“The Role of Leader’s Personality and World Order on Foreign Policy Decision Making: Comparison between Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Era and Sheikh Hasina Era”
- August 24, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRSI, International Relations
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue VIII, August 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705
Abdur Rahman Mohammad Thamim
Lecturer, Department of International Relations, Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) Mirpur Cantonment, Dhaka -1216, Bangladesh
Abstract: Leader’s personality traits and existing strategic world order gambit a pivotal role on foreign policy decision making. Coordinating with world order, state leader’s power of imagination, emotionality, prudence, strategic crisis management and negotiation ability maximize highest national interest of a country. This paper endeavors to make a connection among leader’s personality traits, existing world order and foreign policy decision making by a comparative analysis between Sheikh Mujibur Rahman era(1972-1975) and Sheikh Hasina era (1996-2001; 2008- till to date). Personality traits models like 16 Personality Factor model and Big 5 Personality model are used here as a tool of examining leader’s personality. Besides, to what extent the world order (Uni-polarity, Bi-polarity, Non-polarity, Multi-polarity or revival of any super power at international politics) can also influence in foreign policy decision making is also a matter of critical analysis? Heredity, grown up environment and genetics that interlinked between the personality traits and foreign policy decision making of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina is also reflected in this paper.
Key words: Personality traits, Foreign policy, World order, Realism, Heredity
I. INTRODUCTION
Leader’s personality traits like openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, emotion, stability, imagination, assertiveness, intelligence, self- sufficiency and knowledge play an instrumental role in foreign policy decision making. Similarly, states act or respond to the politico-economic events in the context of given world order to maximize own national interest. In other words, personality of a leader and the world order are prevailing in a given time influence on foreign policy decision making process of a state. Bangladesh is no exception in this regard. This paper focuses on the influence of personality of leaders and world order in the foreign policy decision making of Bangladesh. For doing so, this paper picks Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina- the president and prime minister of Bangladesh in two different eras representing the same political party, Bangladesh Awami League.