The post-Cold War U.S.-led order is fracturing under geopolitical rivalries, technological disruptions, and climate stress, as the once-marginalised Global South emerges as a decisive geo-political and geo-economic force in a multipolar world.

About Global South

• Refers: The Global South refers to developing or emerging economies primarily located in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania, often characterised by historical colonisation, economic dependence, and developmental challenges.
• Contrasts: It contrasts with the Global North, comprising industrialised, high-income countries in North America, Europe, and parts of East Asia (Japan, South Korea).
• Historical Context:
  • Cold War Era: The term evolved from the “Third World,” coined by Alfred Sauvy (1952) to describe nations not aligned with NATO or the Soviet Bloc.
  • Post-Colonial Shift: After decolonisation, many newly independent nations sought a collective identity and alternative development path to Western capitalism and Soviet socialism.
  • South–South Solidarity: Led to the formation of platforms like the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) (1961) and G77 (1964) under the UN, to promote economic cooperation and political independence.

India’s Role in the Global South

• Emerging as a Pre-eminent Theorist & Architect: India is not just a participant but a leading voice in shaping the Global South’s vision for a more inclusive and representative global order.
• Strategic Positioning: India plays a central role in multipolarity by balancing relationships with China, Russia, and the West, without succumbing to a binary confrontation.
• Pragmatic Multi-Alignment: India’s foreign policy embraces multi-alignment, prioritizing strategic autonomy while maintaining partnerships with diverse global powers, symbolized by its nuanced stances on issues like Ukraine and Gaza.

Key Geopolitical & Strategic Contexts

• China’s Challenge: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seeks to create Sino-centric supply chains. India counters this with a model of sovereign capacity-building, prioritizing sovereignty and self-reliance for the Global South.
• Russia’s Role: Russia’s alignment with China presents a strategic paradox. India’s dependence on Russia for energy security and defense technology is complicated by Moscow’s increasing ties with Beijing.

India’s Unique Strategic Approach

• India’s “Soft Power 2.0”: India’s leadership focuses on Digital Public Infrastructure, green technology cooperation (e.g., International Solar Alliance), and humanitarian solidarity (e.g., Vaccine Maitri), offering scalable, replicable governance systems for the Global South.
• Shift from Geopolitics to Geo-economics: The new frontier for global influence is in technology standards, digital infrastructure, and supply chains—areas where India is a significant player.

Global South’s Aspirations

• Coalitions like BRICS & ISA: India’s active participation in these coalitions reflects the Global South’s ambition to build a more representative global order. 
  • India’s leadership in the New Development Bank and alternative financial mechanisms challenges the West’s financial dominance.
• G20 Presidency Success: India’s leadership in G20, securing the African Union’s permanent membership, signifies India’s evolving role from a bridge between North and South to a key institutional nexus.

Challenges Facing India’s Leadership

• Diverse Interests within the Global South: India must navigate the divergent interests of petro-states, least-developed nations, and emerging economies.
• Sino-Russian Axis: India faces the challenge of preventing the Sino-Russian axis from co-opting Southern discontent while ensuring its own strategic autonomy.
• Internal Challenges: India must accelerate its economic and technological development to underpin its global leadership. Its domestic progress must be equitable and self-reliant to maintain its normative appeal

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India’s Grand Strategy

• Prevent Binary Confrontation: India seeks to avoid a Cold War-style global order, where the Global South becomes a contested periphery.
• Transforming the Global Order: India aims to create a polycentric world where governance is networked and inclusive, positioning the Global South as the author of history rather than its subject.
• New Grammar of International Relations: India’s leadership is focused on exporting a new international relations grammar, grounded in sovereignty, justice, and inclusive progress.

Conclusion

India’s role in reshaping the Global South’s future is not just geopolitical but institutional. Through Pragmatic Multi-Alignment and innovative statecraft, India seeks to lead the transformation of a fractured global order into a more equitable and inclusive system.

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