Robert S. McNamara's "The Fog of War" Book Review by Nicky
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Description:
This paper explains that Robert S. McNamara, the former Secretary of Defense of the United States, in his book and video "The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara", presents the rationale he and other world leaders used to support various history-making decisions from the early days of World War II through the end of the Vietnam War. Next, the author examines McNamara's education, experience and background to determine tp what degree he has been influence by different theoretical perspectives, such as Wallerstein's world systems theory. The paper concludes that McNamara's "eleven lessons" offer solid guidance to today's policymakers; however, his beliefs are difficult to classify according to any specific social theory. The eleven lessons as articulated by McNamara are reported in table format. A table is included in the paper.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Table: Eleven Lessons as Articulated by McNamara
Conclusion
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Table: Eleven Lessons as Articulated by McNamara
Conclusion
From the Paper:
"While McNamara was certainly directly involved in the decisions that resulted in the deaths of millions of Japanese and Vietnamese, many of them innocent civilians, from both a realist and a world systems theoretical perspective, McNamara's actions were based on his analysis of the inextricable interrelationships between the countries involved during wartime rather than any personal vendetta or prejudice against the peoples involved, an aspect of the human condition that world systems theory fails to take into account in meaningful ways. In this regard, Chase-Dunn and Hall (1993) report that, "World-system theory helps explain the relationship between intersocietal interactions and the development of national societies in the modern world, but because this theory was constructed primarily for the analysis of the modern world-system, it needs modification to be useful for a broader comparative approach to historical development.""In "The Fog of War", McNamara's analysis does provide a "broader comparative approach to historical development" and he does so in ways that suggest he was not the cold-blooded killer than some of his critics have made him out to be, but rather he was a true patriot, a highly capable cabinet member and a public servant who sought to do his duty as his saw it at the time."
Sample of Sources Used:
- Ackroyd, S. & Fleetwood, S. (2000). Realist perspectives on management and organisations. London: Routledge.
- Blight, J. G. & Lang, J. M. (2007). Robert McNamara: Then & now. Daedalus, 136(1), 120-121.
- Chase-Dunn, C. & Hall, T. D. (1993). Comparing world-systems: Concepts and working hypotheses. Social Forces, 71(4), 851-856.
- Morris, E. (2005). The fog of war. [DVD]: Sony Pictures Classics.
- Rohmann, C. (1999). A world of ideas. New York: Ballantine Books.
Cite this Book Review:
APA Format
Robert S. McNamara's "The Fog of War" (2012, April 30)
Retrieved May 18, 2013, from http://www.academon.com/book-review/robert-mcnamara-the-fog-of-war-150904/
MLA Format
"Robert S. McNamara's "The Fog of War"" 30 April 2012.
Web. 18 May. 2013. <http://www.academon.com/book-review/robert-mcnamara-the-fog-of-war-150904/>