Overview

Uncertainty surrounds every major decision in international politics. Yet there is almost always room for reasonable people to disagree about what that uncertainty entails. No one can reliably predict the outbreak of armed conflict, forecast economic recessions, anticipate terrorist attacks, or estimate the countless other risks that shape foreign policy choices. Many scholars and practitioners therefore believe that it is better to keep foreign policy debates focused on the facts - that it is, at best, a waste of time to debate uncertain judgments that will often prove to be wrong. In War and Chance, Jeffrey A. Friedman shows how foreign policy officials often try to avoid the challenge of assessing uncertainty, and argues that this behavior undermines high-stakes decision making. Drawing on an innovative combination of historical and experimental evidence, he explains how foreign policy analysts can assess uncertainty in a manner that is theoretically coherent, empirically meaningful, politically defensible, practically useful, and sometimes logically necessary for making sound choices. Each of these claims contradicts widespread skepticism about the value of probabilistic reasoning in international politics, and shows how placing greater emphasis on assessing uncertainty can improve nearly any foreign policy debate. A clear-eyed examination of the logic, psychology, and politics of assessing uncertainty, War and Chance provides scholars and practitioners with new foundations for understanding one of the most controversial elements of foreign policy discourse.

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9780190938055

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Reviews

Jeff Friedman's War and Chance makes an important contribution to the literature on intelligence analysis, intelligence reform and the assessment and evaluation of evidence in intelligence estimates. It is comprehensive, well-written, well-organized, and meticulous in its analysis. It carefully, logically and strongly advocates for the use of more precise numerical probability estimates in making judgments and predictions regarding uncertain events over the use of vague wording such as 'highly likely' or 'unlikely.' Friedman's book does a terrific job marshaling an enormous amount of material to make a creative argument which deserves much wider discussion. --Rose McDermott, Professor of International Relations, Brown University The world is uncertain, but even the most experienced leaders and policy experts have great difficulties dealing with probabilities. Jeffery Friedman's deep discussion of how this kind of analysis can lead not only to a better understanding but also to better practices. --Robert Jervis, author of How Statesmen Think Uncertainty is a large, inevitable, but unwelcome part of national security decision-making, and is too often obscured rather than recognized and confronted. In an elegant and creative analysis, Jeffrey Friedman persuasively refutes many longstanding misconceptions and provides analysts and practitioners alike an invaluable guide to thinking about the unknown. --Paul R. Pillar, Georgetown University, and author of Intelligence and U.S. Foreign Policy

Author Information

Jeffrey A. Friedman is Assistant Professor of Government at Dartmouth College. His research focuses on the ways in which risk and uncertainty shape high-stakes policy decisions, particularly in the domain of national security. His research has been published by the American Journal of Political Science, International Organization, and International Security, among other journals. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2013.

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