Chris Blattman

What makes conflict win out over compromise? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Chris Blattman, an acclaimed expert on violence and conflict. His recent book, “Why We Fight,” draws on economics, political science, and psychology to examine the root causes of war and the paths to peace.In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the other ongoing conflicts our world faces today, many of us are wondering, is resorting to violence the norm? Are the paths to war easier than...

 1. Elton John singing Crocodile Rock on The Muppets (1972) and William Shatner performing a spoken word Rocketman 2. An excerpt from Deer Man, one man’s account of deciding to live life alone in the forest from age 16. Since I started living in the forest, I’ve become exhausted. I wake up far too often and struggle to get back to sleep. The hooting owls, the screeching foxes, and particularly the boar make a terrible racket. They squeak and scream and grunt and run in all directions. But...

TranscriptTable of ContentsRob’s intro [00:00:00]Rob Wiblin: Hi listeners, this is The 80,000 Hours Podcast, where we have unusually in-depth conversations about the world’s most pressing problems, what you can do to solve them, and what to do if you’re handcuffed to someone on the side of a cliff. I’m Rob Wiblin, Head of Research at 80,000 Hours.Recent events have had people thinking a lot about interstate conflict, which made it a no-brainer to interview economist Chris Blattman about his...

How long will the Russian war in Ukraine continue? The Russian aggression has no end in sight and so Ukraine should prepare for a war of attrition. In other words, it will be not only a fight of armed forces but also an economic competition. Who can procure more weapons? Who can muster more materiel? Who has larger reserves? That is UC Berkeley economist (and Ukrainian) Yuriy Gorodnichenko in Vox Ukraine. He writes about lessons from war mobilization of the US and European economies. But the...

As horror mounts over Russia’s war crimes, the clamour for Vladimir Putin to be held to account is growing. Joe Biden has accused Russia of committing genocide in Ukraine and has labelled the Russian president a 'war criminal'. Even Emmanuel Macron – who is the Western leader who has done the most to try and talk Putin around – has said he has run out of patience with Putin. Yet Russia's leader remains unfazed: the 64th motorised brigade, which has been accused of committing war crimes in...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Fabulous discussion with the best social science reporter I know, Dylan Matthews The post The Weeds podcast at Vox.com appeared first on Chris Blattman.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]I’ll be organizing events in more cities, but in the meantime I’d invite you to join in person or online the following events. If you’d like to organize or suggest an event online or in-person, please go here. New York and online: Tomorrow April 27, 6-7pm ET: Andaz Hotel in Midtown, hosted by UChicago. Details […] The post Join book events in New York, DC, and online appeared first on Chris Blattman.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Why do nations fight when it's clear how incredibly destructive war is? The post The Neoliberal podcast appeared first on Chris Blattman.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]One of my favorite's so far, with Norman B The post NPR’s Life Elsewhere radio/podcast appeared first on Chris Blattman.

That is my op-ed in today’s WSJ. You don’t get to pick your headlines, and I am guessing “The Strategic Logic of Russia’s War on Ukraine” will get misinterpreted somewhat.My view: this is a war driven by Mr. Putin’s psychology, but like all psychological roots of war, they are only decisive when the strategic bargaining space is so narrow. Some will see this as a rationalist take on war, but this is only partly true (and it’s a term I loathe). That’s because it’s not an either/or—strategic...