Drawing on his recent book Judaism Straight Up, Moshe Koppel explains the merits of traditions and tribal loyalties—so often dismissed by those in the modern West—in conversation with the economist and Shalem College president Russell Roberts. Among much else, Koppel explores how economic theories can explain the workings of traditions, the bankruptcy at the heart of the greatest debate in the history of ethical philosophy, and the compatibility of Orthodox Judaism with libertarianism. (Audio, 69 minutes. A transcript is available at the link below.)

If there is to be peace, Palestinians will have to unlearn the hatred of Israel they have imbibed during nearly two decades of Hamas rule. This will be a difficult task, but Cole Aronson argues, drawing on the experiences of World War II, that Israel has already gotten off to a strong start:

The population’s compliance can . . . be won by a new regime that satisfies its immediate material needs, even if that new regime is sponsored by a government until recently at war with the population’s former regime. Axis civilians were made needy through bombing. Peaceful compliance with the Allies became a good alternative to supporting violent resistance to the Allies.

Israel’s current campaign makes a moderate Gaza more likely, not less. Destroying Hamas not only deprives Islamists of the ability to rule—it proves the futility of armed resistance to Israel, a condition for peace. The destruction of buildings not only deprives Hamas of its hideouts. It also gives ordinary Palestinians strong reasons to shun groups planning to replicate Hamas’s behavior.