Arguments can always be found to turn desire into policy.
In Barbara W. Tuchman's "The Guns of August," the book explores how leaders often rationalize their desires and ambitions into formal policies. This tendency to manipulate arguments to validate their wishes is a common theme in politics and governance. Tuchman highlights the intricate relationship between personal motives and the decisions that shape historical events, particularly at the onset of World War I.
Tuchman suggests that the motivations behind these policies are frequently rooted in a mixture of ambition, fear, and misjudgment. By revealing this dynamic, she underscores the importance of critically examining the motivations behind political actions, showing that the deployment of persuasive arguments can lead to significant and often tragic outcomes.
