Presidential leadership in foreign policy: Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman and George Bush in an international system undergoing transformation

This dissertation is about presidential leadership in foreign affairs at major turning points in world politics—periods when the international system was undergoing transformation. It examines the circumstances under which a president's ability to formulate and implement a unifying principle to guide America's foreign affairs and to help establish new world order would be maximized. The major thesis of this study is that the president's ability to formulate and implement his foreign policy initiatives was influenced by the dynamic interaction among several factors present at three levels of analysis—international, national, and individual. In addition, it is argued that presidential leadership style, world view, and political skills are necessary but not sufficient factors to ensure the realization of particular policy objectives. The president's ability to implement his foreign policy design was greatly influenced by either the presence or absence of an enemy state posing a “clear and present danger” to America's vital national interest.; This study is divided into two parts. Part I is devoted to a general discussion of the particular and contextual aspects of presidential leadership. It focuses on defining and explaining presidential leadership and analyzing the impact of potential sources of influence on the president's ability to provide leadership nationally and internationally. Part I also explains in detail the reasons for focusing on foreign policy and the international system as topics of research and explains the selection of Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, and George Bush.; Part II of the dissertation presents the case studies of presidential leadership in foreign affairs. Presidents Wilson, Truman, and Bush are scrutinized in terms of the extent to which they were able to articulate and implement unifying principles for America's foreign policy and a vision of a new world order. Special attention is given to assessing the extent to which the presidents' individual leadership characteristics, domestic setting, and global environment influenced their ability to achieve their policy objectives.