Leaders in the Middle East and North Africa : How Ideology Shapes Foreign Policy

Analysing the psychology of fourteen modern leaders from eight countries and three non-state organisations, Özgür Özdamar and Sercan Canbolat reconsider politics and power in the MENA region. Observing commonalities and differences between these leaders, the authors offer novel insights into their foreign policy and how best to negotiate with them.

The study of politics in the MENA region has traditionally been dominated by historical and case study approaches. In this innovative book, Özgür Özdamar and Sercan Canbolat instead adopt a social science-based methodology to reconsider the dynamics of power and leadership in Africa and the Middle East. By analysing the psychological profiles of fourteen leaders across eight countries and three non-state organizations, they develop a nuanced portrait of modern leadership. Using this approach, the authors are able to draw connections between apparently disparate political ideologies, from Sunni Islamism to Shia revolutionism, from secular nationalism and armed non-state groups. Demonstrating the previously unacknowledged commonalities and divergences in these leaders'' approaches, Özdamar and Canbolat illuminate their tactics and strategies and offer novel insights into how best to negotiate with them.