How does personality affect foreign policy making?

No two individuals are identical in terms of foreign policy making; each person differs in some way from every other. This personal diversity is exhibited by the major figures in post-World War II American Foreign Policy. Apparent differences in policy elites’ personalities may nevertheless mask important similarities. Therefore, it is not how different are the individuals but instead, what impact do leaders’ peculiar traits have on their decision-making behavior. Although it is difficult to generalize, it is easy to demonstrate that Policymakers’ personal characteristics influence their behavior. Many probe the life history of policymakers to describe their psychological makeup and worldview. These psychobiographies invariably assume that leaders’ personalities are determined by their early childhood experiences, their relationships with parents and peers, their self-concept, and the like. These background factors are presumed to mold the leaders’ personalities and beliefs and their later decision-making styles and policy-making behavior.

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