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Making Sense with Sam Harris · February 26, 2024 · 80m
#352 — Hubris & Chaos
Rory Stewart on the fraying world order and the hubris of intervention. Walking across Afghanistan taught him that reality is far more complex than policymakers imagine. The West's failures stem from overconfidence in its own understanding.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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Stewart: Western policymakers applied their own mental models to Afghanistan and Iraq, assuming locals wanted the same things they did. The most generous interpretation requires first understanding what the other person's framework actually is.
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Stewart: moral courage in foreign policy requires direct experience. Policymakers who've never been to war zones make catastrophically confident decisions. Courage isn't fearlessness — it's acting despite full knowledge of the risks.
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