He also believes that very strong incentives exist to alter such behavior. For example, no nation that began a major war in this century emerged a winner. Further, nuclear weapons provide an overwhelmingly suicidal dimension to total war. Also, given the level of destructiveness on the battlefield, wars between small countries with big friends are likely to be inconclusive and frightful. It is also true that no once can achieve total security.
Relative insecurity is the requirement of relative security for all involved.
Finally, the crucial variable in the outbreak of war is the perceptions of the leaders involved in a crisis. The perceptions during this crisis are shaped by the cognitive distortion problems suggested by Stoessinger. Better information and communication would advert the dangerous outcome of conflict, i.e., war. Robert Jervis offers a critical assessment of the Stoessinger approach. He presents an analysis that suggests that cognitive distortion is endemic to the human thought process and thus, conflict is almost unavoidable in international politics.