Morning reading: Why we fight
Adam took notes on a review of Christopher Blattman’s Why We Fight.
The Economist writes about Mr. Blattman’s “five ‘logical ways’ why, despite all the reasons to compromise, people opt to fight.” I summarized the points of their short review in my notebook:
The rational option is always to avoid fighting because of the high cost and uncertainty of violence.
Five “logical ways” people opt to fight:
1. Unchecked interests: the interests of the rulers differ from those of the ruled.
2. Intangible incentives: People will fight over values that economic self interest fails to capture.
3. Uncertainty: If two sides have different information, it can lead to a fatal miscalculation.
4. Commitment problems: If you don’t believe a deal with the other party will hold.
5. Misperception: Do leaders truly understand the other side? Do they understand themselves?
Why Morning Reading? Sometimes it’s what I read in the morning and sometimes it’s for you to read in the morning. Mostly it’s a signifier that this blog post is primarily a quotation.
