“The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better.” — Max Roser.

I post at least once a week on topics of politics, economics, international development, history, populism and misinformation. I write out of a fundamental belief that there is much that is wrenchingly broken in the world, there is miraculous progress on a daily basis in the world, and with deep optimism in our ability to do better. My focus is, and always will be, on how we can improve the welfare of human lives, especially those most disadvantaged today, and what factors are holding that progress back.

Some of the most representative posts for this blog:

—Generation of Miracles: A burst of optimism from 2019, on the incredible progress that may yet be ahead.

—The Unique Character of Western Civilization: A post from 2020 pushing back on the idea that “Western Civilization” is a uniquely positive or even coherent concept in historical context.

—Planes Are Falling From the Sky: On the consequences of the awful decisions in 2025 to downsize, and in part dismantle, the US foreign aid system.

—How We Spread Falsehoods: An Example From Gaza Casualty Numbers: A post from 2025 on how falsehoods spread through social media.

I am an Israeli-American Orthodox Jew, my background is in development economics, I have a deep and sometimes eyebrow-raising fascination with the interrelated topics of Arabic, Islam and the Middle East, and my bookshelves are dominated by books on modern global history. The greatest show of all time is The West Wing, though I’m much more likely to quote The Simpsons. The greatest director of all time is Tim Burton. My favorite book is Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild. I currently live in Berkeley, California, the last stop (Godwilling) before returning home.