But public opinion, when activated, can screw up the best-laid plans of war-makers.
In the case of Streicher, the tribunal acknowledged in his indictment that he was never involved in the planning of war crimes, nor was he involved with policies that led to war.
It seems even clearer now, that the allegations against him are a smokescreen behind which a number of governments are trying to clamp down on WikiLeaks for having audaciously revealed to the public their secret planning of wars and occupations with their attendant rape, murder and destruction.
In 1873, when the government faction seeking war with Korea pressed him for imperial approval, Sanjō was unable to bear the pressure of the decision and relinquished his post to his colleague Iwakura Tomomi, who was able to defeat the plans of the war party.
At next month's Labor conference there will be bitter criticism of plans for war with Iraq.
The Bush Administration has produced plenty of plans for war in Iraq — a different one is leaked to a different newspaper nearly every week — but it has not yet produced a rationale.
Today's leaders, following battle plans of their warring Republican and Democratic armies, dictate the most important outcomes in what passes for "regular order".
"My analysis is that many of the military mistakes were a direct result of the very problematic way that the objectives of the war and the general plan of the war were defined," said Shlomo Brom, a former chief of strategic planning in the Israeli military and now an academic at the Jaffee Centre in Tel Aviv University.
Scores more have put into place contingency plans in case of war, which require the immediate suspension of campaigns or the shifting of commercials and print ads away from any coverage of hostilities.
As Second Sea Lord, Louis pushed through improvements in working conditions for the ratings, and created an Admiralty War Staff that would prepare the navy's plans in case of war.
