Lex Fridman Podcast
#478 – Scott Horton: The Case Against War and the Military Industrial Complex
24 Aug 2025
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: Feedback - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey AMA - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama Hiring - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring Other - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact 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: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Allio Capital: AI-powered investment app that uses global macroeconomic trends. Go to https://alliocapital.com/ Hampton: Community for high-growth founders and CEOs. Go to https://joinhampton.com/lex BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling. Go to https://betterhelp.com/lex AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drink. Go to https://drinkag1.com/lex 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 PODCAST LINKS: - Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast - Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 - RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ - Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 - Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips
Full Episode
The following is a conversation with Scott Horton. He's the director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of antiwar.com, co-host of Provoked, and host of The Scott Horton Show, on which he has done over 6,000 interviews since 2003.
He's the author of Provoked, Enough Already, and other books and articles that have, over the past three decades, criticized US foreign policy, especially in regard to military interventionism and the military-industrial complex. And now a quick few second mention of each sponsor. Check them out in the description or at lexfriedman.com slash sponsors. It's the best way to support this podcast.
We got Allio Capital for investment, Hampton for connecting with founders, BetterHelp for mental health, NetSuite for business management software, and AG1 for my daily multivitamin. Choose wisely, my friends. And now, on to the full ad reads. They're all here in one place. I try to make them interesting, but if you must skip, please still check out the sponsors. I enjoy their stuff.
Maybe you will too. Oh, and to get in touch with me, for whatever reason, go to lexfriedman.com slash contact. All right, let's go. This episode is brought to you by Alio Capital, an investment app designed by people who understand global markets and the macroeconomics of a world that is increasingly becoming divided politically, socially, and economically.
Allio is powered by Altitude AI, which identifies shifts in inflation, interest rates, and global risk, and based on that, adapts portfolios in real time. I use it. It took me a few minutes to set up. It is obviously the future that AI should be integrated deeper and deeper in your investment processes, whether you're a hands-on or hands-off investor. I'm very much hands-off.
Set it and forget it. And in that case, certainly AI needs to be part of the set it and forget it way of life. One of the things I've come to understand more and more that the 21st century is not going to be defined by the economy of one nation. It is not going to be a unipolar world. It is going to be a large collections of nations cooperating and competing, trading and starting conflicts.
And through all of that turmoil and tension, it is difficult to know what to do with your money so you don't get screwed over. And that's why I'm happy there's people like Alio that once again look at the global markets. Download their app in the App Store, Google Play, or text LEX to 511511. That's A-L-L-I-O, capital, text LEX to 511511.
Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee results. See terms and conditions. Text fees may apply. This episode is also brought to you by Hampton, a private community for high-growth founders and CEOs. I recently got a chance to have dinner, a couple of times actually, with a few CEOs that are local here in Austin.
Well, one, I should say, they're all incredible people. But two... Directly and indirectly, through osmosis, I begin to understand how difficult the journey of a founder is, of somebody that builds something in the world, how exciting it is, but also how challenging it is. And I think nobody really knows that as well as other founders.
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