Abstract
This study aims to connect presidential personality to bureaucratic politics in United States foreign policy decision-making. Using Margaret Hermann’s Leadership Trait Analysis (LTA), this study focuses on President George W. Bush’s and President Barack Obama’s personalities during the policy process. Two case studies were employed to test the relationship between personality and bureaucratic politics: the Iraq troop surge decision in 2007 and the Afghanistan troop surge decision in 2009. These case studies showcased the relationship between the presidents’ personality and bureaucratic politics during the foreign policy process. Using works from Graham Allison and Morton Halperin, this study attempts to understand how the influences of bureaucratic politics could be affected by different personalities during foreign policy decision-making.
Advisor
Lantis, Jeffrey
Department
Political Science
Recommended Citation
Ullom, Jacob, "A Surge of Personality or A Bureaucratic Struggle? How Presidential Personality Affected the Influence of Bureaucratic Politics in Troop Surge Decisions" (2024). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11067.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11067
Disciplines
International Relations
Keywords
Leadership Trait Analysis, Bureaucratic Politics, US Foreign Policy, US War on Terror
Publication Date
2024
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2024 Jacob Ullom