FROM WEST TO THE REST: ANALYSING TURKEY’S BRICS MEMBERSHIP BID THROUGH THE PRISM OF WESTERNISM

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of Turkey’s foreign policy through the lens of its bid for BRICS membership, contextualised within the country’s shifting approach to Westernism. The study thus contributes to ongoing discussions about the shifting alignments of emerging powers in a multipolar world. Drawing on historical process tracing, the study argues that Turkey’s frustrations with Western institutions have prompted a strategic recalibration toward alternative multilateral frameworks. However, the analysis reveals that Turkey’s overtures to BRICS represent not a wholesale rejection of the West, but an attempt to balance East-West allegiances in a multipolar world. The findings suggest that while BRICS appeals to Ankara’s rhetoric of autonomy and multipolarity, its suitability as a strategic alternative remains limited.