Groupthink or Deadlock

Paul A. Kowert is Assistant Professor of International Relations at Florida International University, and coeditor of International Relations in a Constructed World.

• Abbreviations Tables and Figures Acknowledgments 1. Introduction Matching Advisors to LeadersDoes Leadership Really Matter?What Is Learning?Conclusion 2. Who Learns, and When? Learning StyleManaging AdvisorsA Theory of Leader-Group RelationsConclusion 3. Eisenhower and Reagan: Comparing Learning Styles The Eisenhower Administration Learning StyleAdvisors The Reagan Administration Learning StyleAdvisors Conclusion 4. Learning Learning In an Open Administration The Fall of Dien Bien PhuAlaskan Statehood Learning In a Closed Administration The International Debt ShockThe Withdrawal from Lebanon Conclusion 5. Groupthink Balance of Payments DeficitsMcCarthyismConclusion 6. Deadlock The Budget DeficitThe Iran-Contra AffairConclusion 7. Conclusion The Politics of AdviceWhy Learn? Notes Bibliography Index

"This book raises an important theoretical point that has not been well explored in the literature on presidential decision-making. Kowert has made a genuine contribution not only with his discussion of how 'open' leaders fare in closed groups, but how 'closed' leaders fare in open groups." — John P. Burke, author of Presidential Transitions: From Politics to Practice"This is a solid contribution to the well-established genre of case-based explorations of presidential decision-making. The author's pairing of Eisenhower and Reagan provides a new twist. I commend Kowert for tackling a theoretically rich research question." — Brian D. Ripley, Mercyhurst College