PRESIDENT’S PERSONALITY AND THE U.S. FOREIGN POLICY DECISION-MAKING

DOI 10.17721/2521-1706.2025.20.8

Svitlana Pyk,

Ph. D. (Political Sciences), Associate Professor, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5427-934X

Abstract. This article examines the impact of the U.S. President’s personality on the process of foreign policy decision-making. Since this process is not clearly institutionalized, the President, as head of the executive branch, possesses broad foreign policy powers, including the ability to bypass certain constraints imposed by the legislative branch.

Given the President’s leading role in shaping foreign policy decisions, the article aims to identify the ways in which presidential personality influences both the decision-making process and the nature of the decisions adopted, with particular attention to leadership style, interaction with advisers, and the use of institutional powers to overcome bureaucratic and legislative constraints.

The methodological framework of the study is based on a critical analysis of academic literature, combined with the application of logical-intuitive and problem-chronological methods within a systemic approach. Using the descriptive method, the article outlines models of presidential interaction with advisers and the executive environment in the process of foreign policy decision-making.

The study’s scientific novelty lies in demonstrating that the personal characteristics of the U.S. President play a decisive role in foreign policy decision-making, as well as in identifying the dominant personality dimension of the President using the Five-Factor Model, developed by R. McCrae and P. Costa Jr., which contributes to a deeper understanding of both presidential foreign policy preferences and leadership style.

Conclusions. The behavior of U.S. Presidents in office and their conduct of foreign policy directly depend on personality traits. This is illustrated by George W. Bush’s decision to launch a military intervention in Iraq and his subsequent efforts to mitigate its negative consequences. Personality factors also contributed to the cautious foreign policy of Barack Obama, as demonstrated by events in Syria, and to the hyperactive and unpredictable foreign policy of Donald Trump, particularly in relation to the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Key words: U.S. presidential personality, foreign policy decision-making, the Five Factor Model of personality, personality factor.

Submitted: 10.09.2025

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