May 15, 2026 · 2h 41m
Scott Horton traces modern global conflicts to American interventionism
#2500 - Scott Horton
Understanding the historical drivers of American foreign policy is critical to evaluating the systemic risks of escalating global conflicts.
- 1U.S. foreign policy is systematically steered by the military-industrial complex to maintain high defense spending and global tension.
- 2The conflict in Ukraine stems from long-term strategic provocations and NATO expansion rather than isolated events.
- 3Persistent interventionist strategies in the Middle East and Asia risk escalating into direct confrontations with Iran and China.
Don't miss
Scott Horton details how the military-industrial complex systematically influences U.S. foreign policy to prioritize defense spending over diplomacy.
The brief
Libertarian author and foreign policy expert Scott Horton joins Joe Rogan to dissect the roots of the New Cold War, tracing how decades of American interventionism and NATO expansion laid the groundwork for the current conflict in Ukraine.
Horton argues that U.S. foreign policy is heavily driven by the military-industrial complex, which prioritizes perpetual tension and defense spending over diplomatic resolution, creating systemic instability abroad.
The discussion extends beyond Eastern Europe to analyze the broader consequences of American actions in the Middle East, detailing the historical context behind escalating tensions with regional powers like Iran.
By examining the strategic provocations that shaped modern geopolitics, Horton warns that continuing these interventionist patterns risks pushing the United States into dangerous, avoidable confrontations with both Russia and China.
What was said on this episode
29 statements · 6 positive · 22 negative · 1 neutral
Podcasting has transformed the media market.
“podcasting is completely changed the entire market”
Listen at 4:18
Washington has failed to establish itself as a world government.
“It was to build up Washington D.C. as the world government. And of course, the. They've been failing and flailing at trying to establish that ever since.”
Listen at 7:51
A totalitarian one-world government is unlikely soon.
“that's just not going to happen anytime soon at all”
Listen at 8:54
U.S. foreign policy functions as a form of neocolonialism.
“it's sort of a neo colonialism where if we can overthrow your government with some money, then we'll do that”
Listen at 11:40
The Iraq War increased Iran’s regional power.
“what happened then in the war was they just empowered Iran”
Listen at 23:53
War planners expected success, with prolonged conflict offering profits as fallback.
“plan A is. It'll be fine. And then plan B is, well, at least we can make some money and push this thing on and let both sides fight and weaken each other”
Listen at 27:20
U.S. policy in Syria aimed to destroy the country if regime change failed.
“if we can't get the Al Qaeda guys to sack Damascus and get rid of Assad, at least we can just destroy the place”
Listen at 29:33
Iranian leaders can be targeted if their locations are identified.
“if you can put eyeballs on them, you can put a bomb on them”
Listen at 30:09
Russia’s nuclear arsenal makes a direct Britain-Russia war untenable.
“They've got H bombs, 7,000 of them. We're not having a war with Russia.”
Listen at 32:57
NATO expansion created a threatening posture along Russia’s border.
“they ended up expanding the military alliance up to Russia's border in a threatening manner”
Listen at 36:20
The United States exercised near-total control over Ukraine’s government.
“America had, you know, almost like it was a British colony, just had total sock puppets in charge of that country”
Listen at 44:20
Ukraine’s minerals are not crucial to American interests.
“I would not buy anyone arguing that these minerals or these resources are somehow crucial for the United States of America”
Listen at 47:26
Ukrainian resource interests primarily benefit special interests, not Americans broadly.
“this is about them, but that isn't necessarily us”
Listen at 47:52
Biden’s Russia policy strengthened Russia-China relations.
“I think it was totally wrong because it just strengthened the relationship between Russia and China”
Listen at 55:49
Destroying Nord Stream was clearly in America’s interest.
“I think it's clearly was in America's interest”
Listen at 1:01:31
The Nord Stream rupture was possibly the largest methane release ever.
“I think it was the biggest release of methane into the atmosphere ever”
Listen at 1:01:58
NATO expansion caused major subsequent problems with Russia.
“the project of NATO expansion has Sort of blown up and caused all these problems”
Listen at 1:05:03
China is currently an overextended empire.
“China's already a pretty overextended empire”
Listen at 1:11:43
Xi Jinping is unlikely to pursue worldwide military conquest.
“I really don't think that Xi Jinping is looking at George W. Bush and Barack Obama and Donald Trump and Joe Biden and going, yeah, that's what I want to do for my country is blow my own brains out trying to take over the whole rest of the planet Earth.”
Listen at 1:12:44
America’s Middle Eastern military empire is bankrupt.
“America's military empire in the Middle east is completely bankrupt”
Listen at 1:20:50
Iran possesses escalation dominance against American forces in the region.
“the Iranians have escalation dominance or at least we won't have it”
Listen at 1:23:46
Iran retains roughly 70–75% of its missiles and launchers.
“the Iranians still have 70, 75% of all their missiles and launchers”
Listen at 1:28:35
An Iranian nuclear weapon would encourage Gulf states to develop nuclear weapons.
“that would then incentivize all of the other powers, I mean, or other states on the GCC there, Saudi and Qatar and Bahrain and UAE to get their own nukes”
Listen at 1:49:33
Iran’s Natanz and Fordo nuclear facilities are currently inactive.
“the Natanz and Fordo facilities are essentially just frozen right now. There's nothing going on there.”
Listen at 2:01:17
Israel possesses at least 200 nuclear weapons.
“everybody knows that they have at least 200”
Listen at 2:10:41
Iran is now more likely than ever to pursue a nuclear weapon.
“they're more likely to go ahead and try to break out and make an atom bomb now than ever before”
Listen at 2:18:43
The United States should withdraw from its Middle Eastern military presence.
“the thing to do is for America to just come home”
Listen at 2:21:08
A continuing Iran war lasting three years would have severe consequences.
“I can't imagine what's going to happen if this thing keeps on for three years”
Listen at 2:31:57
Trump’s war enhanced Iranian regional power at least as much as Bush’s Iraq War.
“what Donald Trump has done with this war is about at least equivalent to what W. Bush did in terms of enhancing Iranian power in the region”
Listen at 2:35:55
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.