{"product_id":"wars-of-ignorance-silenced-advisers-and-international-crises-paperback","title":"Wars of Ignorance: Silenced Advisers and International Crises - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRobert Schub\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWar 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\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.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobert Schub\u003c\/strong\u003e is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University. His research addresses international security with a focus on the senior officials who make decisions regarding war and peace, the uncertainty they confront when making these decisions, and the soldiers who bear the costs of these decisions. His research has appeared in the \u003cem\u003eAmerican Political Science Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e International Organization\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eInternational Studies Quarterly\u003c\/em\u003e, and the \u003cem\u003eJournal of Conflict Resolution\u003c\/em\u003e among other outlets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 8.9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 03, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47584787202269,"sku":"9780197809303","price":61.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/9867\/8237\/files\/np_HSSdoFN9780197809303.webp?v=1773620750","url":"https:\/\/handfulofbooks.com\/products\/wars-of-ignorance-silenced-advisers-and-international-crises-paperback","provider":"Handful of Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}