Strongman leadership and the limits to international cooperation

Richard Higgott and Taelyn Reid

Global Policy, 2023, vol. 14, issue 3, 451-463

Abstract: Extensive institutional and policy change is necessary for the values of co‐operation and constructive dialogue in international relations to be restored in the current context of the declining world order. But that alone is not sufficient. We also need behavioural changes in the world's top leaders. Hypermasculine and hubristic performance in strongman leader behaviour have consequences for stable world order. While there is robust research on corporate leadership, similar research focusing on the personal socio‐psychological agency of strongman leaders in international relations is in its infancy. This paper uses the psychoanalytic frameworks: of narcissism and hubris syndrome to focus on the styles and practices of strongman leadership in international relations. The cognitive behavioural practices of this kind of leadership on co‐operation and dialogue reflect a set of gender‐performative, hypermasculine practices. While this is not an exercise in feminist scholarship, it is our analytical and not very subtle normative and prescriptive conclusion that any reform of international co‐operation will be greatly limited without a greater gendered understanding and practice of power, if we are to combat the all too easily condoned rebarbative behaviour of strongman leaders in international relations.

Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13234

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:glopol:v:14:y:2023:i:3:p:451-463

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=1758-5880

Access Statistics for this article

Global Policy is currently edited by David Held, Patrick Dunleavy and Eva-Maria Nag

More articles in Global Policy from London School of Economics and Political Science Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().