https://scotthorton.org/
Scott’s Books: https://amzn.to/3T9Qg7y
Libertarian Institute: https://libertarianinstitute.org/
Antiwar.com: https://antiwar.com/

SPONSORS:
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OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(00:35) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
(09:14) – From the Cold War to the War on Terror
(1:02:13) – Iraq War 1
(1:30:17) – Bin Laden
(2:29:39) – Afghanistan War
(2:44:35) – Iraq War 2
(3:10:59) – Military Industrial Complex
(3:50:25) – Scott’s life story
(4:20:15) – Iraq War 2 (continued)
(5:11:43) – Syria
(6:05:01) – Iraq War 3
(6:17:28) – Somalia
(6:22:56) – Iran
(7:12:41) – Israel-Palestine
(9:02:19) – Cold War 2.0

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