Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis

"Essence of Decision" is both a vivid account of a crucial international event and a breakthrough in the application of organizational and political theory to events. Professor Allison analyzes the Cuban missile crisis in terms of three alternative frames of reference. By examining it first through one set of conceptual lenses, then through a second, and finally through a third, he explores some of the fundamental yet often unrecognized choices among the categories and assumptions that channel our thinking and thus influence our decisions and the outcomes in situations such as the missile crisis.