This outstanding book is the first to decisively define the relationship between political psychology and international relations. Written in a style accessible to undergraduates as well as specialists, McDermott's book makes an eloquent case for the importance of psychology to our understanding of global politics.

In the wake of September 11, the American public has been besieged with claims that politics is driven by personality. Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, Kim Chong-Il, Ayatollah Khameinei-America's political rogues' gallery is populated by individuals whose need for recognition...

Risk plays a dramatic role in international relations as leaders make decisions about such issues as war and peace, disarmament, and about lowering economic barriers to trade and investment. How a country's leaders think about risk in making foreign policy decisions is important in understanding why and how they make decisions.
Rose McDermott applies prospect theory, a theory developed by psychologists to understand decisionmaking under conditions of risk, to four cases in American foreign policy. Prospect theory suggests that decisionmakers who are confronting losses are more likely to...

This book is about how illness affects the behavior of American presidents. It discusses four cases in American history of presidential decision making being affected by illness. The main purpose of this book is to show that health problems have a bigger impact on important political decisions than people may have realized. This book differs from the competition because it focuses primarily on foreign policy, where a president has greater freedom of authority, and also features detailed analysis of historical case studies.

This book is about how illness affects the behavior of American presidents. It discusses four cases in American history of presidential decision making being affected by illness. The main purpose of this book is to show that health problems have a bigger impact on important political decisions than people may have realized. This book differs from the competition because it focuses primarily on foreign policy, where a president has greater freedom of authority, and also features detailed analysis of historical case studies.