{"product_id":"wars-of-ignorance-robert-schub-9780197809303","title":"Wars of Ignorance: Silenced Advisers and International Crises","description":"War is famously associated with uncertainty. Leaders, however, frequently plunge into conflict with great certainty about how it will unfold. \u003cem\u003eWars of Ignorance\u003c\/em\u003e explores this puzzling divergence between what leaders seemingly ought to believe on the cusp of war and what they do believe. This stems from a recurring flaw, argues Robert Schub, in the process by which leaders acquire information from advisers. They often sideline the bureaucracy that conducts international diplomacy, thereby marginalizing advisers who possess substantive expertise on an adversary's \u003cem\u003epolitical\u003c\/em\u003e, as opposed to \u003cem\u003emilitary\u003c\/em\u003e, attributes. This marginalization produces informational blind spots on political traits which are subject to tremendous uncertainty--such as adversary resolve or the extent of its domestic unity. In turn, these blind spots breed misplaced confidence. Ignorant yet certain, leaders blunder into foreign policy fiascos. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eExamining case studies including the Bay of Pigs, Iraq War, and turbulence in Laos, as well as analyzing measures of advisory input generated from declassified documents spanning dozens of crises, Schub shows that diplomats foster peace not because they are doves, but because they provide information that leaders need in order to understand the foreign policy challenges they confront. \u003cem\u003eWars of Ignorance\u003c\/em\u003e offers important lessons on the enduring worth of competently staffed national security bureaucracies and the value of diligent and curious leaders who seek out the information that advisers have to offer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Robert Schub\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0197809308\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780197809303\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/03\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Robert Schub","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47243968315647,"sku":"9780197809303","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_0ac12877-9c36-4100-8d74-71b52436c2ce.jpg?v=1758134610","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/wars-of-ignorance-robert-schub-9780197809303","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}