Profiles in Discord: Leadership Analysis with Dr. Ken Dekleva

In this week’s episode, co-hosts A’ndre and Ryan speak to Dr. Kenneth Dekleva about his work in  leadership analysis and what exactly that is. Dr. Dekleva discusses how leadership profiles are created, and how different agencies like the CIA and the State Department have used them in the past to advance U.S. foreign policy goals. We then dig into three unique leadership profiles in particular: China's Xi Jinping, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and Russia's Vladimir Putin. Dr. Dekleva reveals what the U.S. got wrong about Putin and how the Russian leader has maintained his political resilience. We then discuss how Kim Jong Un's leadership style and personality reflects his grandfather Kim Il Sung, and how his childhood may have contributed to his dictatorial tendencies. Dr. Dekleva reveals why he believes Xi Jinping is one of the world's most formidable leaders today, and how Xi has managed to weave his personal and political narrative together to wield power. We conclude by talking about potential future adversarial leaders, and what makes these leaders 'good' at being dictators.

You can check out Dr. Dekleva's work here and here.