The Shawn Ryan Show

Michael T. Lester, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Marine Corps combat pilot who served in Asia and the Middle East, initially believed deeply in American ideals. Over time, he experienced growing disillusionment as U.S. actions abroad often contradicted official narratives and failed to align with stated goals of promoting democracy and freedom.

His book provides a non-partisan analysis, arguing that repeated harmful outcomes across administrations are systemic features driven by incentives, not mere mistakes. It outlines an imperial playbook involving regime change, sanctions, proxy wars, and economic control, while linking foreign policy to domestic narrative management that manufactures consent.

Lester applies this framework to current events like Ukraine, Gaza, and Venezuela, noting increasing global skepticism toward U.S. explanations. The provocative title refers to outcomes; from a global viewpoint, the U.S. often appears as the antagonist, emphasizing that denial hinders self-correction.

Motivated by the view that silence enables complicity, Lester wrote this book to encourage honest reckoning in a multipolar world.

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Michael Lester Links:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtlester

Books - https://michaeltlester.com
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Please watch the full video to hear my defense’s response to Camp Kanakuk’s attorneys’ demand letter requesting the removal of parts of my interview with Ro Khanna. If you would like to read both letters yourself, you can do so here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1-anLwZmDRG6Y7dor8pKldmiIlIiouSC5

Watch the FULL episode with Elizabeth Phillips: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5O8WBQW4lwRpYkS3iR20u8?si=p30yIWWyREmCdQ1m3amrkQ&t=5&pi=3u6d1eGZTLGSX

Watch the FULL episode with Ro Khanna: https://open.spotify.com/episode/159J2mL0PJcpzZlCgaxJYZ?si=QT5A713ZQy-hRdi1aw27FQ&t=5&pi=yxt1U4nJTkeIN

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Nick Brokhausen is a highly decorated U.S. Army Special Forces veteran who served in the secretive Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) from 1970 to 1971, conducting high-risk reconnaissance missions deep behind enemy lines in Vietnam and Laos. On his second tour in Vietnam, he joined Recon Team Habu in Command and Control North (CCN), participating in some of the most dangerous operations of the war. With a 15-year career in the Regiment, Brokhausen undertook classified missions across the globe.

He is the author of "We Few: U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam" (2018) and "Whispers in the Tall Grass: Back Behind Enemy Lines with MACV-SOG" (2019), offering firsthand accounts of SOG's covert operations and the camaraderie among elite warriors.

He advocates for preserving the history of special operations and honoring the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans.

Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:

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Nick Brokhausen Links:

Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07CKVZHTP
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Jay Yu is a prominent DeepTech and NuclearTech entrepreneur with a Wall Street capital markets background. Driven by a vision to make energy more accessible, affordable, and sustainable worldwide, he currently serves as Executive Chairman & CEO of LIS Technologies Inc. (LIST) and Founder & Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE).

LIS Technologies is the only U.S.-origin and patented laser uranium enrichment technology company, delivering a revolutionary, energy- and cost-efficient approach that is set to redefine nuclear fuel industry standards while also producing medical and stable isotopes; including silicon-28 critical for AI and quantum computing.

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NNE) is the first publicly listed, vertically integrated advanced nuclear micro modular reactor company in the United States. Under Jay Yu’s leadership, NNE acquired one of the highest Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and patented microreactor designs in development, achieved a market capitalization exceeding $3 billion, raised over $600 million in just a year and a half, and earned the title of Wall Street’s Cinderella story of 2024 as the #1 Top IPO Performer.

Leading a world-class team of nuclear engineers, former national leaders in military and policy, U.S. Department of Energy experts, national laboratory veterans, and regulatory specialists, Jay is developing smaller, simpler, and safer advanced nuclear microreactors. He brings deep expertise in corporate structuring, capital fundraising, and recruiting top-tier talent while passionately building strategic relationships and creating lasting value for partners and stakeholders. In 2021, Jay Yu was honored as one of The Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business; the highest recognition in the U.S. AAPI community.

Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:

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Jay Yu Links:

X - https://x.com/nano_nuclear

IG - https://www.instagram.com/nanonuclear

YT - https://www.youtube.com/@nanonuclearenergy

NANO Nuclear - https://nanonuclearenergy.com
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Tim Ferriss is the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef. His podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, has surpassed one billion downloads and is widely regarded as the “Oprah of audio.” Named as one of Fortune’s “40 Under 40,” Tim is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and was ranked among the “Top 20 Angel Investors” by Forbes.

A Princeton University graduate (BA 2000, East Asian Studies), Tim is a polyglot who speaks five languages to different degrees, a national Chinese kickboxing champion, the first American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tango spins, and a practiced horseback archer (yabusame) in Japan.

His business ventures include bootstrapping a nootropics company (BrainQUICKEN) to millions in revenue before selling it in 2010, launching the audiobook imprint Tim Ferriss Publishing with Amazon Audible (responsible for modern classics like Ego Is the Enemy and The Obstacle Is the Way), and co-creating the hit card game COYOTE (2025) with Exploding Kittens creator Elan Lee—now sold in over 8,000 stores worldwide including Target, Walmart, and Amazon.

Known for normalizing vulnerability while achieving massive success, Tim pioneered the remote-work and lifestyle-design movements pre-pandemic, popularized biohacking, and has served as an advisor at Singularity University and a 2009 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:

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Tim Ferriss Links:

The No Book free chapters - https://tim.blog/nobook

Everything Tim – https://tim.blog

Podcast – https://tim.blog/podcast

X – https://x.com/tferriss

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/timferriss

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/timferriss

COYOTE Game – https://www.explodingkittens.com/products/coyote

Books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001ILKBW2/allbooks
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