Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive IllusionsHarvard University Press, 01.07.2009 - 288 Seiten Opponents rarely go to war without thinking they can win--and clearly, one side must be wrong. This conundrum lies at the heart of the so-called "war puzzle": rational states should agree on their differences in power and thus not fight. But as Dominic Johnson argues in Overconfidence and War, states are no more rational than people, who are susceptible to exaggerated ideas of their own virtue, of their ability to control events, and of the future. By looking at this bias--called "positive illusions"--as it figures in evolutionary biology, psychology, and the politics of international conflict, this book offers compelling insights into why states wage war. |
Inhalt
1 | |
2 Looking for Illusions | 35 |
3 World War I | 58 |
4 The Munich Crisis | 85 |
5 The Cuban Missile Crisis | 108 |
6 Vietnam | 125 |
7 Vanity Dies Hard | 173 |
8 Iraq 2003 | 191 |
Appendix | 221 |
Notes | 239 |
Acknowledgments | 271 |
273 | |
Andere Ausgaben - Alle anzeigen
Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions Dominic D. P. Johnson Eingeschränkte Leseprobe - 2004 |