Chicago Tribune

Commentary: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demonstrates the political power of performance

Kosovo artist Alkent Pozhegu works on the final touches of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's portrait made with grain and seed, in Gjakova, southwestern Kosovo, on Tuesday, March 1, 2022..

John F. Kennedy may have written “Profiles in Courage” but Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown us what courage looks like. The Ukrainian president’s stand against Russia’s onslaught is a reminder that true leadership at its core is a performance that inspires and rallies. Such performances become the basis of legend.

Too often we think of performance in negative terms, as something fake or insincere. This is unfortunate. Performance is how a person behaves — or, more accurately, how they choose to behave in certain situations. Performance reveals character (or

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