The Decisions of War

How were decisions made in the crises of global warfare? What if you were the principal decision maker in world events?Faced with attacks on multiple fronts which threaten the very existence of one's national life, and with the lives and future of the world in one's hands: what decisions must be made? In The Decisions of War, Rob Johnson examines how, under the ultimate pressure of global war during WWI and WWII, the leaders ofthe United Kingdom and the United States made their decisions. While the outcomes of those decisions are known, this book aims to engage the reader in the process of thinking, evaluation, andcompromise that produced the successes and sometimes the setbacks of the greatest crises of world history. By examining political and military events, Johnson shows how Anglo-American strategic leadership and decision-making functioned, and how their thinking shaped not just the two world wars, but the world thereafter. Throughout the author indicates the extent to which critical thinking enhances the quality of making strategy. Rob Johnson explains how success depends not on an easy formula,but on a sanguine, analytical, and sometimes ruthless approach to the formulation, and adjustment, of key decisions.