The South versus the West? Politique étrangère, Vol. 88, No. 4, Winter 2023
In 2023, forums that amplify the voice of the “Global South” have proliferated and grown louder. As contradictory and divided as they may be, these forums (BRICS+, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), G20, the Group of 77, the European Silk Road Summit…) attest to the emergence of new power relations, and especially new directions in foreign policy, with states rejecting alignment with the dominant powers of the past in favor of putting their own interests first. A new world is taking shape, with changeable, still uncertain, contours.
Beyond the logics of diplomatic repositioning, supply chains are another key factor for comprehending the new world, in particular those related to materials essential to the industrial and energy transition. The agreements and alliances that emerge in this arena will be critical. Today, states are faced with a vital strategic choice between privileging economic or political logics.
Because, in short, the economy remains the primary condition of power. In this regard, the West has underestimated the resilience of the Russian economy, which remains healthier than anticipated, although troop mobilization and the isolation resulting from the war presage difficult times ahead for Moscow. As for Egypt, though a key player in the new conflict in the Middle East, the desperate state of its economy reveals a more general, and worrying, political and social deterioration.
This issue is available in French only: Le Sud contre l'Occident ?
THE SOUTH VERSUS THE WEST?
The Global South is Back for Good, by Jorge Heine
The Economies of the Global South in the Time of China, by Norbert Gaillard
BRICS: The Uncertainties of an “Alternative” Forum, by Julien Vercueil (in French only - BRICS : les incertitudes d'un forum « alternatif »)
SCO: A Post-Western Regional Organization, by David Teurtrie
MINERALS: CRITICAL INTERDEPENDENCIES
Critical Minerals: A Problematic Diversification, by John Seaman
The Geo-Economy of Lithium, by Vincent Bos and Marie Forget
CURRENT AFFAIRS
War in Ukraine: How Does the Russian Economy Stand?, by Vladislav Inozemtsev (in French only - Guerre d'Ukraine : où en est l'économie russe ?)
Multinationals and the War in Ukraine, by Aurélien Lambert
Egypt and its Crises: Too Big to Fail, by Joseph Salama
BAROMETERS
France and the United States: Patterns of Inflation, by Quentin Simon
The Indian Economy: A Powerful yet Fragile Model, by Paul Salez
Iran–Afghanistan: Heading for Conflict over Water?, by Kevan Gafaïti
BOOK REVIEWS
Edited by Marc Hecker
La Pensée et l'Action, by Thierry de Montbrial
Histoire de mon temps, by Thierry de Montbrial
Regards distanciés sur le monde actuel (tomes I et II), by Thierry de Montbrial
By Wilhelm Dancă
The Sino-Indian Rivalry: Implications for Global Order, by Šumit Ganguly, Manjeet S. Pardesi and William R. Thompson
Understanding the India-China Border: The Enduring Threat of War in High Himalaya, by Manoj Joshi
By Isabelle Saint-Mézard
224 pages. 23 euros.
December 5th, 2023.
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