THE ROLE OF TURGUT ÖZAL’S PERSONAL FEATURES IN TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY DURING HIS RULING PERIOD

Turgut Özal, is one of the leading political leaders, who has significant effects in the Turkish political history. Because of his political decisions both during his Prime Ministry period (1983-1989) and also during his Presidency period (1989-1993), Özal is mostly characterized as an extraordinary leader in the Turkish political history, which led him to be the center of many debates till today. One of the most criticized sides of Özal is his foreign policy practices. Özal’s personal leadership skills and his personal characteristics such as, finding practical solutions, reaching quick results, being pro-active were also signs of his foreign policy. He preferred working with people instead of institutions, which caused him to be in conflict with the foreign policy institutions from time to time. This study focuses on the role of Özal’s personal characteristics on his foreign policy within the context of the “decision making theory in international relations”.