The Fog of Peace And War Planning ― Military And Strategic Planning Under Uncertainty

If there is a long-recognized fog of war, in which uncertainty hampers military planning and decision-making in times of conflict, than certainly the fog of peace imposes even greater uncertainty on military planners, including the problems of identifying friend and foe, understanding the nature of future war, and determining its timing. Imlay (history, U. Laval, Canada) and Toft (public policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard U., US) hope to shed light on these issues through the presentation of case studies examining national strategic and military planning for interstate war during four peacetime eras: 1815-54, including discussion of Russia, Austria, Prussia, and the German Confederation; 1871-1914, looking at Germany and Britain; 1919-39, exploring British Air Force and American Navy planning; and post-1945, examining US plans for War with the Soviet Union and the remaking of French military power. In addition to the national case studies, each period is considered in more general terms related to the changing technological and political landscape condition possible future wars. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)