‘Grievances’ as the Driving Factor in the Global South Emerging Powers’ Approach to the War in Ukraine

Abstract

This article aims to deconstruct the idea of ‘grievance’ as the factor that anchors the behaviour of the emerging powers from the Global South, which have a shared history of colonialism. This article applies with postcolonialism as a broader theoretical concept, this article brings in its influence on the history of colonialism in terms of framing or shaping their behaviour towards the international order, which is fundamentally Western-led. The recent war in Ukraine and the approach of the Global South towards the war serve as a testament to their ambivalent stance regarding the understanding of war crimes and violations of international laws. In this study, cases have been selected from the Global South’s five emerging powers: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa. The rationale for selecting these case studies is that all five countries are democracies, serve as regional powers in their respective areas and share a common history of colonialism. The qualitative discourse analysis of the article analyses the role of historical grievances, economic interests and geopolitical considerations. The dataset follows primary and secondary sources, especially briefs, commentaries, reports and working papers from notable think tanks, press briefs, releases and speeches of leaders, spokespersons and diplomats. The results of the study show that historical grievances still work as a factor in characterizing the sceptical view of Western motives. The Global South is looking for the construction of a just and reasonable liberal international order.