Global South

The Global South is an emerging term used by the World Bank to refer to countries located in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and considered to have low and middle income. The Global South is an emerging term used by the World Bank to refer to countries located in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and considered to have low and middle income. These nations are often described as newly industrialized or in the process of industrializing, are largely considered by freedom indices to have lower-quality democracies, and frequently have a history of colonialism by Northern, often European states. The BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India and China, along with Indonesia, have the largest populations economies among Southern states. The Global South is one half of the global North-South divide, and does not necessarily refer to geographical south. Most people in the Global South live within the Northern Hemisphere. ' The term was first used as an alternative to “third world”. The first use of Global South in a contemporary political sense was in 1969 by Carl Oglesby, writing in Catholic journal Commonweal in a special issue on the Vietnam War. Oglesby argued that centuries of northern “dominance over the global south converged to produce an intolerable social order.” The term gained appeal throughout the second half of the 20th century, which rapidly accelerated in the early 21st century. It appeared in fewer than two dozen publications in 2004, but in hundreds of publications by 2013. The emergence of the new term meant looking at the troubled realities of its predecessors, i.e.: Third World or Developing World. The term is less hierarchical. With its development, many scholars preferred using the Global South over its predecessors, such as 'developing countries' and 'Third World. Leigh Anne Duck, co-editor of Global South, argued that the term is better suited at resisting 'hegemonic forces that threaten the autonomy and development of these countries.' Alvaro Mendez, co-founder of the London School of Economics and Political Science's Global South Unit, have applauded the empowering aspects of the term. In an article, Discussion on Global South, Mendez discusses emerging economies in nations like China, India and Brazil. It is predicted that by 2030, 80% of the world's middle-class population will be living in developing countries. The popularity of the term 'marks a shift from a central focus on development and cultural difference' and recognizes the importance of geopolitical relations. Critics of this usage often argue that it is a vague blanket terms'. Others have argued that the term, its usage, and its subsequent consequences mainly benefit those from the upper classes of countries within the Global South; who stand 'to profit from the political and economic reality expanding south-south relations.' The geographical boundaries of the Global South remain a source of debate. Critics and scholars like Andrea Hollington, Oliver Tappe, Tijo Salverda and Tobias Schwarz agree that the term is not a 'static concept.' Others, like Rodolfo Magallanes, have argued against 'grouping together a large variety of countries and regions into one category tends to obscure specific (historical) relationships between different countries and/or regions' and the power imbalances within these relationships. He argues that this 'may obscure wealth differences within countries – and, therefore, similarities between the wealthy in the Global South and Global North, as well as the dire situation the poor may face all around the world.'