In recent weeks, crisis leadership has figured in world news. Just across the Irish Sea, political observers have witnessed Keir Starmer’s fraught path from a landslide general election victory in 2024 to constant speculation over an impending leadership challenge. And then there’s the US.Friday’s deal between the US and Iran, which extends the ceasefire (such as it has been) for a further 60 days, was described by the Iranian chief negotiator as “a record of US failure”. The same deal has been hailed by US president Donald Trump as a big win for the US. He also said it averts a “worldwide depression” – one he capriciously manufactured himself. The rhetoric accompanying the violence wrought on the Middle East has been somewhat sui generis. I once found the American political fixation with the idea of a leader who manifests a mysterious “presidential” property fairly shallow. However, recent wartime commentary – including a social media countdown to the death of a “whole civilisation” and Trump addressing his opponents as “you crazy bastards” – would almost make one pine for a more benign political register.Given the state of things, speculating on future diplomacy feels fanciful. Perhaps the distant past can deliver some leadership insights. Lisa Doyle is a Research Ireland postdoctoral fellow with expertise in ancient scholarship, and a special focus on scholia, the comments and notes that feature in the margins of ancient writings. She explains the role that epic poetry played in political life back then.“The Homeric epics were ingrained in Greek culture and identity. Although the Iliad and Odyssey are poems that deal with figures from mythology, to the Greeks they offered many lessons, including on leadership and ruling,” she says.Despite referring to events that we would struggle to see as related to life today, the messages of these texts steered important public discourse at the time. The Iliad, the Homeric poem chronicling a conflict between Agamemnon (King of Mycenae) and the famed warrior Achilles in the final stages of the Trojan War, is an obvious example. “The Iliad is ultimately concerned with failures and shortcomings in leadership, and the heroic code which dictates the pursuit of honour and glory. Agamemnon [whose refusal, against the advice of his warriors, to return an important female Trojan war hostage results in a plague being inflicted on the Greeks] understandably gets a bad rap. There are moments, though, where he demonstrates self-awareness and concern for the troops. And he boosts morale by fighting on the battlefield while Achilles is ‘on strike’.”This lesson on the trade-offs between personal conquests and the common good is a useful one for the current moment. The 2026 Junior Cycle classics exam prompted students to reflect on battlefield honour in the Iliad, asking, “Which army in the Trojan War do you think acted more honourably, the Greeks or the Trojans?” I wonder how they would have answered the same question extended to more recent acts of war.Ancient scholars provide windows into the public reception and critique of the teachings the epics contained. Given the complexity of our modern media landscape, it’s easy to wonder what it will be like for future people looking back on current wars. Doyle explains how critical themes emerge from notes about the protagonist found attached to ancient copies of the Odyssey.[ The paint is already peeling in Trump’s renovated Washington reflecting poolOpens in new window ]“Odysseus is cunning and charismatic in equal measure. Borrowing Emily Wilson’s translation, he is a ‘complicated man’. There are many instances in which he demonstrates his intellectual prowess and capacity for diplomacy, but the bigger picture is this: Odysseus arrives home from war alone. None of his comrades have survived. Ancient scholars reading Homer’s Odyssey commented on how the poem’s opening lines gloss over the fact that Odysseus bore some responsibility for the loss of his men. This was a problem for Homer’s ancient readers, who challenged the narrative presented by the poet.”Homer’s epics were composed in the Archaic period and became mainstays of Greek education and culture throughout antiquity. Following the death of Alexander the Great, certain shifts in thinking about good leadership also become apparent, including the idea that diplomatic talent could be as valuable as military brilliance.“Apollonius of Rhodes’ epic poem, the Argonautica, is attuned to the need for diplomacy and negotiation following the upheaval of Alexander the Great’s death and the fallout from his colonial conquests. Jason, leader of the Argonauts, is rhetorically skilled, favouring persuasion over violence. He thinks about the collective good. Mirroring a famous scene from the Iliad, where Achilles equips himself with his new armour, Apollonius’ Jason arms himself instead with a cloak, before embarking on negotiations, preparing to do battle with words.”Trump’s choice to mark his first octogenarian birthday by building an ultimate fighting ring on the White House lawn shows that projecting (or at least sitting near) a certain manifestation of physical strength is the main reflection on leadership we will be getting from him. It’s unlikely that the Argonautica or any of the epics are high on his reading list, but the recent MMA deflection from an embarrassing military campaign is certainly reminiscent of the gladiatorial spectacles that ancient leaders used to distract from challenging political narratives, so perhaps he is following ancient tradition without realising it. Clare Moriarty is a Research Ireland Enterprise Fellow, working at University College Dublin and the National Library of Ireland