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businessJun 30, 202610:09pending

What Iran teaches us about why wars start

About this episode

If war is so costly, why do we keep fighting them? We dig into the wars in Iran, Ukraine and Gaza to understand the incentives that lead countries into violence. Today on the show, the five factors that lead to war. 

Chris Blattman’s book is Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez

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What Iran teaches us about why wars start

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