Why do Leaders Lie, and Why do We Believe Them
Why do Leaders Lie, and Why do We Believe Them

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with lying, and deceiving of political leaders. It summarizes and contemplates on the Mearsheimer’s book Why Do Leaders Lie: The Truth About Lying in International Politics (2011) and uses his explanation of concepts of truth telling, deception, and lying, as basic theoretical framework for further elaboration on why, and how, leaders lie. It attempts to cross-match, and synthesise it with the diversionary theory of war based on the article of Mitchell and Prins Rivalry and Diversionary Uses of Forces (2004) in order to provide some critically evaluated common grounds for further analysis of the topic. If leaders lie simply because they can, the author further addresses the question what makes the lies believable, and concludes leaders extensively appeal to public’s emotions with different rhetoric skills. Therefore, lying should be considered, and analysed, as an interaction between more parties, not merely from the point of the leader’s incentives, and skills. The paper offers brief argumentation based on the case of the Western interventions in the Balkan wars. Methodologically it adopts the interpretative, and critical, approach for the analysis of the secondary literature with the emphasis on works of Mearsheimer, and Mitchell and Prins, as the pillar pieces for author’s further discourse.

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