Episode · Breaking Points · 2026-04-30
Books mentioned on US VS Iran Economic Pain: Who Will 'Cry Uncle' First
Saagar Enjeti discussed The Great Illusion by Norman Angell and others and The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Great Illusion
The Great Illusion by Norman Angell is a classic early twentieth-century text exploring the economics of international conflict and globalization.
Discussed“I had to look up the book. I I had to read it when I was in graduate school. And it was about the it's called the great illusion. And it was this it was very Pollyannaish theory in 1909 where we can't have war because it'll cost too much money.”
Where to get it
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The Guns of August
Why people recommend it: Detailing the catastrophic miscalculations and diplomatic failures that plunged the world into global conflict, The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman is a masterclass in military history.
Discussed“And actually there was a theory in the opening days of the Guns of August where they were like, 'Guys, the war will be over soon cuz we're all going to go broke. There's no way that we could sustain this.'”
Where to get it
