Rewind and Reconnoiter: Underestimating the Enemy

In 2021, Caesar Nafrada and Joseph Caddell wrote “‘Never Thought They Could Pull Off Such an Attack’: Prejudice and Pearl Harbor,” where they argued that Pearl Harbor proves just how dangerous ethnocentric bias brought on by largely homogenous institutions can be. Having seen these biases play out in recent conflicts, we invited Caesar and Joseph back to reflect on their article. Read more below: Image: The U.S. National Park Service via Wikimedia Commons. In your 2021 article, “‘Never Thought They Could Pull Off Such an Attack’: Prejudice and Pearl Harbor,” you argue that certain U.S. decision-makers’ “underestimation and misunderstanding” of Japanese