Dictators and Their Disciples in a Dangerous World

Today's international security environment is much less stable than that of the Cold War. Rogue leaders of outlaw nations with access to weapons of mass destruction pose threats unknown in the past. It is crucial to understand what drives these leaders. Jerrold Post has devoted his career to this effort. He is director of the political psychology program at The George Washington University, and was founding director of the CIA's Center for the Analysis of Personality and Political Behavior. He played the lead role in developing the "Camp David profiles" of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat for President Jimmy Carter, and testified before Congress on the political personality of Saddam Hussein. He also initiated the U.S. government program in understanding the psychology of terrorism. Dr. Post's latest books are Leaders and their Followers in a Dangerous World and The Mind of the Terrorist.