5/4/23, 1:55 PM The Many Issues Of The Global South And India's Emergence As Its Voice In Reshaping Global
Reshaping Global Order
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The Many Issues Of The Global South And India's Emergence
As Its Voice In Reshaping Global Order
Nalin Kumar Mohapatra ⋮ 18-23 minutes ⋮ 3/17/2023
The status-quo nature of global geopolitics got disrupted following the outbreak of Covid-19 and the
subsequent Ukraine War that is now in its second year.
These crises not just shook global geopolitics but also paved the way for new challenges to the nature of
global geopolitics. These include supply securitisation of food and energy, technology transfer, energy
transition, and climate change issues and their impact on the global community.
Along with some of these critical issues, the other important challenge in global geopolitics is in the form of
the need for “genuine multilateralism” of the institutions of global governance, which will provide an
equitable voice to all the countries. Some of these issues are giving new sort of challenges as well as
opportunities to the countries of the Global South. Hence, a new narrative for Global South in global
geopolitics is needed. The most interesting aspect of Global South is that it is no more functioning in the
ideological framework of non-alignment where the emphasis was laid on neutrality in the realms of Cold War
politics. Rathher, it is emerging as a cohesive bloc, thus emphasising equity in the decision-making process
at the global level.
Similarly, the membership of Global South countries in the multilateral blocs like the G-20 is giving new
discourses to global geopolitics. However, it needs to be underlined here that the cohesiveness of the
Global South is being disrupted by China, which is trying to promote its geopolitical agenda. This, in turn,
poses a systemic challenge to the epistemological normative framework of the Global South.
The challenges before Global South
Thus the challenges to the Global South are manifold. At the same time, there is a need to critically examine
how to provide critical teething to the framework of the Global South in global geopolitics. Here comes the
role of India, which over the years played a catalytic role in reshaping the vision of the Global South.
Three critical structural elements need to be examined while looking at the geopolitical visions of the Global
South. These are:
1) The great power rivalries impacting the decision-making process at the global level. For instance, the
Ukraine war significantly affected the decision-making process at the recently-concluded G-20 Foreign
Ministers’ Summit
2) The second issue is the need to carry out a reform in the multilateral decision-making processes.
3) The third issue which requires attention is the need to reinterpret normative idioms in global politics.
The Global North is continuing its hegemonic practice of imposing normative idioms, thus disrupting the
functioning and cohesiveness of the Global South. A good example is the lack of consensus between Global
North and Global South over the question of democracy, Responsibility to Protect, and agenda for climate
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5/4/23, 1:55 PM The Many Issues Of The Global South And India's Emergence As Its Voice In Reshaping Global Order
governance. What is needed is the need to evolve a consensus over some of these issues, which to a great
extent, democratises the nature of international relations.
The two most significant factors that disrupted the nature of international relations are the Covid-19
pandemic and the ongoing Ukraine War. While the pandemic disrupted the supply chain of vaccines and
caused a challenge to the global community and the present, the Ukraine War is posing a challenge to the
supplies of food, fertilizer, and energy. In both cases, the Global South is at the receiving end of the
problems.
A November 2022 FAO study titled Responding to the Ukrainian Crisis: Leveraging Social Protection for
Food Security and Nutrition stated: “If the conflict persists, the global number of undernourished people
could increase by 8 to 13 million people in 2022/23, with the most pronounced increases taking place in
Asia-Pacific, followed sub-Saharan Africa, and the Near East and North Africa.”
This demonstrates that the countries of the Global South are the most vulnerable to Ukraine crisis. Along
with the food crisis, the rise in energy costs and fertilizer prices also pose a substantial challenge to the
Global South. Hence there is a need to relook at how essential commodities can reach the Global South
and there is a need for securitisation of the supply chain for the Global South is paramount.
Need for equitable global energy order
Along with the need to securitize food, fertilizers, and vaccines, what Global South requires more urgently is
an adequate energy supply at an affordable price. The Ukraine war proved how the rise in prices disrupts
the energy supply to the Global South. This is happening because European countries are purchasing
energy from the world market to tide over supply disruption from Russia, hence there is a natural spike in
energy prices.
In 2022, the price of a barrel of oil crossed over $100, resulting in the hardest hit countries being from the
Global South. The depletion of energy supply to the Global South countries affects other sectors of the
economy. In this context, there is a need to ensure an adequate and uninterrupted supply of energy to the
Global South, as analysts are of the opinion that Ukraine War is showing no sign of ending and the crisis for
energy will continue further in 2023. This may aggravate the woes of the Global South in terms of access to
energy. Hence, there is a need to reframe a new form of energy security agreement globally where energy
flow can be ensured uninterruptedly.
The second most important problem confronting the Global South in the context of energy security is
ensuring a sustainable energy transition. Since energy transition is a costly affair involving technology and
finance, the countries of the Global South are the hardest hit in this regard. The Global South is facing a
difficult situation in this regard. The need of the hour is to ensure a sustainable energy transition which can
bring overall socio-economic development to the countries of the Global South. At the same time, mitigating
the adversarial effect of climate change and limiting the rise in temperature to 1.5 degree celsius as
envisaged by Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) requires adopting urgent measures.
It is a fact that the countries of the Global South are facing the adversarial consequences of climate change
largely due to the historical polluters of the Global North. Hence there is a need to look at the process of
climate change repercussions on the Global South from a broader perspective. The focal point of analysis
for the Global South is to reduce the societal vulnerability primarily due to the lack of access to energy
security and disrupting climate change. This aspect needs a critical look from a Global South perspective.
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Reformed multilateral institutionalism and Global South
Another critical issue that needs greater attention from the Global South's perspective is the need to reform
the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) along with other multilateral bodies to ensure equitable
representation from the Global South.
The need to reform multilateral bodies arises because of new challenges emerging from different parts of
the world. The countries of the Global South have new aspirations and challenges. In this context, the
Global South perspective has assumed importance. A classic case is a need to need to reform UNSC by
giving representation to rising powers like India, Japan, South Africa, and Brazil. Thus broadening the
membership of the UNSC is an important step towards democratising international relations. The crisis of
multilateralism came to the fore when the Covid-19 Pandemic struck the global community.
Similarly, the digitalisation of the global economy also offers new challenges to the Global South. The
protectionist measures the Global North is pursuing despite the coming up of the World Trade Organization
(WTO) is also a cause of concern for the Global South. In this regard, the existing multilateral institutions
like the G-77 and G-20, where the Global South countries have fair representation, need to be revitalised to
address global issues more democratically.
The concern of global multilateral bodies is to ensure equity in the global decision-making process rather
than being hostage to the whims of the Global North. The impetus that the Global South movement got from
the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and its policy of “positive neutrality” needs to be recrafted to ensure a
better bargaining strategy with the Global North in the conduct of international negotiation. Thus, the core
goals of the global multilateral negotiation process should be aimed at ensuring equity and democratizing
the decision-making process in the conduct of international relations.
Need for an alternative approach to global normative order
Another contentious issue that the Global South is confronting with in the global arena is the dialectic
approach to normative issues like democracy, human rights, and the Responsibility to Protect. In this
context, it can be observed that the Global North uses these normative idioms as a matrix to ensure its
dominance over the Global South.
It has been observed that though there are certain common principles which can be the basis of democracy
but the usage of “democracy promotion” by the Global North has been a geopolitical tool. The same can be
evident from the Colour Revolution which shook the countries of the post-Soviet space along with the Arab
Spring in West Asia and North Africa. As studies suggest in both cases, Western-sponsored NGOs having
ulterior goals played a pivotal role in ousting existing political elites. What one observes is political chaos in
these geopolitical spaces. This paves the way for subsequent external intervention.
In this regard, one can highlight that one of the causes of Ukraine War can be traced back to the pro-
Western regime change in 2004 and the subsequent political chaos, including the Crimean crisis of 2014.
Hence the notion of democracy though has a universal appeal but has to be contextualised in socio-cultural
and historical processes. The Global North’s double standard in promoting and practicing democratic values
has been subject to criticism. Like the concept of democracy, there is a need to look at the concepts of
Human Rights and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P).
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Along with democracy, these two normative terms are viewed quite skeptically in the Global South. It has
been observed that using R2P as a pretext, the Global North intervenes in different countries to achieve its
narrower geopolitical goal. The Libyan crisis, along with the recent Ukrainian crisis, is a classic example of
this. The preponderance of the Western Liberal order in world politics and the subsequent weakening of the
United Nations in the decision-making domain has given primacy to R2P. Hence, reinterpreting the notion of
R2P instead of looking at it from narrower Western prisms is the need of the hour.
The complexity of global geopolitics, along with the lack of consensus on normative norms at the global
level, calls for dialogue between Global North and Global South. This can be a step towards bringing out
resiliency in global geopolitics. In this regard, India can play a significant role in evolving consensus and
acting as a bridge between the two blocs.
India’s approach to Global South
India’s rich history as the leader of the Non-Aligned Movement and its economic and geopolitical clout in
global politics are propelling New Delhi to play a greater role in global geopolitics. Assuming the position of
G-20 Presidency in 2022-23 is a testimony to this.
At the same time, being the leader of the Global South, India provides a voice to the Global South
Movement. Whether on the question of climate change, energy transition, taking a stand on normative
issues or protecting the Global South's interest, India played a proactive role in international forums over the
years. The rise of India, as both scholars and policymakers argue, “disrupted” the status-quo nature of
international relations, especially in the aftermath of the post-1991. By giving voice to the Global South
countries, India helped in bringing out an alternative narrative to global geopolitics.
In this context, India is the forerunner in global and sustainable energy transitions. At various climate
Summits, India resisted the onslaught from the Global North and protected the interest of the Global South
be it on the question of climate financing, limiting the emission norms, or highlighting the Global North’s
responsibility as the historical polluter.
The issue of ensuring equity and climate justice along with access to technology, to also democratising
energy governance in the global arena, have been some of the core concerns of India over the years. In this
regard, it is worth highlighting that India has been the key player in the global energy transition discourses
over the years. Some of the significant contributions to the arena of energy transition framework are
International Solar Alliance and the push to hydrogen-based fuel. Over the years, India provided technical
assistance to the countries of the Global South in harnessing solar energy and hydrogen-based fuel.
India’s approach to global energy security as well as energy transition was aptly highlighted by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi at the G-20 Summit in Bali in November 2022 where he underlined the need for
“stability in the energy market”. He further highlighted the need for “time-bound and affordable finance and
sustainable supply of technology to developing countries is essential for inclusive energy transition”. The
observation is aptly relevant for Global South as it is confronting multiple challenges in the context of the
energy transition.
Similarly, India’s approach to democratising international relations and reforming the United Nations has
been consistent with the demand of the Global South over the years. Reforming the United Nations and
broadening the UN Security Council’s permanent membership are some of the constant demands India has
raised over the years.
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India’s approach to reforming United Nations and democratising multilateralism was outlined in Norms: New
Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System, a policy paper published by the Ministry of External Affairs in
2022. The paper outlined the need to reform multilateral forums and stated that reformed multilateralism “is
a must for the post-Covid-19 era”. The same paper further outlined five key pillars of India’s approach to
reform the multilateral forums. These pillars are "(1) Samman (Respect); (2) Sambvad (Dialogue); (3)
Sahyog (Cooperation); (4) Shanti (Peace) (5) Samriddhi (Prosperity)."
Some of these policy prescriptions outlined by India to reform the multilateral forums are in sync with the
ethos which the Global South Movement consistently advocates. Democratising the international
institutions, as well as the five pillars of democracy as enunciated in the above-mentioned policy paper,
reflects in the normative ethos of G-20 under India’s presidency. The mottos of G-20, which India is
chairing, is based on “One Earth, One Family, One Future” — rooted in the Indian ethos of “vasudhaiva
kutumbakam”— and “Sustainable Peace”. Hence India’s approach provides a guiding light to the Global
South movement.
Similarly, on normative issues like democracy and human rights, as well as on the subject of R2P, India
consistently espouses a position which provides an alternative narrative to the existing Global North’s
approach. India’s perspective on democracy will address the crisis the Global South countries are
confronting over the years at the hands of Global North.
India is the largest and oldest democracy in the world, often called the “mother of democracy”. The tradition
of Sabha and Samiti as part of the ancient Panchayat System of governance is an apt reflection of the
democratic traditions of India rooted in history. As part of democracy promotion activities, India over the
years has been providing technical assistance to countries of the Global South for conducting successful
elections.
Similarly, India rejects the imposition of democracy from above as the Euro-Atlantic system pursues. On the
other hand, India strongly emphasizes the socio, economic-cultural context, and institutional dimensions in
the functioning of democracy. As Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar stated: “As a full-blooded
member of the Global South, as a system that intersects so much with the West and as a polity with a
flavour that is uniquely its own, India's trajectory will surely influence the global journey.”
Jaishankar’s statement is an apt reflection of the true spirit of India’s democracy and its relevance for the
Global South. Similarly, India strongly opposes the concept of R2P. It has been argued that over the years,
R2P has been a tool the Euro-Atlantic powers employ to ensure their hegemonic control over Global South.
In this regard, it can be stated that India rejects intervention in the domestic affairs of a country by external
powers in the name of promoting human rights. India’s principled position about the R2P was highlighted by
Syed Akbaruddin, the former Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He said, “We believe that
the protection of civilians is primarily a national responsibility. Hence, contribution to national capacity-
building rather than intervention mechanisms should be the priority.”
From the Syrian crisis to the current Ukrainian crisis, India supported the policy of non-intervention in
domestic affairs of a country by external powers. India consistently advocates that the Ukrainian crisis can
be resolved through dialogue between Russia and Ukraine rather than through third-party intervention.
Global South is currently facing a major identity crisis. The crisis mainly emanates from historical
experiences, Cold War legacies, and issues relating to supply chain securitisation. The post-Covid world
order and the Ukraine war further aggravated the problem for Global South.
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Conclusion
The Global South is facing issues like energy and food crises and the impact of the recession on the global
economy. Elucidating India’s approach to the Global South, Prime Minister Modi in his address to the
opening session of Voice of Global South Summit 2023 said, “India has always shared its developmental
experience with our brothers of the Global South…People of Global South should no longer be excluded
from the fruits of development. Together we must attempt to redesign global political and financial
governance. This can remove inequities, enlarge opportunities, support growth and spread progress and
prosperity.”
In this context, India can provide the necessary leadership to the Global South and a new narrative to global
geopolitics. This can certainly add new momentum to the existing global order.
(Nalin Kumar Mohapatra is Assistant Professor at Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies,
School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. The views expressed are personal to
the author.)
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