In the current conflict, that were recording this amontito the four weeks into the russian invasion of ukrane. And i think one of the common mistakes people make in trying to understand that is assuming that vlatimer puton is something like them. He's not. Some people have different attitudes toward violence, toward honor, toward territory, toward culture, toward their nation than you do. I think so many people, those armchair folks, just forget that all the time.
It's tempting to explain Russia's invasion of Ukraine with Putin's megalomania. Economist Chris Blattman of the University of Chicago talks about his book Why We Fight with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Blattman explains why only a fraction of rivalries ever erupt into violence, the five main reasons adversaries can't arrive at compromise, and the problem with trying to get into Putin's head (and why it's not all about Putin. Really).