Leadership Traits of Turkey's Islamist and Secular Prime Ministers

Bibliographic Data

ID12697245
AuthorsBariş Kesgin (0000-0002-6108-8240, Susquehanna University, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume14
Issue1
Pages136-157
Publication date2013-02-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTurkish Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1468-3849 • E-ISSN: 1743-9663
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14683849.2013.766988
OpenAlexW2046676041
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited28

Leaders are influential in Turkish politics; since early Republican years under Atatürk and İnönü, the dominance of omnipotent leaders continued, if not escalated, under democratic elections. Menderes or Demirel or Erbakan, and presently Erdoğan, each leader assumed office with different personal and political backgrounds, worldviews, and personality characteristics. Nonetheless, a systematic study of political leaders in Turkish politics and foreign policy has rarely been a concern to scholars of Turkey. This lack of attention to Turkey's political leaders affects not only a nuanced understanding of its domestic politics but also its foreign policy. How do Turkish leaders' idiosyncratic traits affect their politics? How does the common phrase “secular and religious leaders” capture differences among Turkey's leadership? Utilizing a method of leadership assessment at-a-distance, this piece provides answers to such questions with respect to foreign policy profiles of all post-Cold War prime ministers of Turkey. It illustrates that Turkish leaders have distinct leadership traits but cannot be reduced to “seculars” and “Islamists.”

Democracy · Dominance (genetics · Foreign policy · General election · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Turkish · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Turkey's Politics and Society

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