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The Russian-Ukrainian war and the Israeli-Gaza war have once again intensified the strategic interest conflicts between the “Southern World” and the “Northern World”. Although the term “Global South” seems to be a reinvention of the concept of “non-alignment” that prevailed during the Cold War, it represents the group of countries that are unwilling to join the Western camp led by the United States, nor the Eastern camp led by the former Soviet Union.
In an analysis published in the US magazine The National Interest, Dr. Scott McDonald, chief economist of the Smith Center and fellow at the Caribbean Policy Alliance, and George Friol, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the term “Global South” refers to an important group of countries in the world that seeks to find an independent path between the Western camp led by the United States and the camp of authoritarian countries centered on Russia and China.
The concept of the Global South in its broadest sense offers an alternative to choosing either side while allowing its countries to retain all economic options. Brazilian President Lula da Silva is considered a clear spokesperson for the countries of the Global South in Latin America and the Caribbean. Examples include Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. Although the Global South remains a loose theoretical framework and lacks institutional presence, it is permeating the foreign policies of Caribbean and Latin American countries. Therefore, Washington needs to better understand this trend. Whoever will take office as US President on January 20 after the presidential election scheduled for November next year.
In fact, the term “Global South” is both useful and controversial. Jorge Heine, former Chilean ambassador to China, offers one possible definition. He notes that it is a group of “countries that often suffered under the colonial imperialist system,” given the imbalance in relations between many countries of the South and the North during that era. Colonial empires and the Cold War; no wonder today we see many countries unwilling to align themselves with any one superpower.
Most countries of the South seek a certain degree of independence and flexibility in dealing with global strategic power centers such as Washington, Beijing and Moscow. At the same time, the concept of the Global South must be balanced with the BRICS group of countries, which was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. China is trying to give the group Chinese characteristics, supporting the abandonment of the use of the US dollar in international trade transactions, the establishment of a development bank for the group, and calling for a multipolar global system. Recently, a new group of countries was included in the BRICS group. But Argentina was denied membership in the BRICS group after the election of right-wing President Javier Mele.
Analysts Scott McDonald and Jorges Friol note that Argentina’s exit from the BRICS group highlights the challenges of building a common platform for the Global South in Latin America and the Caribbean. The first signs of the Global South trend were led by Brazilian President Lula, who expressed his global ambitions; including seeking peace between Russia and Ukraine, calling for South American unity, and fighting climate change. Food security is considered Lula’s most powerful card in leading the Southern Hemisphere, as his country is considered one of the world’s largest producers of soybeans, meat, coffee, and sugar. At the same time, other major Southern countries, such as Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and many developing economies, rely heavily on Brazilian agricultural exports to meet the important food needs of their people.
Israel’s war in Gaza is seen as a major issue in efforts to unify South American countries. Argentina supports Israel and its President Milley visited Tel Aviv in February last year and announced the relocation of the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem, a move that angered many Arab countries but also brought Argentina closer to the United States. Brazil’s relations with Argentina also became more strained after Argentina refused to join the BRICS.
In stark contrast to Argentina’s position, Brazil chose to support South Africa in its lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and subsequently withdrew its ambassador to Israel in May last year. He also compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews during World War II and summoned the Israeli ambassador to Tel Aviv. Colombian President Petro decided to sever diplomatic relations with Israel and stop exporting charcoal to Israel until Israel stops the massacre in Gaza. Belize and Bolivia also severed relations with Israel, and Chile and Honduras recalled their ambassadors.
Analysts McDonald and Friol say the US approach to these developments is not based on concerns about the emerging consensus in Latin America on the concept of the “Global South”, but rather on the impact on the US-led “New Cold War”. China relies on its effectively used economic diplomacy to attract developing and emerging countries… To describe; China is the main trading partner of many Latin American countries such as Brazil, Chile, Peru. It is also a source of foreign investment and a major driver of infrastructure projects in these countries. Beijing sells itself to countries as a mutually beneficial option. China’s view is that the US’s power is declining and it can no longer “prevent the continent (South America) from seeking independence and development based on its national special interests”.
Regardless of political confrontations, U.S. policymakers must work to reconcile growing internal divisions with national interests abroad. Moreover, ongoing international conflicts, such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, have heightened tensions with China and intensified geopolitical and geoeconomic competition between Beijing and Washington in Latin America and Africa. To maintain this order, the United States and its Northern Hemisphere allies must convince Southern Hemisphere countries that working with liberal forces is more viable than siding with authoritarian regimes that have failed to deliver development, such as Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea.
Finally, the United States’ failure to acknowledge the rise of the Global South in Latin America, no matter how novel the term may currently be, risks bringing the region under the control of Beijing and Moscow.
Posts Ignoring the American face "Global South" First appeared in Hespress – Hespress is a Moroccan electronic newspaper.
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