Paradigm Change and Sense-Making Exercise: War in Ukraine as a Leadership Puzzle

Leadership is commonly considered a key factor in crisis management. Extraordinary situations influence judgement and decision-making processes, so leaders bear the burden of directing attention, embracing uncertainty, and managing expectations. Sense-making is a necessary component of every leadership practice, shaping the way individuals enact change and adjust to new circumstances. The article touches upon two major issues: the role of sense-making in the time of war and new ideational sources of thinking about Western international politics that emerged as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It examines influential narratives constructed within Western political leadership with relation to the war in Ukraine, revealing their role as cultural formulations contributing to structural changes at the international level.