The Cause of War: Stoessinger’s Misperception Framework
The Cause of War: Stoessinger’s Misperception Framework
By Anthony Marchitto
Political Violence has been affiliated with governments and nations since the beginning of political history and plays a huge role in the causes of Wars around the world. What causes leaders to declare war? Many philosophers have based their studies and theories on this question; many have different perspectives. One philosopher, John Stoessinger, has expressed his theories on the causes of war through what he calls his “misperception framework.” Stoessinger shows great interests in the personalities of world leaders; he is less impressed with the roles of abstract forces such as nationalism, militarism, economic factors, or alliance systems as the causes of war. He views misperception as the sing most important precipitating factor in the outbreak of war. His framework is based on four parts which describe the environmental and psychological factors that leaders reflect on throughout their campaign. First off a leader’s image of themselves; there is a extraordinary consistency in the self images of most national leaders on the brink of war. Every leader confidently expects a victory after a brief and triumphant campaign were this common belief in a short decisive war is usually the overflow from a reservoir of self-delusions held by the leadership about both itself and the nation. Second a leader’s view of the character their enemy portrays. Distorted views of the adversary’s character will help precipitate a conflict. Third is based on a leader’s view of their adversary’s intentions toward their self. When a leader on the brink of war believes that their adversary will attack shows a high percentage of the start of a conflict. War becomes a virtual certainty when both leaders shore this perception. Lastly when a leader views the adversary’s capabilities and power it is depicted as the most quintessential cause of war. This is not the actual distribution of power that precipitates a
By Anthony Marchitto
Political Violence has been affiliated with governments and nations since the beginning of political history and plays a huge role in the causes of Wars around the world. What causes leaders to declare war? Many philosophers have based their studies and theories on this question; many have different perspectives. One philosopher, John Stoessinger, has expressed his theories on the causes of war through what he calls his “misperception framework.” Stoessinger shows great interests in the personalities of world leaders; he is less impressed with the roles of abstract forces such as nationalism, militarism, economic factors, or alliance systems as the causes of war. He views misperception as the sing most important precipitating factor in the outbreak of war. His framework is based on four parts which describe the environmental and psychological factors that leaders reflect on throughout their campaign. First off a leader’s image of themselves; there is a extraordinary consistency in the self images of most national leaders on the brink of war. Every leader confidently expects a victory after a brief and triumphant campaign were this common belief in a short decisive war is usually the overflow from a reservoir of self-delusions held by the leadership about both itself and the nation. Second a leader’s view of the character their enemy portrays. Distorted views of the adversary’s character will help precipitate a conflict. Third is based on a leader’s view of their adversary’s intentions toward their self. When a leader on the brink of war believes that their adversary will attack shows a high percentage of the start of a conflict. War becomes a virtual certainty when both leaders shore this perception. Lastly when a leader views the adversary’s capabilities and power it is depicted as the most quintessential cause of war. This is not the actual distribution of power that precipitates a