George Hahn

Welcome back.

The conversation eventually landed somewhere where rules matter most, war.

On Prof G Conversations, Scott sat down with David French, Iraq veteran, constitutional lawyer, and columnist at the New York Times.

They discussed Iran and one basic question, who decides when America goes to war?

David argues constitutional guardrails aren't technicalities.

They exist because democracies work best when institutions hold.

But constitutional process isn't the only thing wars test.

They test budgets, institutions, and our ability to honestly account for trade-offs.

On a recent Prof G Plus deep dive, Scott explored how much war actually costs.

Last month, the Pentagon said the war in Iran had cost $25 billion.

That number has since been updated to $29 billion.

But economists argue that number captures only the narrowest slice of the bill.

Missiles fired, aircraft deployed, equipment destroyed.

The harder costs often come later.

Maintaining troops in the region, higher oil prices, inflation, veteran care, and long-term economic consequences that outlast headlines and administrations.

History suggests governments consistently underestimate those costs.

Economist Justin Wolfers discussed that on a Prof G Plus deep dive this week.

By the way, if you want to hear that full conversation with Justin Wolfers, it's available exclusively on Substack.

And before we wrap up, a quick victory lap.

Scott correctly predicted that Elon Musk's lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI was going nowhere.