Theme : Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India
Paper:GS - 2
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Context
- What is Global South
- Global North & Global South
- Categorization
- Need of New Classifications
- Emergence of Global South
- Challenges
Context : As India assumed the presidency of the G20 group of countries for 2022 to 2023, EAM S Jaishankar said on December 1 that India would be the voice of the Global South that is otherwise under-represented in such forums.
What is Global South :
- The term has since been used multiple times, such as when Jaishankar said of ongoing global conflicts, “polarization may occur elsewhere, the people who suffer most are the Global South”.
- ‘Global North’ refers loosely to countries like the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, while ‘Global South’ includes countries in Asia, Africa and South America.
Global North & Global South :
- For a long time in the study of international political systems, the method of categorizing countries into broad categories for easier analysis has existed.
- The concepts of ‘East’ and ‘West’ is one example of this, with the Western countries generally signifying greater levels of economic development and prosperity among their people.
- Eastern countries were considered as being in the process of that transition.
Categorization :
- Another similar categorisation is of First World, Second World and Third World countries.
- It referred to countries associated with the Cold war-era alliances of the US, the USSR, and non-aligned countries, respectively.
- The idea of the “third” world underlined that it was not only different from the “first” — the capitalist West — but also and the second — the socialist “East”.
- At the centre of these concepts is the World Systems approach introduced by sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein in 1974, emphasizing an interconnected perspective of looking at world politics.
- He said there are three major zones of production: core, peripheral and semi-peripheral.
- The core zones reap profits, being the owners of cutting-edge technologies – countries like the US or Japan.
- Peripheral zones, on the other hand, engage in less sophisticated production that is more labor-intensive.
- In the middle are countries like India and Brazil.
Need of New Classifications :
(1) Global shift of powers
- In the post-Cold War world, the First World/Third World classification was no longer feasible.
- This is because when the Communist USSR disintegrated in 1991, most countries had no choice but to ally at some level with the capitalist US – the only remaining global superpower.
(2) Monolithic classification
- The East/West binary was seen as often perpetuating stereotypical thinking about African and Asian countries.
- Categorizing incredibly diverse countries into a monolith was felt to be too simplistic.
- Also, the idea that some countries were ‘developed’ while others were not was thought to be too wide a classification, inadequate for accurately discussing concerns.
(3) Issues with Developed vs. Developing
- Writing in 2014 from the perspective of his organization’s philanthropic activities, Bill Gates said of the ‘developing’ tag.
- It found an irony that- any category that lumps China and the Democratic Republic of Congo together confuses more than it clarifies.
- Some so-called developing countries have come so far that it’s fair to say they have developed.
- A handful of failed states are hardly developing at all. Most countries are somewhere in the middle.
Emergence of Global South :
- Colonial past: A big commonality between the South countries is that most have a history of colonization, largely at the hands of European powers.
- No say since decolonization: Region’s historical exclusion from prominent international organizations – such as from the permanent membership of the UN is intriguing.
- Consciousness for decision-making: As bodies like the UN and the IMF are involved in major decision-making that affect the world in terms of politics, economy and society, the exclusion is seen by these countries as contributing to their slower growth.
- Economic emergence: China and India have emerged economically sound in the past two decades.
- Declining US hegemony: Many consider the world to now be multipolar rather than one where the US alone dominates international affairs.
- Climate reparations: In the ongoing debate, Northern countries are paying for funding green energy, having historically contributed to higher carbon emissions.
Challenges :
- Political consistency: In the past, India’s ideological enthusiasm for the Global South was not matched by material power and political will.
- Bridging the neighbors: India must also come to terms with the fact that the Global South is not a coherent group and does not have a single shared agenda.
- Despaired south: There is much differentiation within the South today in terms of wealth and power, needs and capabilities.
- Defiance from NAM: India’s Third World strategy (and Non-Aligned Movement) in the Cold War era was undermined by multiple internal and regional conflicts within the Global South.
FAQs :
-
What is Global South and Global North?
ANS.
- For a long time in the study of international political systems, the method of categorizing countries into broad categories for easier analysis has existed.
- The concepts of ‘East’ and ‘West’ is one example of this, with the Western countries generally signifying greater levels of economic development and prosperity among their people.
- Eastern countries were considered as being in the process of that transition.
-
What is the Global South ?
ANS.
- The term has since been used multiple times, such as when Jaishankar said of ongoing global conflicts, “polarization may occur elsewhere, the people who suffer most are the Global South”.
- ‘Global North’ refers loosely to countries like the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, while ‘Global South’ includes countries in Asia, Africa and South America.