Prefacewould first describe his or her method and then apply the method,
was born. Indeed, a unique feature of the book, chosen by its con-
tributors, is to illustrate these methods using two leaders from radi-
cally different societies, William Jefferson Clinton for a democratic
society and Saddam Hussein for a closed totalitarian system, showing
how personality manifests itself in such different systems. Renshon
and Peter Suedfeld, professor of social psychology at the University
of British Columbia, both major figures in the field of at-a-distance
personality assessment, were also invited to contribute.
This book represents the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream: to
bring together within the covers of one volume the specialized meth-
ods for psychologically evaluating the personality and political
behavior of world leaders pioneered by a small group of specialists,
many of whom I have been working with for nearly thirty years.