This is why Turkish President Erdogan is calling for a new world order

The current global order is fraying at the seams, with conflicts raging in different parts of the world.

While Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, Israel has unleashed horror on Palestinians in Gaza, threatening to destabilise the Middle East. Israel is now carrying out deadly air strikes on Lebanon in which hundreds have been killed.

“Israel’s massacres in Gaza have clearly demonstrated once again that the status quo of global governance is unsustainable,” says researcher Mustafa Oztop.

Tel Aviv’s relentless war on the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 41,431 people.

Türkiye, along with a few other countries, have watched with disdain as the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have failed to stop the bloodshed.

The UN’s inability to act against the crisis, particularly after the US single-handedly vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have cleared the way for full membership and recognition for Palestine, has raised questions about its efficacy and legitimacy like never before.

As a founding member and one of the UN’s top 20 budget contributors, Türkiye says change is long overdue.

‘The world is bigger than five’

Türkiye has been a leading voice in calling for comprehensive reforms at the UN, advocating for a democratic, transparent, and inclusive global system that challenges the entrenched power of the few. It wants a system that effectively addresses global issues with justice and accountability.

To achieve this, more countries must have a meaningful voice at the UN.

Central to this push for reform is a demand for changes to the UNSC, which President Erdogan has famously criticised with the slogan “The world is bigger than five.”

Türkiye argues that the current structure of the UNSC, which places veto power in the hands of its five permanent members–the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia–limits the council’s ability to address international crises equitably.

“Under the status quo, the international community and the international system are dominated by the perspectives, interests and decisions of the five permanent members,” and thus cannot produce a fair outcome, Oztop tells TRT World.

The five permanent nations can block any resolution, often at the expense of global justice.

The result is deadlocks that often leave pressing issues unresolved, especially when permanent members have competing interests.

This inherent paralysis has prevented the UN from ensuring security, protecting human rights, upholding international law, providing humanitarian assistance and facilitating solidarity.

Ankara has called for the veto power to be abolished or further limited, with the inclusion of underrepresented actors in the decision process.

“In a system where France is a permanent member, why can’t Türkiye, Germany, India, Japan, Brazil, or South Africa be in a similar position?” Oztop asks, stressing that there have been significant shifts in the global balance of power in the 79 years since the UN was established.

Türkiye is also critical of the selective approach that Western powers display in addressing global conflicts. It has called for a more consistent and principled approach to applying international law, where all nations are held to the same standards.

This critique centres on how Western powers were quick to condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine but continue even today to support Israel despite mounting evidence of its atrocities in Gaza, including war crimes and actions that amount to genocide.

In his book A Fairer World Is Possible, President Erdogan emphasises the need for a system “where the right is strong, rather than the strong is right.”

However, achieving these reforms requires overcoming significant challenges in an increasingly polarised world marked by xenophobia and discrimination.

Türkiye has urged international bodies, especially the UN, to develop mechanisms that effectively promote dialogue and understanding.

Beyond the UN

Türkiye’s broader vision extends beyond reforming the UN.

Ankara maintains that the current world order disproportionately favours developed countries, often marginalising developing and underdeveloped nations, drawing attention to the need for reforms to global financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

It argues that international financial institutions and multilateral development banks should adopt policies that better serve developing and least-developed countries, closing the gap between rich and poor nations.

Türkiye also advocates for alternative financial mechanisms to reduce dependency on Western-dominated financial systems, promoting a more balanced and resilient global economic order where nations have greater control over their economic policies.

However, experts say the path to reform is fraught with challenges.

A major challenge that obstructs the change is that the current system is “being reformed with the approval or support of its founders and rulers,” Oztop warns.

“Actors who want to preserve the existing system will want to shape the process of change according to their own interests. Those who want to bring about change must signal that the current system does not have to be the only option.”