Ghosts from the past

Abstract

2014 marks the centennial of the commencement of World War I. One connection between today and that seemingly long-ago war is how we make choices when the future seems obvious only in retrospect, in what former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz refers to as a world “awash in change.” Max Hastings, in Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War , summarizes his views on how the rulers of Europe allowed World War I to start, then continue with a loss of over 8.6 million soldiers: “It is more appropriate to call them deniers, who preferred to persist with supremely dangerous policies and strategies….”

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jul 25, 2014
Source ID
10.1126/science.1258594

Entities

People

  • David Titley

Organizations

  • Pennsylvania State University

Tags

Readers

  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.