The Fog of War

The term fog of war is a term used by Clausewitz in reference to how chaotic warfare can seem while you are in it... -- Scott Berkun The Art of Project Management (O'Reilly 2005 ISBN 0-596-00786-8)

Eleven lessons

Importantly, these eleven lessons that lend structure to The Fog of War were created by Errol Morris; they are not explicitly McNamara's (at the aforementioned UC Berkeley event, McNamara contended that he did not agree with Morris's interpretations in all respects). McNamara eventually went public with his own list of lessons, which can be found below.

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• 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.