Making Sense with Sam Harris #352 — Hubris & Chaos
46 snips
Feb 4, 2024 
Rory Stewart, a writer and former British politician now at GiveDirectly, dives deep into the fraying world order. The conversation uncovers the failures of military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, revealing cultural misunderstandings and the moral dilemmas of nation-building. They dissect the catastrophic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and its implications, while also tackling the rise of populism, the influence of social media, and the future of NATO and Brexit. Stewart’s insights highlight the complexities of governance amidst chaos.
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Rory's Afghanistan Walk
- Rory Stewart missed 9/11 while walking in Northern Nepal and was later arrested, accused of being with Al-Qaeda.
- He walked across Afghanistan, staying with locals, many of whom were Taliban sympathizers.
Why Nation-Building is Hard
- Post-WWII nation-building in Germany and Japan worked because they were already developed nations with strong foundations.
- Afghanistan lacked this, with low literacy rates and limited infrastructure, making true nation-building difficult.
Comparing Afghanistan and Iraq
- Stewart believes that stabilizing Afghanistan long-term was possible with limited intervention, unlike Iraq.
- Iraq, a more developed nation, was destabilized by removing existing infrastructure without viable replacements.
