Global South: how Israel-Gaza war and Western reaction are shaping role and ambition of this diverse group of countries

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

Last week, Israel and Hamas announced a deal allowing dozens of hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners to be freed, while offering besieged Gaza residents a four-day truce after weeks of all-out war. Three exchanges had been made by Sunday.

The agreement followed reports of humanitarian aid groups, hospitals and refugee camps being targeted and bombarded. Growing humanitarian concerns over Israeli advances in Gaza ramped up concerns in the Global South.

For these developing countries, the Israel-Gaza war has become a rare occasion to share a common voice that challenges the foreign policy of the United States and some Western powers.

Despite having common ground on the conflict, analysts say the Global South – the loosely defined band of postcolonial and developing countries that spans Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania – is not likely to act as one because it is a diverse group without defined leadership or structure.

…

It was also difficult for countries of diverse income levels and interests to identify cohesively with the term “Global South”, said Guy Burton, a Brussels-based author and commentator on the Middle East.

Within the Middle East, “it is worth keeping in mind that there are real differences between Arab countries, between those that are high income, and those that are middle and lower income”, Burton said.

But he admitted that a shared identity – “we are different from the West or the North” – had prevailed over the years, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine when the war became a central concern for US and European governments, but not for the Global South.

“But whether this is going to be sufficient to be able to lead to a realignment of global politics and reshaping of global politics is another matter entirely,” he said.

TO READ THE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE.