April 3, 2014

Acemogluism in Arms

Celebrated MIT economist Daron Acemoglu, author of Why Nations Fail, is the Malcolm Gladwell of the 2010s. Normally, Acemoglu's ignorance and stupidity would be just a waste of TED Talk viewers' time, but now Acemoglu has a warlord fan.

From the NYT:
At Quiet Rebel Base, Plotting an Assault on South Sudan’s Oil Fields 
... Mr. Machar is plotting the offensive on the oil fields from a hide-out in Upper Nile State. It is a quiet outpost, save the incessant chirping of birds, and the former vice president keeps company with a small team of bodyguards. He has a satellite phone and a shiny touch-screen tablet in a battered brown case, and in his free time he is working through a paperback copy of “Why Nations Fail.”

Uh-oh.
   

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"He has a satellite phone and a shiny touch-screen tablet in a battered brown case, and in his free time he is working through a paperback copy of “Why Nations Fail.”"

Why bother with a book to know why? All he needs is a mirror.

Old Odd Jobs said...

Steve, will you enlighten us as to why this fellow is stupid and ignorant or shall we just deduce it from your smirk?

Anononymous said...

Red five, standing by.

Alfa 158 said...

OOJ; Steve provides links about Acemoglu at the beginning of his post. You can expand out from there as an exercise for the student.

5371 said...

Old Odd Jobs said...
Steve, will you enlighten us as to why this fellow is stupid and ignorant or shall we just deduce it from your smirk?

4/3/14, 10:08 PM

Do you know how to follow a link?

Anonymous said...

Alright, hands up! Now hand over your settler-colony institutions, nice and easy!