{"id":159304,"date":"2020-04-27T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T11:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=159304"},"modified":"2020-12-02T10:13:15","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T10:13:15","slug":"from-trump-to-erdogan-men-who-behave-badly-make-the-worst-leaders-in-a-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/04\/from-trump-to-erdogan-men-who-behave-badly-make-the-worst-leaders-in-a-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"From Trump to Erdo\u011fan, Men Who Behave Badly Make the Worst Leaders in a Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s the Authoritarians Who Have Mishandled and Misjudged the COVID-19 Crisis<\/em><\/p>\n

\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/d3dc16364491492b98e81da5e376af6b3db2efb1\/0_0_2560_1536\/master\/2560.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7ea9161a3d45e17d05e742960e59e38e\"<\/p>\n

Leaders who have performed badly – Top Row: Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Benjamin Netanyahu and Narendra Modi – Bottom Row: Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan, Rodrigo Duterte, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Composite: EPA, Getty, Reuters, AP<\/strong><\/p>\n

26 Apr 2020 – <\/em>F<\/span><\/span>or those too young to remember, Men Behaving Badly<\/a><\/em> was a light-hearted 1990s British and American sitcom about silly blokes doing stupid things. Covid-19 has revived the storyline. But now it\u2019s not so funny.<\/p>\n

Around the world, authoritarian leaders are exploiting, exacerbating or grossly mishandling the response to the pandemic, placing selfish interest ahead of public good.<\/p>\n

They are mostly male. Their behaviour is frequently appalling. Unlike harmless Gary and Tony, they are a modern incarnation of TS Eliot\u2019s \u201chollow men\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sex is relevant, in that female leaders are generally thought to be behaving better<\/a>. Germany\u2019s Angela Merkel, New Zealand\u2019s Jacinda Ardern, and Taiwan\u2019s Tsai Ing-wen are among competent and compassionate women singled out for praise.<\/p>\n

Yet do the worst-performing leaders share dysfunctional characteristics beyond mere maleness? A war fixation is one. Poverty of imagination is another. They routinely trot out tired martial metaphors and cliches such as \u201cwartime president\u201d, \u201cblitz spirit\u201d, and \u201cfighting the invisible enemy\u201d.<\/p>\n

Lack of empathy also seems to be a common denominator, even among self-styled \u201cman of the people\u201d populists. This may be a product of class, culture or elite upbringing.<\/p>\n

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New Zealand\u2019s prime minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her leadership. Photograph: Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A more decisive factor is a man\u2019s political orientation. Broadly speaking, illiberal leaders who run authoritarian regimes, refuse democratic and legal constraints, abuse civil and women\u2019s rights, reject media scrutiny, tolerate corruption, and believe that they, personally, know best are the worst-behaved, least effective pandemic performers.<\/p>\n