Leadership, Ideology, and Development in the Middle East

Abstract

The dynamics of Arab leadership patterns can be abstracted by the prophetic-caliphas model'. Major elements of the model include personalism, individualism, lack of institutionalism, and the importance of the "great man." As an illustration, the leadership style of the late President Nasser is that of the "great man" while that of the ideologically oriented Ba'th party is that of the search for a "great man". Indeed, the "great man" is a more important binding force in Arab society than either ideology or institutions.