Read Time: 8 minutes
By Krishen Mehta
In October 2022, about eight months after the war in Ukraine started, the University of Cambridge in the UK harmonized surveys conducted in 137 countries about their attitudes towards the West and towards Russia and China.
The findings in the study, while not free of a margin of error, are robust enough to take seriously.
These are:
- For the 6.3 billion people who live outside of the West, 66 percent feel positively towards Russia and 70 percent feel positively towards China, and,
- Among the 66 percent who feel positively about Russia the breakdown is 75 percent in South Asia, 68 percent in Francophone Africa, and 62 percent in Southeast Asia.
- Public opinion of Russia remains positive in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam.
Sentiments of this nature have caused some ire, surprise, and even anger in the West. It is difficult for them to believe that two-thirds of the world’s population is not siding with the West.
What are some of the reasons or causes for this? I believe there are five reasons as explained in this brief essay.
1. The Global South does not believe that the West understands or empathizes with their problems.
India’s foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, summed it up succinctly in a recent interview: “Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.” He is referring to the many challenges that developing countries face whether they relate to the aftermath of the pandemic, the high cost of debt service, the climate crisis that is ravaging their lives, the pain of poverty, food shortages, droughts, and high energy prices. The West has barely given lip service to the Global South on many of these problems. Yet the West is insisting that the Global South join it in sanctioning Russia.
The Covid pandemic is a perfect example—despite the Global South’s repeated pleas to share intellectual property on the vaccines, with the goal of saving lives, no Western nation was willing to do so. Africa remains to this day the most unvaccinated continent in the world. Africa had the capability to make the vaccines but without the intellectual property they could not do it.
But help did come from Russia, China, and India. Algeria launched a vaccination program in January 2021 after it received its first batch of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines. Egypt started vaccinations after it got China’s Sinopharm vaccine at about the same time. South Africa procured a million doses of AstraZeneca from the Serum Institute of India. In Argentina, Sputnik became the backbone of their vaccine program. All of this was happening while the West was using its financial resources to buy millions of doses in advance, and often destroying them when they became outdated. The message to the Global South was clear—your problems are your problems, they are not our problems.
2. History Matters: Who stood where during colonialism and after independence?
Many countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia view the war in Ukraine through a different lens than the West. Many of them see their former colonial powers regrouped as members of the Western alliance. The countries that have sanctioned Russia are either members of the European Union and NATO or the closest allies of the United States in the Asia Pacific region. By contrast, many countries in Asia, and almost all countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America have tried to remain on good terms with both Russia and the West, and to shun sanctions against Russia. Could it be because they remember their history at the receiving end of the West’s colonial policies, a trauma that they still live with but which the West has mostly forgotten.
Nelson Mandela often said that it was the Soviet Union’s support, both moral and material, that helped inspire Southern Africans to overthrow the Apartheid regime. It is because of this that Russia is still viewed in a favorable light by many African countries. And once Independence came for these countries, it was the Soviet Union that supported them even though it had limited resources itself. The Aswan Dam in Egypt which took 11 years to build, from 1960 to 1971, was designed by the Moscow based Hydro project Institute and financed in large part by the Soviet Union. The Bhilai Steel Plant in India, one of the first large infrastructure projects in a newly independent India, was set up by the USSR in 1959. Other countries also benefited from the support provided by the former Soviet Union, both political and economic, including Ghana, Mali, Sudan, Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Mozambique.
On February 18, 2023, at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the foreign minister of Uganda, Jeje Odongo, had this to say, “We were colonized and forgave those who colonized us. Now the colonizers are asking us to be enemies of Russia, who never colonized us. Is that fair? Not for us. Their enemies are their enemies. Our friends are our friends.”
Rightly or wrongly, present day Russia is seen by many countries in the Global South as an ideological successor to the former Soviet Union. These countries have a long memory that makes them view Russia in a somewhat different light. Given the history, can we blame them?
3. The war in Ukraine is seen by the Global South as mainly about the future of Europe rather than the future of the entire world.
The history of the Cold War has taught developing countries that getting embroiled in great power conflicts generates few benefits for them yet carries enormous risks. And they view the Ukraine proxy war as one that is more about the future of European security than the future of the entire world. Furthermore, the war is seen by the Global South as an expensive distraction from the most pressing issues that they are dealing with. These include higher fuel prices, food prices, higher debt service costs, and more inflation, all of which have become more aggravated because of the Western sanctions that have been imposed on Russia.
A recent survey published by Nature Energy states that up to 140 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty due to the higher energy prices that have come about over the past year.
Soaring energy prices not only directly impact energy bills, but they also lead to upward price pressures on all supply chains and consumer items, including food and other necessities. This hurts the developing countries even more than it hurts the West.
The West can sustain the war “as long as it takes” since they have the financial resources and the capital markets to do so. But the Global South does not have the same luxury. A war for the future of European security has the potential of devastating the security of the entire world.
The Global South is also alarmed that the West is not pursuing negotiations that could bring this war to an early end. There were missed opportunities in December 2021 when Russia proposed revised security treaties for Europe that could have prevented the war and which were rejected by the West. The peace negotiations of April 2022 in Istanbul were also rejected by the West in part to “weaken” Russia. And now the entire world is paying the price for an invasion that the Western media like to call “unprovoked” and which could have been avoided.
4. The world economy is no longer American dominated or Western led and the Global South does have other options.
Several countries in the Global South increasingly see their future tied to countries that are no longer in the Western sphere of influence. Whether this is their perception of how the power balance is shifting away from the West, or wishful thinking as part of their colonial legacy, let us look at some metrics that may be relevant.
The U.S. share of global output declined from 21 percent in 1991 to 15 percent in 2021, while China’s share rose from 4 percent to 19 percent during the same period. China is the largest trading partner for most of the world, and its GDP in purchasing power parity already exceeds that of the United States. The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, China, India, and South Africa) had a combined GDP in 2021 of $42 trillion compared with $41 trillion in the G7. Their population of 3.2 billion is more than 4.5 times the combined population of the G7 countries, at 700 million.
The BRICS are not imposing sanctions on Russia nor supplying arms to the opposing side. While Russia is the biggest supplier of energy and foodgrains for the Global South, China remains the biggest supplier of financing and infrastructure projects to them through the Belt and Road Initiative. And now Russia and China are closer than ever before because of the war. What does it all mean for developing countries?
It means that when it comes to financing, food, energy, and infrastructure, the Global South must rely more on China and Russia more than on the West. The Global South is also seeing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization expanding, more countries wanting to join the BRICS, and many countries now trading in currencies that move them away from the dollar, the Euro, or the West. They also see a deindustrialization taking place in some countries in Europe because of higher energy costs, along with higher inflation. This makes quite apparent an economic vulnerability in the West that was not so evident before the war. With developing countries having an obligation to put the interests of their own citizens first, is it any wonder that they see their future tied more to countries that are not Western led or American dominated?
5. The “rule based international order” is lacking in credibility and is in decline.
The “rule based international order” is a concept that is seen by many countries in the Global South as one that has been conceived by the West and imposed unilaterally on other countries. Few if any non-Western countries ever signed on to this order. The South is not opposed to a rule-based order, but rather to the present content of these rules as conceived by the West.
But one must also ask, does the rule based international order apply even to the West?
For decades now, for many in the Global South, the West is seen to have had its way with the world without regard to anyone else’s views. Several countries were invaded at will, mostly without Security Council authorization. These include the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. Under what “rules” were those countries attacked or devastated, and were those wars provoked or unprovoked? Julian Assange is languishing in prison, and Ed Snowden is in exile, for having the courage (or perhaps the audacity) to expose the truths behind these actions.
Sanctions imposed on over 40 countries by the West impose considerable hardship and suffering. Under what international law or “rules-based order” did the West use its economic strength to impose these sanctions? Why are the assets of Afghanistan still frozen in Western banks while the country is facing starvation and famine? Why is Venezuelan gold still held hostage in the UK while the people of Venezuela are living at subsistence levels? And if Sy Hersh’s expose is true, under what “rules-based order” did the West destroy the Nord Stream pipelines?
There appears to be a paradigm shift that is taking place away from a Western dominated world and into a more multipolar world. And the war in Ukraine has made more evident those differences or chasms that are part of this paradigm shift. Partly because of its own history, and partly because of the economic realities that are emerging, the Global South sees a multipolar world as a preferable outcome in which their voices are more likely to be heard.
President Kennedy ended his American University speech in 1963 with the following words: “We must do our part to build a world of peace where the weak are safe and the strong are just. We are not helpless before that task or hopeless for its success. Confident and unafraid, we must labor on towards a strategy of peace.”
That strategy of peace was the challenge before us in 1963 and they remain a challenge for us today. And the voices for peace, including those of the Global South, need to be heard.
Author Bio: Krishen Mehta is a member of the Board of the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord (ACURA), and a Senior Global Justice Fellow at Yale University. This article is distributed by Globetrotter in partnership with ACURA.
I know this web site offers quality based
articles and other data, is there any other web page which gives these kinds of information in quality?
Awesome! Its actually remarkable article, I have got much clear
idea on the topic of from this post.
I like the valuable info you supply in your articles.
I will bookmark your blog and check once more here regularly.
I’m reasonably sure I will be informed many new stuff proper here!
Best of luck for the next!
I do not even know how I stopped up right here, however I
assumed this post was great. I do not understand who you are but
certainly you are going to a well-known blogger for those who aren’t already.
Cheers!
This piece of writing is truly a pleasant one
it helps new internet viewers, who are wishing in favor of blogging.
Awesome post.
Hi there, after reading this remarkable piece of writing i am as well glad to share my familiarity here with friends.
Hello There. I discovered your weblog the use of msn. This is
a really smartly written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark it and return to read extra of your helpful information. Thank you
for the post. I’ll definitely return.
Touche. Great arguments. Keep up the great effort.
Fantastic website. Lots of useful info here.
I’m sending it to some buddies ans also sharing in delicious.
And certainly, thank you for your effort!
I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your website.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more
pleasant for me to come here and visit more often.
Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Excellent work!
I relish, lead to I discovered just what I was taking a look for.
You’ve ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man.
Have a great day. Bye
Very good post. I’m going through a few of these issues as well..
I visited many sites except the audio feature for audio songs present at this web site is truly fabulous.
Hi there, I check your new stuff on a regular basis.
Your story-telling style is witty, keep up the good work!
I visited multiple web sites however the audio quality for audio songs current at this web site is truly fabulous.
Asking questions are genuinely fastidious thing if you are not understanding something entirely, however this piece of
writing offers pleasant understanding yet.
Hello there, I found your blog by way of Google whilst searching
for a related topic, your site came up, it appears to be like good.
I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hi there, just become alert to your blog through Google, and located that it’s
really informative. I am going to watch out for brussels.
I will appreciate in case you proceed this in future.
A lot of other people might be benefited out of your writing.
Cheers!
I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s
to be precisely what I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to
write content for you? I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on a
number of the subjects you write with regards to here.
Again, awesome web log!
always i used to read smaller articles or reviews that
also clear their motive, and that is also happening
with this post which I am reading at this place.
Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve been to this web site before but after looking at many of the articles I realized it’s
new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly pleased I came across
it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!
I every time emailed this blog post page to all my friends, since if like to read it next my contacts will too.
Hello! I’ve been reading your web site for some time now and finally
got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Austin Texas!
Just wanted to mention keep up the great job!
Hi there I am so glad I found your webpage, I really found you by accident, while I was researching on Askjeeve for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say many thanks for a
marvelous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t
have time to look over it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be
back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the great b.
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I’ve really
enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. In any case
I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!
Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the web the simplest thing to be
aware of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that they plainly do not know about.
You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people
can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more.
Thanks
Link exchange is nothing else however it is just placing the other person’s webpage link on your page at appropriate place and other person will also do same in favor of you.
Do you have any video of that? I’d care to find out some additional information.
I like it whenever people come together and share ideas. Great site, keep it up!
Hello, everything is going well here and ofcourse every
one is sharing data, that’s genuinely good, keep up writing.
What’s up mates, its enormous paragraph about educationand completely explained, keep it up
all the time.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot approximately this,
such as you wrote the e-book in it or something. I think that you simply could do with
a few percent to drive the message home a bit, however other than that, this is
excellent blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
wow, amazing
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
wow, amazing
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
hello
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
wow, amazing
nice content!nice history!! boba 😀
wow, amazing
lost money
lost money
scam
phising
phising
lost money
phising
lost money
scam
I strongly recommend to avoid this platform. My own encounter with it was only dismay along with doubts about scamming practices. Proceed with extreme caution, or alternatively, find a trustworthy service to fulfill your requirements.
I highly advise to avoid this platform. The experience I had with it was purely dismay and concerns regarding scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, seek out an honest site to meet your needs.
I highly advise steer clear of this site. The experience I had with it has been purely dismay and suspicion of deceptive behavior. Proceed with extreme caution, or even better, find a more reputable service to fulfill your requirements.
I urge you steer clear of this site. My own encounter with it was purely frustration and concerns regarding scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, seek out a trustworthy site to meet your needs.
I urge you to avoid this site. My own encounter with it has been nothing but dismay and concerns regarding scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or alternatively, look for a more reputable platform for your needs.
I urge you stay away from this platform. My personal experience with it has been only disappointment along with concerns regarding scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, find a more reputable service to meet your needs.
I highly advise to avoid this platform. My own encounter with it was only dismay as well as doubts about deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, find a more reputable service to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend to avoid this platform. My own encounter with it has been nothing but disappointment as well as suspicion of deceptive behavior. Exercise extreme caution, or even better, find an honest site for your needs.
I strongly recommend stay away from this platform. The experience I had with it has been purely dismay as well as doubts about deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, find an honest service to fulfill your requirements.
I urge you stay away from this site. The experience I had with it was only dismay and doubts about deceptive behavior. Proceed with extreme caution, or even better, look for a more reputable service to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend to avoid this site. My own encounter with it was only dismay and suspicion of scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or even better, look for a more reputable platform to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend stay away from this site. My own encounter with it has been only frustration and suspicion of scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, seek out a trustworthy platform to meet your needs.
I strongly recommend steer clear of this platform. My personal experience with it has been nothing but frustration as well as doubts about scamming practices. Proceed with extreme caution, or even better, seek out a trustworthy service for your needs.I strongly recommend stay away from this platform. My own encounter with it was nothing but frustration along with suspicion of scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, find an honest service to fulfill your requirements.
I urge you steer clear of this platform. My personal experience with it has been only frustration and doubts about fraudulent activities. Exercise extreme caution, or better yet, seek out an honest service to fulfill your requirements.I urge you steer clear of this platform. My personal experience with it was purely dismay and concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Proceed with extreme caution, or alternatively, look for a more reputable platform to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend stay away from this platform. The experience I had with it was purely disappointment along with concerns regarding deceptive behavior. Proceed with extreme caution, or even better, seek out a trustworthy site to meet your needs.
I urge you stay away from this platform. The experience I had with it has been only dismay as well as doubts about scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or alternatively, seek out a trustworthy service to meet your needs.
I strongly recommend to avoid this platform. The experience I had with it has been purely disappointment along with suspicion of scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or even better, find an honest service for your needs.
I highly advise stay away from this platform. My own encounter with it has been purely disappointment and suspicion of scamming practices. Exercise extreme caution, or even better, look for a more reputable service to meet your needs.
I urge you steer clear of this site. The experience I had with it has been only disappointment along with doubts about scamming practices. Proceed with extreme caution, or even better, look for an honest platform to fulfill your requirements.
I highly advise steer clear of this site. The experience I had with it has been only dismay as well as suspicion of fraudulent activities. Exercise extreme caution, or even better, look for a more reputable service for your needs.
I strongly recommend steer clear of this platform. The experience I had with it was purely disappointment and doubts about fraudulent activities. Proceed with extreme caution, or even better, find a trustworthy site to meet your needs.
I highly advise to avoid this site. My own encounter with it has been nothing but disappointment along with suspicion of deceptive behavior. Be extremely cautious, or better yet, seek out a trustworthy service to fulfill your requirements.
I highly advise stay away from this site. The experience I had with it was only frustration as well as concerns regarding scamming practices. Be extremely cautious, or even better, find an honest platform for your needs.
I highly advise stay away from this platform. My personal experience with it has been only disappointment and concerns regarding fraudulent activities. Proceed with extreme caution, or better yet, find an honest service for your needs.
I highly advise to avoid this platform. My own encounter with it has been nothing but frustration as well as doubts about fraudulent activities. Proceed with extreme caution, or alternatively, look for a more reputable platform to fulfill your requirements.
I strongly recommend stay away from this platform. My personal experience with it has been only dismay as well as concerns regarding scamming practices. Proceed with extreme caution, or even better, find an honest platform to meet your needs.
I urge you to avoid this site. My own encounter with it has been nothing but disappointment along with concerns regarding fraudulent activities. Proceed with extreme caution, or alternatively, look for a more reputable platform to meet your needs.
I highly advise stay away from this site. The experience I had with it has been nothing but frustration and concerns regarding fraudulent activities. Proceed with extreme caution, or better yet, find an honest platform to fulfill your requirements.