The political leadership of Carlos S. Menem in his presidential role

Abstract

Different authors throughout history have developed theoretical frameworks on leadership, focusing their studies from various perspectives. Some have analyzed the personality traits of leaders, while others have concentrated on factors such as authority, legitimacy, or context. Based on the analytical contributions proposed by certain authors, this work seeks to characterize the leadership of Carlos S. Menem in his role as President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Beyond the external or situational factors that can enhance the emergence of a political leader, traits such as intuition, docility, reason, foresight, energy, and communicative ability appear as common characteristics among leaders, regardless of their field of action. What were Menem's traits? How did he pave his way to the presidency, and how did he manage to maintain it for two terms? These are some of the questions this study aims to address.