According to Robert Jervis, for an actor to determine how he will act, he has to predict how other will act and how their actions will affect their values. The actor will develop an image and the intentions of others (Jervis 1968). He believes that misperception can rule over the mind of an actor, while ignoring accurate information. He develops fourteen hypotheses, seven on misperception and seven about perception Yes, I agree with Jervis’s hypotheses. Misperception of an actor of others causes others to misperceive as well. Jervis argues that decision-makers tend to fit incoming information into their existing theories and images. Basically perceiving what they want no matter what because their theories and images are set to let them only notice certain things. He uses the Russians as an example, like if a person believes the Russians are aggressive, then it is logical for him to be suspicious of their moves (Jervis 1968). Jervis state in his article War and Perceptions that these estimates, which arc logically independent, may be psychologically linked (Jervis 1988). Woods and Stout found that Saddam worked to project a well-defined, if multi-headed, public persona: the object of a cult of personality at home, modern deliverer of the ‘Arab Nation’ to the region, and regional hegemonic to the international community. As a result, many Western observers often saw him as the ‘Madman of the Middle East (Wood and Stout 2010). The American-Japanese crisis in 1940 gives an illustration of this also. For instance, national leaders may not have choices because of structural or systemic constraints, or because of their own cognitive processes. But if they see themselves as having only a single course of action, then their assessment... ... middle of paper ... ...e a better place if everyone would stop and think before making a decision base on their theories and image. Misperception may be coincidental to-rather than determinative of-the occurrence of war, because war can be an equilibrium outcome that results from specific configurations of actor preferences. Even if misperception does sometimes play a causal role in the outbreak of war, its impact is situational circumscribed. Works Cited Jervis, Robert. 1968. “Hypotheses on Misperception.” World Politics (April): 454-56. Jervis, Robert. 1988. “War and Misperception.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History (Spring): 675-700 Stein, Arthur A. 1982. "When Misperception Matters." World Politics (July): 505-26. Woods, Kevin M., Stout Mark E. 2010. “Saddam’s Perceptions and Misperceptions: The Case of ‘Desert Storm’.” The Journal of Strategic Studies (February): 5-41.
My thoughts after reading this book are that war can really take a toll on someone and war can bring out the worst in everyone. Works Cited:.. Caputo, Philip. The. A Rumor of War.
Operation Desert Shield was launched by President H.W. Bush to increase the amount of forces and troops in areas surrounding Kuwait and mainly in Saudi Arabia in response to the 120,000 troops and 2,000 tanks invading Kuwait. The United Nations called for the Iraqi army’s extraction from their presence in Kuwait, however Hussein went ag...
For this interview, I have chosen a group in which for Asians overall and Vietnamese specifically, is seen as a low affinity group in which received many frown upon and disapprovals. This group is LGBT. LGBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. They are defined as people who are sexually attracted by other people of the same sex. History has shown that gay people have always been discriminated against; also they have been victims of violence and harassment in our own society because of their sexual orientation. Even in the Bible, Jesus asked the mankind to have children and since gay people don't have the ability to reproduce, therefore, homosexuality is considered an act of sin. This is why I chose this group seeing that they are considered low affinity to not only my group but to other groups as well.
Saddam Hussein chose the war strategy that the German's made famous, the blitzkrieg. The Iraqi army laid waste to the areas of Iran that they conquered. They left a wake of destruction behind them an example is the 356 Arab-inhabited villages in Khuzestan province turned into piles of ash completely eviscerated from the map (McCuen, 1987). Despite all of the efforts the Iraqi army put forth, the Iranian military ...
According Evera, a state is more likely to engage in war if they will have the upper hand between the states if they engage in warfare. ( Evera 5) There are several reasons why a state would consider going to war according to Evera, they look at the decision making of the state. The state will go to war if they are able to gain the upper advantage in a war. According to Evera Offensive and Defensive balance have their own advantages when they are used in the right situation. ( Evera p16-18) If a shift between offense and defense balance has occurred between the states, than there is a high risk of war according to Evera. ( Evera p6). The problem that might be overlooked is realism in this case only looks the state as a unitary actor. It’s hard to see the state as a whole to determine what a state is thinking when it goes to war, because it doesn’t look at the different levels of analysis within the government. It only sees the state in wanting a few things only which is power and security. Realism is the main idea behind the article, because it views the state as a rational actor and it looked at states only looking to engage in war and the reasoning why they do go to war.
Janis, I. L. (1972). Victims of Groupthink: a Psychological Study of Foreign-Policy Decisions and Fiascoes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-14002-1.
In September 1980, Iraq invaded Iran because of a territorial dispute. This led to a long drawn out war that cost many lives and billions of dollars in damages, with either side unable to claim victory. This paper will focus on the three things that distinguish this war from previous wars. First, it was an excessively protracted and attritive war, lasting eight years, essentially destabilizing the region and devastating both countries. Second, it was a disproportionate war in regards to the means employed by either side. Iraq was supported by Kuwait, the United States, and several other Western European countries, allowing them to acquire advanced weapons and expert training (History.com staff, 2009). Lastly, this war used three modes of warfare not seen in previous wars: ballistic-missile attacks, the use of chemical weapons, and attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf (History.com staff, 2009).
Despite the movements that gay people have made in order to achieve equal rights, gays all over the world are often remain in alienated position in society. Misconceptions are views or opinions that are based on false accusations and misunderstandings that can cause negative effects to those that are surrounded by them. Misconceptions are powerful misjudgment that can cause even the friendliest of people to shy away from those enclosed by these far-fetched yet believable rumors. Stereotypes are used to categorize groups under the idea that most if not all of them behave, look, or even dress a certain way. Like many groups who have a wide array of stereotypes and misconceptions, one of them happens to be gay men. There 's a large belief that
Maoz, K , & Lenore, J 2010, ‘The Power of Middle East Public Opinion on US Interests’
In foreign policy, decision making is guided by different a leader that is from presidents, cabinets, parliaments and groups such as communist party of Soviet Union and the standing committee of the communist party of china and Central Intelligence Agency of USA. One cannot run away from the fact that a leader’s personality can affect foreign policy. Maoz and Shayer believe that one cannot underrate or ignore the role of personality in decision making as it plays a huge role. By examining ones foreign policy, we can understand foreign policy better (Jensen, 1982). If a leader is aggressive then there are certain traits he will exhibit such as paranoia, manipulation, thirst for power high intensity of nationalism, (Hermann, 1980). Hitler was one leader who led to world war when he challenged the treaty of Versailles by adopting an aggressive foreign policy. The opposite is true for a mild leader for example George Washington who told Americans to avoid entrapping alliances.
As individuals we oftentimes perceive objects, situations, and circumstances based on our outside view. We never look deeper into the matter; instead we are blinded by our initial perception and create a false reality in our minds. We are only capable of finding reality if we liberate our stubborn grasp on initial judgements. “Dwelling Place” by P.K. Page suggests that when individuals acquire an insider’s perspective on specific situations they are capable of perceiving a genuine reality and abolishing the illusion that was created through false initial perceptions. However, those that analyze situations from the outside will be constrained by these initial perceptions, and will develop an illusion that is far from the truth.
Pre-invasion Iraq reflected the views and policies of its leader, Saddam Hussein, who made his first political appearance as a supporter of the Ba’ath Party. He was jailed in 1967 for this, and after his escape quickly rose to power within the faction. (Saddam Hussein Biography, 2008) Saddam became known for his political talent and progressiveness, and soon became a popular politician. After working on extensive unification and expansion efforts for the Ba’athists, the man rose to vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council. Faced with a tremendous amount of religious, racial, social and economic divisions, Saddam launched a campaign of total control to bring about stability.
Misconceptions on the other hand are created by the relations created through stereotypes and into more of an exaggeration. Society often creates these because of ignorance and lack of judgment, often perceive others for what they are not, simply judging people by appearances. Homeless people are commonly misjudged because of the way others have made them seem, that is they have all participated in criminal acts or harm people, are drug addicts, are too lazy to work, or are runaways, but this is often not true, many outside factors and unexpected events in these lives lead them to this current living state.
When discussing whether or not a nation-state should enter a war and when to do so, three beliefs on foreign policy and war exist. The three different diplomatic stances are that of pacifism, just war theory, and political realism. Political realism, or realpolitik as it is often referred to, is the belief war should only occur when it is in the national interest of the particular nation-state. Henry Kissinger, a political realist, in his book Diplomacy argues that realism is the only logical answer. Just war theorists, along with pacifists, on the other hand oppose these arguments and therefore critique of this form of diplomatic action. To construct a valid understanding of the realist perspective the arguments Kissinger puts forth in his book Diplomacy will be examined, and then a critique of those arguments will be offered through a just war theorist perspective.
War has been around for centuries. From the time modern civilizations began, war has played an integral part in human history. It shaped the world into the modern world we live in. War has been said to be a great motivator, for example, the Great Wall of China was built to fend off the attackers from the north. However, the negative aspects of war far outweighs any positive effects it might have. The destruction of civilizations, cities and countries, mass killings of men, woman and children alike, the disastrous effect it has on economy and the after effects of war can last for centuries.