Scholars and commentators have suggested that South Africa has suffered from a dearth in good, moral, and virtuous leadership at the highest levels of government. This assignment asks you to consider what defines a “good leader” by looking at the ways in which prominent political theorists from across the world have approached the topic to help you answer the broad research question, “what makes a good leader, according to political theorists?”

Question

You are required to write a normative political theory paper that answers the research question stated here before by comparing and contrasting the ways in which political theorists from at least TWO different geographic regions (the West, Africa, or Asia) have approached the notions of good, moral, and virtuous leadership. Questions that will help you respond to the research question include the following:
- What is a “good” leader according to Western, Africa, and/or Asian political theorists?
- Who gets to rule, how, and why?
- What is considered moral, ethical, and/or just behaviour by a political leader, and should leaders always embody all of these characteristics?
- In which ways do African, Asian, and Western political theories on the concepts of morality, ethics, justice, and virtuous leadership overlap or differ?
Your paper should conclude with a response to the view that South Africa has suffered from a dearth of good, moral and virtuous leadership at the highest level of government (we don’t care if you agree or disagree with this statement, but we do want to see that you can come to a conclusion about whether the statement is true or false based on your reading of prominent political theoretical approaches to the notion of what makes a good leader). please write the power conclusion based question above and also include the information that talks about South Africa and remember that the regions that i chose is African and werstern. please make conclusion to 200 words but cover all the aspects

Answer 1

The analysis of good leadership through the lens of political theorists from Western and African traditions reveals both convergences and divergences in the notion of moral and virtuous leadership. Western theorists, notably Plato and Machiavelli, highlight the importance of virtues such as wisdom, justice, and the ability to wield power effectively; the latter often grapples with the ethical implications of governance, suggesting that ends can justify means in the pursuit of power. In contrast, African political thought, as articulated by theorists like Kwame Nkrumah and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, emphasizes communal welfare, moral integrity, and the leader's responsibility to their people, reflecting a profound commitment to ethical governance.

Both traditions underscore that a leader should embody qualities such as justice, fairness, and accountability, though the interpretation of these virtues varies. Western thinkers often prioritize individual rights and freedoms, while African theorists emphasize collective wellbeing and social harmony.

When considering South Africa's struggle with leadership integrity post-apartheid, it is clear that the ideals of both traditions significantly inform our understanding of effective governance. While there have been notable leaders embodying virtues from both traditions, systemic issues and corruption suggest that South Africa indeed suffers from a significant lack of sustained good, moral, and virtuous leadership at its highest levels of government, aligning with the concerns raised by scholars and commentators regarding effective governance in the region.