Leaders to Watch in 2020

By Kenneth Dekleva

Dr. Kenneth Dekleva is a former physician-diplomat with the U.S. State Dept. and Professor of Psychiatry and Director, Psychiatry-Medicine Integration, UT Southwestern Medical Center and senior Fellow, George HW Bush Foundation for US-China Relations.  He is the author of two novels, The Negotiator's Cross and The Last ViolinistThe views expressed are his own and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, State Dept., or UT Southwestern Medical Center.

OPINION — As 2019 draws to a close, it is worth re-examining not only which leaders attracted media attention, but also looking ahead with respect to strategic trends and which world leaders merit the most attention by President Trump and his national security team.  In this context, while the words said – or unsaid – are often very important, it’s also worthwhile to examine leadership actions and behaviors by President Trump’s foreign adversaries.

While the media often focuses – erroneously in my opinion – solely on what other leaders (as well as President Trump) say about each other, it risks missing the nuance of what wasn’t said, or what was done and acted upon.  This was sorely evident in the reporting of the recent NATO summit, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s, President Emmanuel Macron’s and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s adolescent comments regarding President Trump received more attention than the lack of a summit news conference, as well as the generally strong day-to-day relationships among NATO partners in this enduring and critically-important alliance.

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