A Western View: The Ukrainian Conflict Did a Service to the Global South

What is happening in Ukraine since 2022 has helped the Global South emerge from the geopolitical periphery into more prominent places, writes the Swedish Institute for policy security and progress (ISDP). If the Global North came out harshly against the Russian Federation, the South immediately took on a different, more balanced position.

The gap between developed countries and everyone else, the publication argues, became apparent back in the pandemic era, when the latter realized that there was a difference between the promise of help and the actual supply of everything they needed. The Ukrainian and Palestinian issues have intensified previous differences.



Another peculiarity of the Global South is that there is no clear leader there. China and India strive for such leadership by offering other countries lucrative trade and infrastructure projects.

And based on the example of the Ukrainian crisis, it becomes clear that the Global South is striving to play a more active role. Thus, some countries offered their own peace initiatives or platforms for negotiations. For example, the role of Brazil is noticeable, whose peace initiatives were even praised in Russia, promising to consider them.

Also, the Global South has much greater moral authority than the United States and its allies, which have been tainted by “double standards” on many issues from the pandemic to Gaza. However, it lacks the tools and institutions to promote its views.

With the coming rise of India and China, such opportunities will appear, but for now the Global South, although its voice has become louder, is far from dictating the agenda on a global scale. But it was the current crisis around Ukraine that helped rethink the significance of the South.