Political Fatigue Syndrome and The Demand for Strong Leaders in International Politics

This study defines Political Fatigue as a state of societal exhaustion and disenchantment due to the perception that political institutions have once again failed in their delivery of effective governance or fulfillment of long-term pledges. It delivers its analysis within theoretical constructs on how ‘fatigue publics’ characterized by emotional withdrawal from politics because they no longer believe in efficacy, switch towards an authoritative figure who gives quick responses with firmness to complex global issues. This leadership is analyzed concerning its capability both for reframing problems through crisis articulation and commanding legitimacy while exposing the danger inherent when authority becomes instrumentalized sustaining power under conditions where trust at a systemic level is collapsing. The paper contextualizes the Public Financial Sector (PFS) within contemporary global uncertainties, specifically in a post-pandemic world, to critically comprehend a cyclical dynamic between governance failure and psychological yearning for order in international relations. This makes it possible to understand better the perpetual swing of international political pathology that moves from anarchy back toward rules whenever there is governance failure.