Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions Book PDF, ePub eBook

Join our eBook service for unlimited books & audiobooks. Get a free 7 day subscription! ↓↓↓↓↓


Book Descriptions:

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.

Johnson traces the effects of positive illusions on four turning points in twentieth-century history: two that erupted into war (World War I and Vietnam); and two that did not (the Munich crisis and the Cuban missile crisis). Examining the two wars, he shows how positive illusions have filtered into politics, causing leaders to overestimate themselves and underestimate their adversaries--and to resort to violence to settle a conflict against unreasonable odds. In the Munich and Cuban missile crises, he shows how lessening positive illusions may allow leaders to pursue peaceful solutions.

The human tendency toward overconfidence may have been favored by natural selection throughout our evolutionary history because of the advantages it conferred--heightening combat performance or improving one's ability to bluff an opponent. And yet, as this book suggests--and as the recent conflict in Iraq bears out--in the modern world the consequences of this evolutionary legacy are potentially deadly.

Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions by Dominic D. P. Johnson Alistair Buchan Professor of International Relations Department of Politics and International Relations

From reader reviews:

Robyn Pugh:

Why don't make it to be your habit? Right now, try to prepare your time to do the important action, like looking for your favorite guide and reading a publication. Beside you can solve your long lasting problem; you can add your knowledge by the publication entitled Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions. Try to stumble through book Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions as your good friend. It means that it can being your friend when you sense alone and beside associated with course make you smarter than previously. Yeah, it is very fortuned for yourself. The book makes you much more confidence because you can know anything by the book. So , let us make new experience as well as knowledge with this book.

Agnes Figueroa:

The event that you get from Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions is the more deep you digging the information that hide within the words the more you get serious about reading it. It doesn't mean that this book is hard to understand but Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions giving you thrill feeling of reading. The copy writer conveys their point in particular way that can be understood by means of anyone who read the idea because the author of this guide is well-known enough. This particular book also makes your vocabulary increase well. Therefore it is easy to understand then can go together with you, both in printed or e-book style are available. We advise you for having this specific Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions instantly.

Jessica Rodriguez:

Reading a e-book tends to be new life style in this era globalization. With studying you can get a lot of information that can give you benefit in your life. Having book everyone in this world could share their idea. Publications can also inspire a lot of people. A lot of author can inspire their very own reader with their story or maybe their experience. Not only the storyplot that share in the textbooks. But also they write about the knowledge about something that you need example of this. How to get the good score toefl, or how to teach your kids, there are many kinds of book that exist now. The authors on this planet always try to improve their proficiency in writing, they also doing some investigation before they write to the book. One of them is this Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions.

Taylor Becker:

This Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions is great guide for you because the content that is full of information for you who also always deal with world and get to make decision every minute. This specific book reveal it facts accurately using great coordinate word or we can say no rambling sentences inside. So if you are read the item hurriedly you can have whole details in it. Doesn't mean it only provides straight forward sentences but difficult core information with attractive delivering sentences. Having Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions in your hand like having the world in your arm, facts in it is not ridiculous one. We can say that no guide that offer you world inside ten or fifteen tiny right but this reserve already do that. So , this really is good reading book. Heya Mr. and Mrs. hectic do you still doubt that?