Being ‘southern’ without being of the global South. The strange case of Turkey’s South-South Cooperation in Africa

In the last decade, Turkish policy-makers have enlarged Turkey’s geopolitical ambitions beyond the neighboring regions by increasing political, economic and humanitarian efforts toward the global South. This shift has been driven by a complex set of domestic and systemic factors, and it has the aim to rebuild Turkey’s image and reputation after the democratic backsliding and the general international isolation. With this aim, Turkey has invested time and resources in alternative regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. This southern route posits a normative and responsible stance as a middle emerging power by taking a more global and accountable approach of world politics emphasizing the ways to overcome global inequality. Although Turkey does not consider itself a member of the South of the world, it has developed its paradigm of development - the Ankara consensus - that recalls many typical elements of the South-South Cooperation (SSC).