Less than two months after his government hosted the NATO summit — which was framed as proof of Turkey’s pivotal role in transatlantic security — President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has proposed full Turkish membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an entity that has been described as being anti-NATO or a “rogue NATO.”

The apparent contradiction was striking. Turkey has belonged to NATO since 1952 and remains a European Union candidate. In contrast, the China- and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which has included Iran since 2023, projects an alternative, non-western vision of international order.

This revives a familiar question: is Turkey pivoting from west to east?

The question assumes a world divided into coherent blocs. In reality, partially overlapping and competing international orders co-exist, each with its own institutions, rules and visions of global authority. Turkey is simply asserting its autonomy by moving across their boundaries.

A world of overlapping orders

The post-Cold War vision of a single global order centred on western institutions is increasingly difficult to sustain. NATO co-exists with emerging power coalitions and regional or issue-specific partnerships.

These orders overlap but are not easily reconciled. Their rules and political visions often conflict, allowing emerging and existing middle powers to participate in several of them without fully accepting the authority of any.

While remaining embedded in NATO........

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