When Illness Strikes the Leader: The Dilemma of the Captive King - Softcover

Robins, Robert S.; Post M.D., Jerrold

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300063148 ISBN 13: 9780300063141

Publisher: Yale University Press, 1995

Synopsis

The illness or disability of a world leader can change the course of history. When Lenin became too infirm to remove Stalin from a position of power, when the shah of Iran's terminal cancer was kept secret from fellow Iranians and foreign supporters until Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic revolution had succeeded, the political consequences were monumental. In this absorbing book, two experts in political psychology reveal how the infirmities of leaders have affected their own societies and the broader course of world events. Drawing on a wide range of examples, including Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria, Woodrow Wilson, Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Deng Xiao-peng, Ferdinand Marcos, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Menachem Begin, Dr. Jerrold M. Post and Robert S. Robins explore the impact of physical and mental illness on political leadership.

Post and Robins investigate the effects of illness on the leader, his inner circle, his followers, and the political system itself. They discuss such thought-provoking topics as:

—how the nature of the illness affects decisionmaking;

—how mortal illness can make a leader more determined to make his mark on history;

—how a leader's disability can be hidden from the public in every political system;

—the effects of prescribed drugs and substance abuse on leadership behavior;

—the conflicted role and ethical dilemmas of physicians who care for the powerful;

—and how the demands and privileges of high office compromise the quality of medical care.

In closed societies where there is no clear mechanism of succession, say the authors, the ailing or aging leader and his close advisers can become locked in a fatal embrace, each dependent upon the other for survival: a captive king and his captive court. In the absence of clear rules for determining when a leader is disabled and should be replaced and how a successor will be chosen, illness in high office can be highly destabilizing. Post and Robins's book will be engrossing—and timely—reading for all those interested in leadership, history, and the political process.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Dr. Jerrold M. Post and Robert S. Robins explore the impact of physical and mental illness on political leadership.

From Library Journal:

The mental and physical health of world leaders are critical issues that are only beginning to receive serious public attention. All too frequently, leaders remain in power despite health problems that may diminish their capacity to govern. Cover-ups for incapacitated leaders have long been the rule for a variety of reasons, including the real and perceived importance of an existing leader, the workings of the inner court to limit damage control, and the fear of change if a new leader comes to power. Psychiatrist Post and political scientist Robins present numerous fascinating examples of how such diverse leaders as Winston Churchill, the Shah of Iran, Menachem Begin, the recent Soviet gerontocracy, Mao and Deng, and several American presidents have been so affected by health problems that they became dangers to their nations. Although cases of the American presidents are more thoroughly discussed in Robert Gilbert's excellent The Mortal Presidency ( LJ 11/15/92), this work is highly recommended for subject collections and large public libraries because of its readability, emphasis on non-American leaders, and analysis of health issues specifically applied to leadership settings.
- Karl He licher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, Pa.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0300063148
• ISBN 13: 9780300063141
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 262