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Getting Inside the Head of War Leaders: A Data Collection Strategy for Historical Case Studies
Dr Pascal Vennesson Senior Fellow ; Head of Research, RSIS and Professor of Political Science, University Panthéon-Assas, Paris II (on leave)
Dr Pascal Vennesson
Steven Robert Adam Mr
Steven Robert Adam
2
This project seeks to demonstrate how the use of the critical decision method (CDM) can help qualitative International Relations (IR) scholars systematically collect data about cognitive processes in historical case studies. The project illustrates the novel and focused methodological contribution of CDM to international studies by revisiting the decision of President Harry Truman and his advisers in responding to the North Korean attack in June 1950. Through the use of CDM, the project demonstrates how the U.S. decision to intervene in Korea can be reinterpreted as a recognition-primed decision (RPD) – a decision reached quickly by experienced decision makers through adhering to a satisficing strategy of decision making. As part of its developmental phase, the project has been presented at the RSIS luncheon seminar on 16 February 2021 and at the IUS conference on 13 October 2023.
| Theme: | International Politics and Security |
| Region: | Americas / East Asia and Asia Pacific |
| Entity: | IDSS |
