Populist Narratives and Personalized National Role Conception in Middle Powers: The Cases of Mexico and Turkey During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This article examines the populist influences on middle power roles, focusing on two charismatic populist leaders, Presidents López Obrador in Mexico and Erdoğan in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conventional middle power theories emphasize material, behavioral and identity factors as shaping middle power roles, highlighting the cooperative foreign policy stances of their leaders, while largely overlooking the domestic political contexts where these leaders may display highly polarizing styles. We argue that leaders themselves are a critical factor in shaping middle power behavior. Incorporating the framework of role theories, we demonstrate that both López Obrador and Erdoğan personalized their countries' roles globally, aligning national populist narratives with foreign policy. We identify two core populist narratives—the leader's opposition to the political establishment and advocacy for the people's interests—and explore how these shaped Mexico's and Turkey's middle power roles, particularly in their promotion of global justice and solidarity during the pandemic.

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