Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
At the heart of political leadership lies choice. And at the heart of choice lies judgment. A leader's psychology and experience intersect with political realities to produce consequences that can make or break a leader--or a country. Nowhere is judgment more important than in the making of foreign policy. Good judgments can avoid wars, or win them. Poor judgments can start wars or lose them. This book draws together a distinguished group of contributors--psychologists, political scientists, and policymakers--to focus on and understand both good and poor judgment in foreign policy making. Case studies of key leadership decisions combine with theoretical overviews and analyses to offer a highly textured portrait of judgment in action in the all-important foreign policy arena. An up-to-the-minute case on George W. Bush and the war on terrorism applies good judgment theory to contemporary events.
Table of Contents
Good judgment in foreign policy / Deborah Welch Larson -- Psychological sources of good judgment in political leaders : a framework for analysis / Stanley A. Renshon -- Appraising good judgement before it matters : Al Gore, George W. Bush and the 2000 election campaign / Stanley A. Renshon -- Bad guys and bad judgments / Stephen Wayne -- Truman and the Berlin blockade : the role of intuition and experience in good foreign policy judgment / Deborah Welch Larson -- Perceiving the end of threat : Ronald Reagan and the Gorbachev revolution / Barbara Farnham -- Culture and emotion as obstacles to good judgment : the case of Argentina's invasion of the Falklands/Malvinas / David A. Welch -- Policy planning : oxymoron or sine qua non for U.S. foreign policy? / Bruce W. Jentleson and Andrew Bennett -- Why foreign policy (when it comes to judgment, at least) is not pornography / Richard Haass -- Analysis and judgment in policymaking / Alexander L. George -- The world according to George W. Bush : good judgment or cowboy politics? / Stanley A. Renshon -- Politics, uncertainty, and values : good judgment in context / Deborah Welch Larson.