Ailing leaders in power, 1914-1994 - Hugh L'Etang

The mental or physical competence of people holding supreme power either in government or within the military is obviously of great importance to the general public since their decisions impact on the lives of those not only within a particular country, but sometimes worldwide. However, despite the fact that most people in responsible positions undergo regular health checks and adhere to a fixed retirement age, those in the highest places in politics are subject to none of these constraints.;This study examines the effects of mental and physical incapacity in political, military, bureaucratic and business leaders in the UK, the USA, the Middle East, the Pacific and Asia, confirmed by case histories. It analyzes the risks and suggests radical preventive measures. The author quotes statistics showing that incapacity increases progressively from the age of 55 years. Separate chapters deal with mood swings and effects on decisions, stress and suicide, heart failure, increasing incapacity in those over 65, and alarming examples of brain failure.;Although illness in leaders can and has been concealed, one chapter indicates how the general public, politicians, diplomats and journalists can and have made pertinent diagnostic observations of incapacity. The author argues that democratic countries could and should have the knowledge to force unfit leaders to leave office and even demand a specified retirement age.;The illnesses affecting these leaders are familiar to many outside the medical profession, and the book should be of interest to departments of political, international, general and diplomatic history, military staff colleges, business schools and members of the public interested in world affairs. Hugh L'Etang is the author of "The Pathology of Leadership" and "Fit to Lead?"