Abstract
This introduction firstly considers the concepts of ‘mistakes’ and ‘failures’ and reflects on ontological and epistemological perspectives on how to study mistakes and failures. We secondly turn to the question of what causes mistakes and failures and introduce a range of theories for explaining and understanding mistakes and failures. Part three examines the notion of responsibility attribution and considers why and how actors get blame d for mistakes and failures. In these three parts, we both summarize the state of the art and point out how the chapters in this volume add new insights and perspectives. Part four offers an overview of the chapters which are to follow and part five elaborates on the lessons learnt from these insights on mistakes and failures in international relations.
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Kruck, A., Oppermann, K., Spencer, A. (2018). Introduction: Mistakes and Failures in International Relations. In: Kruck, A., Oppermann, K., Spencer, A. (eds) Political Mistakes and Policy Failures in International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68173-3_1
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