David Ignatius has made one of the only constructive suggestions I have seen regarding iran’s seizure of 15 British sailors — the establishment of a naval hotline modeled on the US-Soviet sea conflict resolution framework.
We used to spend a lot of money and effort trying to minimize miscommunication, accidents, escalation in great power conflicts.
Today, it often appears that violent or hawkish political minorities seem to exploit vulnerable decisionmaking systems as well as manipulate ambiguity to provoke attacks on various targets — teasing the impulses of rage and emotion that tend towards over-amplification of threats, disproportionate military responses, nationalistic chest-thumping and saber-rattling,
It’s almost as if decision-makers today resent infrastructure that would decrease error because of their desire to trip and fumble into war. Right Mr. Feith?
— Steve Clemons
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