Zack Beauchamp

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

@AntonJaegermm @crookedfootball But then why is it that the accounts you see in Marxist publications are so frequently along the unilluminating lines Chris suggests - realism inflected by leftist language? — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

@JamesFallows Right. Does it commit the US to attacking Russian fires targeting Kyiv? — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

If you wanted to design a military intervention in Ukraine to purely to save Ukrainian civilians, you'd target Russian artillery. A No Fly Zone risks World War III for only limited impacts on the battlefield, as far as I can tell. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

The thing that really baffles me about the continued obsession with a No Fly Zone is that the Russian air force has been famously MIA during this war — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

RT @McFaul: Agree 100%. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

There is no such thing as a limited no fly zone. By its very nature, it means war with Russia — with all the attendant risks of nuclear miscalculation https://t.co/NsEYPa8Qrw — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

What happens if Russia says no? What if Russian artillery keeps pounding these civilian areas that NATO is allegedly protecting — does the mission expand? They don't say! — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

This new letter from DC experts calling for a No Fly Zone is remarkable. Instead of arguing that escalation risks with Russia would be limited, they fantastically assert that simply telling Russia to stop missions in Ukraine would be enough https://t.co/ivT3rM6g3T https://t.co/NHm7y7JxOe — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

RT @jordanschreiber: he has a few more followers than me, but it is still my duty to hype. my very smart and wonderful boyfriend @max_fishe… — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

RT @TheAAPSS: JOIN US for a discussion on global democratic vulnerability and resilience and what it might mean for our American democracy… — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

It seems likely to me that Russia will still win the conventional war, based on the balance of forces and continued Russian advancement. But "likely" is not the "inevitable" that many suggested before the war began, and that's telling about the Russian military's performance. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

RT @mikejason73: Thread from a solid strategist and thinker. I am not sure I agree in who has the proverbial time, but he is right in that… — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

@alexbward @jenn_ruth yessssssssssss — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

To put the astonishing Russian failure here in perspective: prior to the war, Russia had 832 fighters. Ukraine had 86. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

@ichbinilya I was just reading that piece you translated, really thought provoking stuff — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

RT @JoshuaASchwartz: I think a lot of folks conflate irrationality and brutality. Leaders like Putin and Kim Jong-un are extremely brutal,… — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

7. Crucially, this doesn't mean Putin is suicidal or bent on Hitler-like conquest of Europe. These are entirely different propositions — implausible ones, on my read — that require much more evidence than the mere fact that he has blundered in Ukraine. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

6. What seems to be going on right now in Ukraine is a combination of bad information and normatively bad preferences. Putin places a really high value on bringing Ukraine to heel and is willing to suffer a lot for it — plus, he thought he'd be suffering less than he is. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

5. Alternatively, a rational actor might have a set of preferences that seems weird or bizarre. If I really love this falafel shop in New York, I might rationally be willing to drive hundreds of miles just to get it — even if that seems crazy to other people. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

4. Rational people make bad decisions all the time, for all sorts of reasons. To give a simple example: if Google says the falafel restaurant I like is open, and I want falafel for lunch, it would be rational for me to go there at noon. If Google was wrong, it was still rational. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

3. Is Putin "rational" by this definition? Almost certainly, despite launching a war that seems to have blown up in his face. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

2. In political science literature, "rationality" is not a word for thinking in general. It typically refers to an agent's ability to do means-ends reasoning: to identify their goals and whether or not their actions are likely to further those goals. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

1. The debate surrounding Putin's "rationality" suffers from a serious conceptual problem that is leading many to dangerously alarmist conclusions. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

@kohenari In theory yes! — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

@kohenari 👋 — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

@StephanieCarvin @smsaideman oof — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

RT @borzou: Unbelievable https://t.co/qKI90yzEid — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

@StephanieCarvin What were the errors? I remember seeing you write something about this but didn't really follow the controversy. — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

The New York Times is one of the greatest newspapers in the world. Its Opinion section employs some of the very smartest writers anywhere. Unfortunately, it also sometimes does this. https://t.co/cqT6S9VDxD — PolitiTweet.org

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp

Ah yes, time for another round of campus free speech wars when there is a literal war going on — PolitiTweet.org