MAN HEARS WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR AND DISREGARDS THE REST: George W. Bush and Iraqi WMD

In: Psicologia politica, Heft 47, S. 19-38

Abstract

Throughout 2002 and early 2003, George W. Bush claimed Iraq was seeking weapons of mass destruction. His allegations about Baghdad's programs were later shown to be false. He genuinely, but incorrectly, believed that Iraq was seeking biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons despite substantial evidence that contradicted his beliefs. Why did the 43rd president believe that Iraq was developing these capabilities despite a lack of confirming evidence? I use Margaret Hermann's Leadership Trait Analysis to argue that Bush manifests unusually high levels of distrust of others and that this accounts for his incorrect beliefs about Iraq. Finally, this finding is significant because it suggests that distrust of others is a powerful variable that may be applied to a range of cases to better understand the how and why of leadership and decision-making in international politics. Adapted from the source document.