Personality, Political Leadership, and Decision Making: A Global Perspective: A Global Perspective

by Jean Krasno, Sean LaPides

Overview

Many wonder what it takes to be a leader. Is it a natural or learned set of skills? This book examines the personalities of a selected group of political leaders, analyzes the forces that formed their nature—most notably their leadership tendencies—and then demonstrates how character has shaped important political decisions made during their regime. The authors profile 20 different leaders from across five continents, deriving shared personality traits and defining specific leadership styles based on characteristics and circumstances.

The work begins by introducing the field of political psychology and explaining the theoretical framework used in studying the leadership personalities covered in the book. An analysis of leadership across the world considers several types of regimes: authoritarian leaders in non-democratic and democratic societies, authoritarian mixed types, flexible and pragmatic types, and those who combine flexibility with delegation. The text concludes by comparing leaders across time and location, discussing interaction between specific heads of state. Leaders profiled include Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Saddam Hussein, Václav Havel, Angela Merkel, and Emperor Hirohito, among others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440839115
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/07/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	441
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Jean Krasno is a tenured member of the faculty in the department of political science at the City College of New York (CCNY) and a lecturer and associate research scientist at Yale University.

Sean LaPides is a researcher and writer with the Research Foundation-CUNY. Formerly, he was research coordinator for the Kofi Annan papers project.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: Laying Out the Conceptual Framework Jean Krasno 1

Part I Authoritarian Leaders in Nondemocratic Societies

Chapter 2 Colonel Gaddafi: The Political Psychology of a Mad Dog? Peter Marcus Kristensen Salem B. S. Dandan 17

Chapter 3 Saddam Hussein: Violence and Terror Charlotte Scaddan Marcin Szudek Jean Krasno 43

Chapter 4 Fidel Castro: Philosopher-Despot Sean LaPides 61

Chapter 5 Gamal Abdel Nasser: Legacy in the Arab World Jean Krasno Emad Abdel Karim Baniyounes 83

Chapter 6 Hugo Chávez: A Quintessential Political Personality James Suggett 99

Chapter 7 The Emperor Hirohito and the Decision to Attack Pearl Harbor Shun Sakugawa 123

Part II Authoritarian Leaders in Democratic Societies

Chapter 8 Henry Stimson and His Influence on Harry Truman; A Victorian Conservative in the Atomic Court Monika Adamczyk 143

Chapter 9 Margaret Thatcher and the 1982 Falldands War Helen Baxendale 155

Chapter 10 Golda Meir: Prime Minister of Israel 1969-1974 Robert Lattin 173

Part III Authoritarian Mixed Types

Chapter 11 Silvio Berlusconi: "I am the Jesus Christ of politics," John Tumminia 185

Chapter 12 Eva Peron: Spiritual Leader of the Nation Evette Rivera Jean Krasno 205

Part IV Flexible and Pragmatic Types

Chapter 13 Angela Merkel: The Outsider Who Became Chancellor Sean LaPides 223

Chapter 14 Benazir Bhutto: Personality, Beliefs, and the Empowerment of Women Nicole DiMarco 245

Chapter 15 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Personal Experience and the Promotion of Women Nicole DiMarco 263

Chapter 16 Mikhail Gorbachev: The End of the Cold War Natasha Zemtsova Miller 279

Chapter 17 William Jefferson Clinton: Promise, Persistence, and the Will to Be Adored Jean Krasno 295

Part V Combining Flexibility with Delegation

Chapter 18 Václav Havel: The Most Deserving Political Leader to Have Never Won a Nobel Peace Prize Jakub Robert Walko 321

Chapter 19 Kofi Annan: From Ghana to the World Stage Jean Krasno 337

Chapter 20 Nelson Mandela: A Leader with No Followers Is Just Someone Taking a Walk Christopher Hammond 359

Chapter 21 Devils to Angels: Addressing the Cases along a Continuum Jean Krasno 377

Selected Bibliography 403

About the Contributors 413

Index 419

What People are Saying About This

Stanley Renshon

"The personalities of political leaders are of enduring significance because they matter. The personality traits that characterize particular leaders, their motives, and their understandings are crucial guides to their political choices. And nowhere can you get a wider perspective and better understanding of 'what makes leaders tick' than in this important book."

Valerie M. Hudson

"Jean Krasno and Sean LaPides have edited a volume sure to become a go-to source for foreign policy analysts interested in how personality affects foreign and domestic policy-making worldwide. Covering a wide variety of leaders—living and dead, male and female, with only two Americans out of nineteen leaders examined—no other volume can match its range. In addition, Krasno contributes a useful four-fold typology of leadership personality, tracing each type to predispositions in policymaking. The book is an engaging read, and students and scholars alike will find much of value in its pages."

Editorial Reviews

"Personality, Political Leadership, and Decision Making: A Global Perspective is an important and unique work with both intellectual and practical significance. It should be read by both scholars across disciplines and by citizens from all societies." - PsycCRITIQUES

From the Publisher