We Are the Bad Guys

How the U.S. Wages War, Controls Economies, and Calls It Freedom

De: Michael Lester

Narrado por: Michael T. Lester

A Marine combat pilot and Naval Academy graduate reveals what he learned about American power that the history books left out.

America tells one story about itself. The world sees another.

After serving across Asia and the Middle East, Michael T. Lester noticed a gap between what he was told and what he saw. The locals didn't look liberated. The missions didn't match the slogans. So he spent twenty years using his historian training to find out why.

We Are the Bad Guys connects what's usually kept separate: the coups, sanctions, covert operations, and media narratives that frame them. Drawing on declassified documents, leaked cables, and historians, this audiobook traces a century of U.S. intervention and asks: What if we're not the good guys?

What you'll discover:

• How U.S. wars, coups, and covert ops reshaped Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia
• How "freedom," "democracy," and "security" manufacture public support for intervention
• Why the world sees America so differently—and what they know that we don't
• Financial and intelligence tools used to destabilize countries without deploying soldiers

This isn't anti-American. It's pro-truth. Clear, direct language—no jargon, no ideology, just documented history most weren't taught.

Perfect for listeners who enjoyed Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, and Andrew Bacevich.

About the Author:

Michael T. Lester is a Naval Academy graduate and former Marine combat pilot who served across Asia and the Middle East. Now a cybersecurity executive, he researched U.S. foreign policy for two decades, examining the gap between America's stated values and actual behavior abroad.

©2025 Michael T. Lester (P)2025 Michael T. Lester

The year of perspective

This book has been truly eye-opening from cover to cover this year. My goal is to look at things through others perspective as much as possible. This is one true way to ultimately look at much of our history through the proper lens with credentials to back up every word that has said.

It was fine until his hypocritical views

I first heard this gentleman on the Shawn Ryan show. I searched out his book and spent a precious credit, on the title. All was fine until he started ragging on law enforcement. No, all of law enforcement is not flawless . No group is flawless but, neither is all of law enforcement bad. I, for one, do not want to live in a society with no type of law enforcement. It would be total anarchy. In addition, Americans, unlike many Countries that have
Been living in wartime and lawlessness for decades, would completely crumble if they did not have anyone to call for help. We Americans, have had it too good for too long, to be able To live in such chaos.

I finally decided to return the book when Mr Lester started siting only the facts that support his views, which is exactly what he criticizes others of doing. I will not financially support such a raging hypocrite .

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY!

i was expecting more

I don’t know. After the Shawn Ryan Show interview, I was expecting more. I’m not saying the book is bad, but it’s not particularly good either. Some of the information doesn’t really pass the smell test.
I wish the author had engaged more with the work of Roland Fryer and Bob Woodson before presenting some of the data. I understand the message, but to me the book feels biased and overly simplified.
Like I said, I was expecting more.