Before the Second Gulf War, many in the U.S. government believed that Iraq possessed significant stores of weapons of mass destruction. In part, this belief was supported by CIA intelligence reports that later turned out to be wrong. Some have blamed the intense need for group cohesion and loyalty for driving out anyone who disagreed with the analysis. What is this called?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Groupthink is the phenomenon where a group makes faulty decisions because it values group cohesion and solidarity over objective analysis. This can lead to the suppression of dissenting opinions and critical evaluation of alternatives, which can result in flawed decision-making. In this case, the belief that Iraq had significant stores of weapons of mass destruction was based on flawed intelligence analysis influenced by groupthink.

Before the Second Gulf War, Many in the U