Opinion | Global South shows it’s ready to challenge unfair US-led world order

At the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Netanyahu’s invocation emerged as evidence in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Ruling on the case last month, the United Nations’ highest judiciary body did not call for a ceasefire, but instead ordered Israel to take measures preventing any acts of genocide.
Following the US air strikes in Iraq and Syria, in retaliation for the loss of three American soldiers in Jordan, the Gaza crisis is in danger of escalating into a wider regional conflict.

Though South Africa failed to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, its case against Israel at The Hague is a pivotal moment with broad significance: it signals the readiness of the Global South to challenge the existing Western-dominated international order that it perceives as unfair.

In January, the Group of 77 developing countries, including China, gathered in Uganda to advocate for reform of the global governance system that they say must better mirror the realities of today’s world. Addressing the summit, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres remarked that the current international system is “out of date, out of time, and out of step, reflecting a bygone age when many of your countries were colonised”.

Also at the summit, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni urged his fellow leaders from the developing world to “work collectively to ensure that we achieve an international economic order that is just and equitable”.

The G77 push for change reflects the continued trajectory initiated by China’s ascent, fostering social-economic uplift in the Global South, and progressively shifting the global economic centre of gravity away from the West.

The Gaza crisis, especially the South African case against Israel, represents another significant reconfiguration in the geopolitical sphere – namely, the gradual displacement of the presumed stature of the US as the central custodian of global peace.

South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor (left) and South African ambassador to the Netherlands Vusi Madonsela chat in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 26, the day the International Court of Justice ruled on emergency measures against Israel following accusations by South Africa that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is state-led genocide. Photo: Reuters

The roles of Kampala and Pretoria highlight two distinct aspects in the ongoing reconfiguration of the world order. While China is often portrayed as the primary instigator, the G77 summit and South Africa’s advocacy in the ICJ reveal that other nations are equally eager to reshape the US-led order.

Interestingly, there exists a de facto division of labour, with China spearheading the economic transformation while countries like Uganda and South Africa strive to bring about a fairer and more just global governance system.

America is not passively accepting these reconfigurations, however. In response to its relative decline in the economic domain, the US is waging an extensive trade and technology war to contain China’s rise.

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In the geopolitical sphere, notwithstanding a foreign policy tainted by moral ambiguity, President Joe Biden still upholds the perception of America as a force for good. Similarly, the Republican Party, especially its religious right-wing, maintains a steadfast conviction in the US’ manifest destiny as a “city upon a hill”.

That said, should Donald Trump return to power, he would be less inclined to grandstand morally. Instead, he is more likely to pursue his MAGA vision with an amoral zeal.

Why Trump’s return may not be all bad for a world on the brink

Without question, the US maintains military superiority even amid a decline in its economic and geopolitical standing. Following the setbacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, Washington has become more hesitant to deploy ground troops. Still, the US military retains the capacity to inflict substantial damage through proxy wars and remote bombing missions, as demonstrated by the ongoing air strikes against Iran-backed militias.

Biden’s military response to the escalating Middle East crisis shows that, despite its diminishing soft power, the US remains determined to utilise its hard power to sustain global dominance.

US President Joe Biden watches as US soldiers move the remains of one of the three US service members killed in a drone attack on an American base in Jordan, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, on February 2. Photo: EPA-EFE

The former Harvard Kennedy School dean Joseph Nye, who popularised the term “soft power” in the late 1980s, recently drew a parallel between the campus unrest over Harvard’s response to the Gaza war and the protests during the Vietnam era in the late 1960s. However, Nye said that the campus violence he experienced during the Vietnam war was worse.

Nonetheless, in Gaza, the horrific violence inflicted on the Palestinian people continues. According to experts, the relentless Israeli bombardments of the Gaza strip now rank among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. And as the US continues its retaliatory strikes in the Middle East, there is grave concern that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is expanding into a broader regional war.

The ICJ ruling did not halt the bloodshed in Gaza but the global community must continue to support South Africa’s efforts to hold Israel accountable for the atrocities committed against Palestinians. On a broader scale, countries of the Global South must leverage the G77 momentum and persevere in transforming the prevailing Western-centric world order into a more equitable one, all achieved through peaceful means.

Peter T.C. Chang is a research associate at the Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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