The former President of the European Commission, Professor Jose Manuel Barroso once observed; “in the age of globalisation, pooled sovereignty means more power, not less.” There was a time when Africa recorded a growth in globalisation. But that time was many centuries ago. Societies have been organised in various ways, most of which have been classified depending on the politics of the day. So were the Empires of the times. Kingdoms, Queendoms, Chiefdoms, and extended clans that followed.
Globalisation comes from the understanding that it needs to be done with neighbours, because as far as history has registered, borders and boundaries were established from many factors. What remained certain were the people. They have been the most plausible justification as to why the trend should never stop. The people of the global south today have understood that there is an international lag in the intentional relations with the other global north countries. Oftentimes, it has been using the global south for selfish gains. Here, one can even argue that West Africa has all justification for suspending French military presence. Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and more on that list. That said, if critically analysed, the global north has been strategic besides its countless faults. The European Union, the confederation of the USA, the rise of the Asian Tigers, all these and more were from the same view – harnessing the power of concerted strength.
There is a reason as to why today, the global south has become a centre of attraction. From the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, to political alliances, the global south is undeniable. On the other hand, China has been standing shoulder to shoulder with almost all global south countries. Today, as Beijing doubles down efforts to support building a community of a shared future for mankind, her close cooperation with developing countries especially in Africa are visible. For Africa, the greatest symbolism of what bloc unity can produce became a reality when the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2017 spoke in union and forced then the Gambian strongman, Yahya Jammeh who had lost election but refused to peacefully handover power. Therefore, when we talk about unity in efforts of development and achieving greater good for humanity, it is not far-fetched.
China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi put this in a better perspective as he addressed the press in Beijing where he stressed the importance of unity and cooperation of the Global South. Noting that today the Global South accounts for over 40 percent of the global GDP, he underscored the role of the grouping in ensuring world peace. “The Global South should stand together in unity….We should speak in one voice to the world, safeguard our common interests, and steadily increase our representation and voice in global governance,” stressed Wang Yi.
This comes from the disunity today that is being cited globally. Whereas the Global South has issues, most of them are arising from the inadequacies in governance. Wang’s idea has been backboned by the expansion of the BRICS where he believes that more global south countries joining will not only strengthen the alliance but also increase the opportunities members enjoy, one being the trade exchanges in this era of growing sanctions and tariffs from the West especially in Trump’s United States of America which is on rampage of using tariffs against others despite many experts warning that such tariffs are not only a threat to international trade but are also against international trade rules. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal described the Trump Administration’s use of tariffs as a “dumb” decision.
It therefore goes to show the double standards that have always shown up and called out. The West is predominantly only loyal to its interests. To expand the re-echo by Jeffrey Sachs on a quote from Henry Kissinger that “to be an enemy of America (insert – WEST) can be dangerous, but to be America’s (insert – WEST’s) friend is fatal.”
In recent decades, conversations have been around fighting hegemonies and to form an alternative to the powers of neo-colonialism that are not afraid to show their fangs whenever an opportunity shows itself. The comments from Wang are timely. The global south has high potential but for a few inadequacies. It is going to take visionary stewards towards ensuring realising the unity that the Global South deserves, and not just what it wants to see.
Today, the expanse of mineral deposits and natural resources that the West enjoyed is gradually diminishing, and as such the Global South holds the odds of power. The current century has proved that it is not just military might that is going to be the better of growth and development. Today’s fruits of international diplomacy were not merely achieved through the barrel of the gun, but decades of continuous middle ground formulation and genuine resource sharing, although history is littered with events of use of force. That is no longer sustainable because the world has learnt from the mistakes that led to the massive destruction of World War II. The alternatives raised by the BRICS are so practical and viable. The economic development of the Global South that has been recorded today is just an indicator of what economic unity bears as fruits.
Alan Collins Mpewo is a Senior Research Fellow, Development Watch Centre.
