265. Christopher Blattman on Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace
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Shermer and Blattman discuss: Putin, Russia, and Ukraine \\u2022 game theory and violent conflict \\u2022 5 Reasons for conflict and war \\u2022 common elements of conflict in Medellin, Chicago, Sudan, Somalia, etc. \\u2022 U.S. foreign policy in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and elsewhere, and its consequences \\u2022 human nature and conflict: are we wired to fight or do environments push us into conflicts? \\u2022 cooperation vs. competition / selfish genes vs. collection action problems \\u2022 inner demons and better angels \\u2022 violence and wars in our paleolithic ancestors \\u2022 why violence has declined over the centuries \\u2022 Chicago as a test case for theories of conflict and peace \\u2022 why gangs, groups, and even nations mostly avoid conflict and war because of its consequences \\u2022 and whether international aid and economic development attenuate violence.
Dr. Christopher Blattman is the Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies (University of Chicago), where he coleads the Development Economics Center and directs the Obama Foundation Scholars program. His work on violence, crime, and poverty has been widely covered by the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Forbes, Slate, Vox, and NPR.
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