A new report from Policy Exchange, “The Myth of the ‘Global South’: A Flawed Foreign Policy Construct”, argues that the concept of the ‘Global South’ is a misleading and strategically flawed framework that does not accurately reflect contemporary geopolitical and economic realities. The report critiques the use of this term, asserting that it is more of a rhetorical device than a meaningful analytical category, often exploited by authoritarian powers like China and Russia to weaken the West and its institutions.
Published by Policy Exchange, the report examines how the ‘Global South’ narrative has been weaponized to attack liberal democracies, undermine free markets, and reshape global governance in ways that favor non-Western autocracies. It highlights how China, in particular, has strategically reframed its engagement with developing nations under the ‘Global South’ banner, especially as its financial influence through development projects has waned. By invoking historical grievances and anti-Western sentiment, China aims to maintain its geopolitical influence despite growing dissatisfaction with its development finance practices.
Moreover, the report challenges the assumption that countries in the so-called ‘Global South’ share a common political or economic identity. It emphasizes the economic fragmentation among these nations, pointing out that many developing economies have vastly different trajectories, strategic interests, and alignments. The idea of a unified bloc, it argues, is an artificial construct that distorts international policymaking.
Finally, The Myth of the Global South calls for Western policymakers to move beyond this outdated framework and engage with individual states based on their unique strategic and economic interests, rather than through the lens of a collective ‘Global South’ identity.
