Comparison Of Richard Neustadt's Presidential Power And The Modern Presidents

Richard Neustadt’s Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents discusses the powers of the president and the way in which these functions have changed in the most recent centuries. He first notes the importance of persuasion, which, when successful, creates more beneficial and lasting outcomes than if the leader had simply used his or her ability to give commands. Furthermore, the author goes on to state that national chief executive officers should be more “skeptical than trustful, more curious than committed.” () Likewise, he or she should be surrounded with a variety of opinions from trusted advisors in order to promote decisions that result in the best outcome for the most amount of people. Moving on, the writer speaks of the great shift
in the role of the office, as globalization has led to more executive power. However, the newer development is not entirely advantageous because the president is now tasked with juggling both domestic and foreign affairs.