Everyone is arguing about whether the war on Iran was justified.

That might not be the most important question.

The deeper question is what happens when powerful actors publicly demonstrate that the rules of the international system don’t apply to them.

Rules can feel frustrating. They slow decisions down and constrain power. But they also play a critical role in stabilising cooperation between societies.

Research across neuroscience, psychology, political science and economics suggests that when people stop believing rules apply equally, something deeper begins to happen.

Trust erodes.
Cooperation breaks down.
And societies become more vulnerable to polarisation and authoritarian politics.

This episode looks at the research behind that process and why the psychological consequences of rule breaking may be one of the most important and least discussed dynamics in geopolitics right now.

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