From Solidarity to Connectivity: The Global South’sNew Geopolitics

BIPSS Research Associate Mohosina Mostofa Mity examines in this commentary how the Global South is evolving from a community shaped mainly by political solidarity into a more interconnected economic, technological and strategic space. The commentary explores the growth of South-South trade and investment, showing how shared markets and production networks are creating deeper economic interdependence among developing countries. It examines how ports, transport corridors, maritime routes and financial mechanisms, including BRICS and the New Development Bank, are creating new channels of connectivity and reducing dependence on established systems. It also highlights the growing geopolitical importance of digital infrastructure, including telecommunications, data networks, digital payments and artificial intelligence, alongside persistent technological inequalities. The analysis further examines critical minerals, energy and strategic supply chains, arguing that control over processing, manufacturing and technology is increasingly as important as control over natural resources. Mity concludes that the emerging Global South is unlikely to become a unified political bloc; instead, its growing influence will increasingly depend on how effectively countries connect markets, infrastructure, finance, technology and resources while pursuing their own strategic interests.