How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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Jul 01, 2022
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Your Book Review: The Internationalists

66 min • 9,133 words • 238 comments • 73 likes • podcast (58 min)
A review of 'The Internationalists', which argues for the significance of the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact in outlawing war and shaping modern international relations. Longer summary
This book review discusses 'The Internationalists' by Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro, which argues for the importance of the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact in outlawing war. The review explores how the Pact changed international norms, leading to a significant decrease in conquest and territorial changes. It covers the book's three main sections: the Old World Order, the Transformation Period, and the New World Order. The review also addresses criticisms of the Pact's relevance and discusses its implications for current events like the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Shorter summary
Mar 30, 2022
acx

Who Gets Self-Determination?

22 min • 3,042 words • 1,041 comments • 171 likes • podcast (23 min)
Scott Alexander argues for a universal right to self-determination, critiquing the current paradigm of determining which groups qualify as 'peoples'. Longer summary
Scott Alexander explores the concept of self-determination in international politics, focusing on the case of Ukraine and Russia. He critiques the current paradigm of determining which groups qualify as 'peoples' deserving self-determination, arguing instead for a universal right to self-determination for any region large enough to feasibly be its own country. The post discusses the complexities and potential problems with this approach, including the cases of Crimea and the American Confederacy. Scott concludes that while his position leads to some controversial conclusions, it's more consistent and ethically sound than basing self-determination on subjective cultural or historical criteria. Shorter summary