Political Leadership Competences and Its Influence on Conflict and Peace

Understanding personal characteristics between international leaders shapes the political environment for competitive economic approaches, conflict management, and common security interests. The interests of nation-states determine the structural and situational constructs of conflict, reconciliation, and cooperation as a condition for international stability. Scholars, therefore, contend that understanding the personal characteristics and behavior of a nation’s leaders is illustrative of the type and “causes of conflict and war among nations, and what are the conditions for cooperation and peace among them?” (Doyle & Ikenberry, 1997, p. 163). International Change Theory of Leadership (ICTL) addresses the complex interpersonal relationships that arise between nation-state leaders during the conflict reconciliation process. This paper builds a leadership theory by a presenting a comparative analysis of personality traits and attributes between Presidents Saddam Hussein and George Bush to understand the influence leaders’ interactions have on the international stage in initiating and resolving conflict among nations.