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The “strong leadership” of George W. Bush
Author(s) -
Greenstein Fred I.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of applied psychoanalytic studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.314
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1556-9187
pISSN - 1742-3341
DOI - 10.1002/aps.165
Subject(s) - george (robot) , presidential system , politics , administration (probate law) , terrorism , phenomenon , white (mutation) , leadership style , political science , management , style (visual arts) , public administration , law , psychology , sociology , public relations , history , economics , epistemology , philosophy , biochemistry , chemistry , archaeology , gene , art history
This paper further explores the phenomenon of the “strong leader” by presenting an account of President George W. Bush, whose early conduct in the White House seemed far from strong, but who rose to the challenge of the terrorist attacks on the US of September 11, 2001 and began to preside with authority and assertiveness over an administration that went to great lengths to put its stamp on the national and international policy agendas, but was intensely controversial in the policies it advanced. The paper provides a three dimensional account of Bush, reviewing his early years, political rise and presidential performance, and then analyzes his leadership style in terms of six criteria that have proven useful for characterizing and assessing earlier chief executives – emotional intelligence, cognitive style, effectiveness as a public communicator, organizational capacity, political skill, and the extent to which the president is guided by a realistic policy vision. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.