Description
Book SynopsisThe ancient Chinese military philosopher Sun Tzu admonished his generals to Know thy enemy. The question has always been how to do that. Too often military leaders have relied on simplistic methods for predicting the behavior of their adversaries-with disastrous results. In A Sense of the Enemy, Zachary Shore argues that successful leaders employ what he calls strategic empathy, an ability to empathize with their opponents in order to anticipate how they will act. Wise leaders do not assume that rivals will act as they themselves would, but instead try to see into the unique internal constraints and drivers that shape an enemy''s decision processes. Such leaders look not only for patterns, but more importantly for pattern breaks, those episodes when an opponent deviates from his usual behavior in a way that imposes long-term costs upon itself. They don''t assume that past behavior always predicts future actions (the continuity error) or that opponents have an unchanging character (the
Trade ReviewDeeply researched, well argued, and often convincing... Offers an intriguing and fresh interpretation of some of recent history's best-known and most important global conflicts. * Publishers Weekly *
This is an important book. Shoreâs study and conclusions will prove helpful to analysts and leaders struggling to identify which information is important and which information is distracting. He makes a compelling case for develop- ing the skill of strategic empathy and, in particular, the ability to interpret breaks in previous patterns of an adversaryâs behaviour. * H.R. McMaster, Survival: Global Politics and Strategy *
Table of ContentsIntroduction ; The Conscience of an Empire ; 1. Fitting In: Some Thoughts on Scholarship, Sources, and Methods ; 2. Arming Your Enemy: Stresemann's Maneuver, Act I ; 3. Steady on the Tightrope: Stresemann's Maneuver, Act II ; 4. Stalin the Simulator: The Problem of Projected Rationality ; 5. A Rendezvous With Evil: How Roosevelt Read Hitler ; 6. Hanoi's New Foe: Le Duan Prepares for America ; 7. Counting Bodies: The Benefits of Escalation ; 8. Overdog Errors ; 9. Number Worship ; Conclusion ; Acknowledgements ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
