Mitt Romney’s latest controversial remark, about the role of culture in explaining why some countries are rich and powerful while others are poor and weak, has attracted much comment. I was especially interested in his remark because he misrepresented my views and, in contrasting them with another scholar’s arguments, oversimplified the issue.

Opening paragraph of a guest column by author Jared Diamond, taking Mitt Romney to task for failing to comprehend what his book Guns, Germs, and Steel is really about.