Title:
- The Fog of War
- The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
Language: English
Year: 2003
Cast:
- Robert S. McNamara
- Errol Morris
SYNOPSIS
A film about the former US Secretary of Defense and the various difficult lessons he learned about the nature and conduct of modern war.
REVIEW
The Fog of War is an interesting documentary about Robert S. McNamara and his reflections on modern warfare. The documentary lists eleven lessons based on his past experience as the Secretary of Defense of the United States for seven years during the Vietnam War.
Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara:
- Empathize with your enemy.
- Rationality will not save us.
- There's something beyond one's self.
- Maximize efficiency.
- Proportionality should be a guideline in war.
- Get the data.
- Belief and seeing are both often wrong.
- Be prepared to reexamine your reasoning.
- In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil.
- Never say never.
- You can't change human nature.
...
Robert S. McNamara: We all make mistakes. We know we make mistakes. I don't know any military commander, who is honest, who would say he has not made a mistake. There's a wonderful phrase: 'the fog of war'. What 'the fog of war' means is: war is so complex it's beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend all the variables. Our judgment, our understanding, are not adequate. And we kill people unnecessarily.
...
Robert S. McNamara: There's a quote from T.S. Eliot that I just love:
"We shall not cease from exploring
And at the end of our exploration
We will return to where we started
And know the place for the first time."
Robert S. McNamara: Now that's in a sense where I'm beginning to be.
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The Fog of War
The Fog of War (transcript)
