Global South and South–South Cooperation

This chapter explores the evolving role of the Global South within the international system through the lens of BRICS cooperation and its expanding influence in Latin America and Africa. Beginning with Brazil’s 2025 presidency of the BRICS, the analysis situates the group’s growing identification with the Global South as both symbolic and strategic. Rather than representing a single hegemonic actor, BRICS embodies a collective aspiration among emerging economies to reshape global governance and promote a multipolar system grounded in equity and inclusivity. The first section revisits the historical and conceptual foundations of the Global South, tracing its evolution from postcolonial solidarity movements such as Bandung and the Non-Aligned Movement to its current rearticulation as a political and epistemic project seeking recognition in global decision-making. The chapter argues that, beyond its geographical and economic connotations, the Global South represents a demand for decolonized governance structures and fairer participation within international institutions long dominated by Western powers. The second section examines the resurgence of South–South Cooperation as an alternative development paradigm, emphasizing how the BRICS—especially through the New Development Bank and the BRICS Plus expansion—have positioned themselves as central actors in this process. The inclusion of new members and the consolidation of intra-South partnerships reflect an emerging global architecture that challenges traditional aid and conditionality models historically imposed by Bretton Woods institutions. Subsequently, the analysis focuses on the “Latin American dilemma”: whether to remain aligned with the liberal West or to move closer to BRICS’ non-interventionist and development-oriented framework. The discussion highlights Brazil’s centrality within the group, China’s and India’s growing presence in regional trade and infrastructure, and the political fatigue of Latin American societies toward Western-led governance. Finally, the chapter examines Africa’s role as both a testing ground and a key partner for BRICS’ global strategy. While cooperation promises infrastructure investment, technological transfer, and expanded trade, it also raises concerns about new asymmetries within South–South relations. Ultimately, the chapter contends that BRICS’ engagement with the Global South reveals both the potential and the contradictions of an emerging post-Western order in global governance.