A new report from Policy Exchange, “The Myth of the ‘Global South’: A Flawed Foreign Policy Construct”, debunks the increasingly popular concept of the ‘Global South’. It urges the Government to stop using it as a framework for foreign policy and strategy —  arguing that it harms our interests and helps our adversaries.

The report finds that the ‘Global South’ community has no compelling basis in historical, economic or political reality, and so cannot explain or predict state behaviour. This fact alone would be enough to undermine its utility as an analytical tool for policy but, even more alarmingly, the term also promulgates a worldview which makes Western countries reluctant to prioritise and pursue their global interests. China and Russia have seized on this opportunity, and now use the term’s popularity to undermine our international reputation and influence with sophisticated disinformation and diplomatic operations. By willingly and uncritically adopting the term the ‘Global South’ and its accompanying narrative, our policymakers play into our adversaries’ hands and damage our own interests.

The report has received cross-party backing from Rt Hon James Cleverly MP – former Foreign Secretary and current Conservative Shadow Home Secretary – and Admiral Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC PC – former First Sea Lord and Labour Security Minister – as well as from Professor C. Raja Mohan – a former member of India’s National Security Advisory Board. Its recommendations include:

• Abandon the ‘Global South’ as a framework for foreign policy and strategy, focusing instead on bespoke regional policies.
• Actively reject and counter the anti-Western ‘Global South’ narrative being promoted by our adversaries.
• Create new counter-disinformation units in the National Security Secretariat and FCDO to flag and respond to Chinese and Russian informational warfare globally.
• Ringfence 75% of the aid budget for projects which clearly serve our overseas national interests.
• Collaborate with G7 and ‘Southern’ partners to offer a ‘New Growth Partnership’ in response to China’s global infrastructure investment programmes.
• Increase UK diplomatic presence in all strategically important states across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania.
• Make explicit that the competition with malign authoritarian states is a key objective of the Government’s ‘Progressive Realism’ foreign policy concept.