Understanding the Role of Leadership Styles of Erdogan and Merkel in Sustainability of Turkey-European Union Relations: A Leadership Trait Analysis

Erdi Kutlu, Çağdaş Cengiz, Murat Necip Arman and Emir Ozeren
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Erdi Kutlu: Independent Researcher, PhD Degree in International Relations at Ege University, 35040 Izmir, Turkey
Çağdaş Cengiz: Instructor, PhD Degree in European Studies, Dokuz Eylül University, 35210 Izmir, Turkey
Murat Necip Arman: Department of International Relations, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydin, Turkey
Emir Ozeren: Faculty of Tourism, Dokuz Eylül University, 35390 Izmir, Turkey

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-17

Abstract: This study aims to understand the role of the leadership styles of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in European Union-Turkey relations by conducting a Leadership Trait Analysis (LTA), which takes into account the leaders’ personalities in foreign policy. The article makes use of the verbal records of the two leaders regarding the bilateral relations between their countries and the European Union. The results unveil that the two leaders’ personal characteristics bear similarities to a considerable extent; i.e., both leaders are sceptical in inter-personal relations, discernibly intuitive, self-confident and so forth. The study suggests that those personal traits of the leaders which have occasionally outweighed crude rationality have been some of the important factors enabling the sustainability of relations between Turkey and the EU against all odds.

Keywords: leadership trait analysis; leadership style; leader; personal characteristics; Turkey-European Union relations; Angela Merkel; Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Turkey-Germany relations; authoritarianism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:9258-:d:616652

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