Why did Gamal Abdel Nasser reject the Baghdad Pact?

Gamal Abdel Nasser rejected the Baghdad Pact—a defensive alliance formed by Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom with United States support—because he was a committed advocate of nonalignment, also known as "positive neutrality".12

The pact was designed to counter the threat of Soviet Union expansion in the Middle East, but Nasser’s refusal to join served as a foundational step in his foreign policy, which prioritized Egyptian independence and eventually paved the way for improved relations with the Soviet bloc. By remaining outside of Western-led military alliances, Nasser sought to maintain Egypt's autonomy and establish himself as a leader of the nonaligned movement on the world stage.12