PPE4300 – International Leadership
This course is divided into two parts. In the first one, classical leadership theories will be canvassed, normative questions about leadership will be addressed, and the relationship between individual leaders and the wider societal and historical forces they encounter will feature as a dominant theme. A particular aspect of this course will be to focus on the philosophical and psychological aspects of leadership, including the master skill of discernment underpinned by a leader’s character.
The second part of the course will focus on what is arguably the most important international leader in today’s globalized world: the UN Secretary-General. It will consider the factors that have shaped the role of the world’s top diplomat by reviewing how the SGs of the past have exercised their functions and by comparing their leadership skills with those of national leaders. The course will also highlight the unique moral authority of the Secretary-General and will ask whether—and why—he or she carries more weight than national leaders.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Reflect on the meaning of leadership;
- Situate the role of leadership in international politics;
- Understand the differences between domestic and international leadership;
- Decide what are the skills that make an effective international leader;
- Debate whether international leadership matters in world politics;
- Understand the powers and limitations of the UN Secretary-General;
- Review how the Secretaries-General of the past have handled major crises;
- Compare the prerogatives of the UN Secretary-General with those of national leaders.