Why is the ‘Global South’ struggling?

Economic and political relations make the world go round. Without them, conflicts would disrupt the way we live and the way we do business with each other. For almost 100 years, our world was polarised between two main blocks; one dominated by the United States and the European Union in the Western hemisphere and the other by Russia and China in Eastern hemisphere.

In the middle, charismatic post-independence leaders of India, Indonesia, former Yugoslavia, and Egypt established a third way - The Non-Aligned Movement or NAM for short and invited nations aspiring for neutrality.

This third utopian dream of neutrality came to an end, violently, under the weight of subversion and polarisation between the blocks that control the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Today, a new voice is emerging on the world stage, trying to be heard in global meetings whether on food, conflicts, or climate affairs.

We have seen a few timid attempts for Global South advocates to make their voices heard, in forums such as BRICS and even OPEC+, with no success predictability or sustainability.

How can this new emerging voice avoid the fate of NAM?

There are three main challenges, political, economic, and cultural that the Global South must overcome to become the answer for a global win-win situation.

There is no one international community.

There are the UNSC members who can do whatever they please in their relations with the rest of the world, then there is the rest of the world.

This means that the new Global South alliance will face sabotage by the traditional players by hard power.

By controlling both, the global arms trade, and all financial transactions traditional powers, especially in the West, impose crippling sanctions on countries around the world in a way that will make unity between nations on the Global South a political liability more than an asset.

The world’s biggest trading blocks are in the West and East and they make their own rules and standards in favour of their own markets.

Whether its America first rules, EU taxes and GDPR, or even China marker rules protectionism makes it harder for smaller players to penetrate markets in a way that will make them grow and prosper.

Recently, the US has unilaterally pulled out of international political and climate agreements as it pleases weathering away trust in agreements signed by the world’s superpowers.

“The defeated is always fund of imitating the victor,” said one of the most influential thinkers Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406 AD).

Fast food, Hollywood and gaming keeps creating soft power for nations that emerged as victorious in the post WWII era.

This has led to a false assumption that global superpowers are the winners that deserve making the rules and taking all, while the weaker nations should be content with the crumbs.

The Global South is a noble concept where nations can speak with one voice, beyond geography, calling for justice for all.

For this emerging alliance to succeed members must be disciplined in adopting a roadmap where they can build stronger political, economic, and cultural foundations that ensure the sustainability and win-win situation for everyone on earth.