Strategic instincts : the adaptive advantages of cognitive biases in international politics / Dominic D.P. Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Dominic D. P., 1974- author.

Series:

Princeton studies in international history and politics.

Princeton scholarship online.

Princeton studies in international history and politics

Princeton scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Munich Four-Power Agreement (1938).

Munich Four-Power Agreement.

International relations--Psychological aspects.

International relations.

International relations--Decision making.

Strategy--Psychological aspects.

Strategy.

United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (391 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2021.

Summary:

A widespread assumption in political science and international relations is that cognitive biases - quirks of the brain we all share as human beings - are detrimental and responsible for policy failures, disasters, and wars. This book challenges this assumption, explaining that these nonrational behaviors can actually support favorable results in international politics and contribute to political and strategic success. By studying past examples, the book considers the ways that cognitive biases act as 'strategic instincts,' lending a competitive edge in policy decisions, especially under conditions of unpredictability and imperfect information.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction. Our Gift

Chapter 1. Adaptive Biases: Making the Right Mistakes in International Politics

Chapter 2. The Evolution of an Idea: Politics in the Age of Biology

Chapter 3. Fortune Favors the Bold: The Strategic Advantages of Overconfidence

Chapter 4. The Lion and the Mouse: Overconfidence and the American Revolution

Chapter 5. Hedging Bets: The Strategic Advantages of Attribution Error

Chapter 6. Know Your Enemy: Britain and the Appeasement of Hitler

Chapter 7. United We Stand: The Strategic Advantages of Group Bias

Chapter 8. No Mercy: The Pacific Campaign of World War II

Chapter 9. Overkill: The Limits of Adaptive Biases

Chapter 10. Guardian Angels: The Strategic Advantages of Cognitive Biases

Notes

Index

A Note on the Type

Notes:

Previously issued in print: 2020.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on May 5, 2021).

ISBN:

9780691185606

0691185603

OCLC:

1150816761