Beyond National Boundaries: Unpacking Türkiye’s Role in the Sahel and Beyond Through Geopolitical Imagination

For many scholars, Türkiye’s foreign policy since the early 2000s has been seen as shifting from a West–oriented to an East-facing approach, with its engagement in Sub–Saharan Africa reflecting this change. This article offers an alternative perspective, arguing that Türkiye’s geopolitical imagination and national role conception as a ‘centre country’ provide a deeper understanding of its policies in Africa and beyond. By examining Türkiye’s involvement in the Sahel through expert and elite interviews and case studies of defence, education, and infrastructure, we demonstrate how these frameworks drive Türkiye’s engagement as a civilisational state and aspiring leader in the Afro-Eurasian space. The research highlights the explanatory power of national role conception and geopolitical imagination in analyzing its motivations. It also offers nuanced insights that challenge simplistic East–West paradigms while advancing theoretical and policy–oriented debates on the role of nonWestern actors in global politics.