International Relations

The fog of war is a documentary film by Robert S. McNamara who was the former Secretary of Defense during the reign of John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson administrations. He later became the president of the World Bank. It is a documentary that encompasses both an interview where Mr. McNamara discusses some calamities and good tidings experienced in the 20^th century. McNamara explores the lessons and experiences learned within the period when he was in the office as the Secretary of Defense. He freely shares about his role as a tactful statistician during the Second World War. In the film, Robert McNamara focuses primarily about the failures experienced during in Vietnam. The film’s theme are McNamara’s eleven lessons learnt within the period covered. Some of the lessons included understanding your enemy, improving military efficiency, and frustrations experienced in handling human nature. The film is about the difficult lessons learnt by the former Secretary of Defense about conduct and nature of war in the contemporary world.

When Robert McNamara served as the Secretary of Defense and ran the Vietnam War, he candidly makes it known to the international community that he had the solutions and answers to the problems. He was well informed and smart in his career hence authority he had in the international relations. McNamara apologizes to the international community that during the Vietnam he made mistakes and not just himself but all the top officials in the administrations. He clarifies that the mistakes were due to wrong and incorrect information they were supplied with. The film is terribly relevant to international relations. It is a compelling and important narrative and historical document. The film advocate for old adversaries to meet and dialogue so as to solve problems based on the lessons that McNamara clearly lists. These principles brilliantly engage complex, endless, turbulent fascinating life of the international relations’ public figure.