Book Description

This multi-disciplinary project examines the style, structure, and performance of presidential management of international crises in order to determine both the impact of earlier crisis management experiences on subsequent crisis management behavior, and the role of a structured presidential approach to crisis management in either encouraging or discouraging such institutional learning. The aim of such an approach is twofold. First, it is to discover the level of learning and adaptation, from both positive and negative experiences, that takes place among presidents and their advisors during and after the handling of an international crisis, including how that learning may be maximized and directed toward more effective management efforts in the future. Second, it is to determine the role of a structured crisis management approach in shaping decision-making behavior, including how such an approach may affect the ability of presidents and their advisors to learn from prior experiences. The study integrates research from the international crisis, presidential management, and organizational learning literatures, utilizing George's (1979) comparative case study method to examine several crises during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The paper concludes with a presentation of findings and discusses the relevance of such findings on issues such as; recent and looming international crisis situations in North Korea, the Middle East, and elsewhere; the impact of a changing global landscape that includes such dangers as nuclear proliferation; and the prospects for successful crisis management efforts by the current and future American presidents in the 21st century.