Global South Netritva: India's Leadership Role

From Ashoka's Dhamma to Voice of the Global South

How India leverages its G20 presidency and Voice of Global South summits to champion developing nations' interests, continuing a diplomatic tradition that stretches back to Ashoka's emissaries and the Mauryan vision of ethical interstate relations.

The January Summits

On January 12-13, 2023, something unprecedented happened in global diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened 125 countries for the "Voice of Global South Summit", the largest gathering of developing nations in history.

No G7 members attended. No European Union representatives. No Japan or South Korea. Instead: Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Pacific islands. The message was clear: the developing world has a voice, and India will amplify it.

Five months later, India assumed the G20 presidency, bringing the concerns articulated in January directly to the world's most powerful economies. The African Union received permanent G20 membership. Debt relief for vulnerable nations entered mainstream discussion. Climate finance commitments faced serious scrutiny.

"Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", the world is one family, became the G20's official theme. This ancient Sanskrit phrase, inscribed in India's Parliament building, now headlined the world's premier economic forum.

India was claiming leadership of the Global South, and doing so in distinctly Indian terms.

The Ancient Template: Ashoka's Ethical Diplomacy

Twenty-three centuries ago, Emperor Ashoka (r. 268-232 BCE) pioneered a form of diplomacy the world had never seen.

After the bloody Kalinga war, in which 100,000 died and 150,000 were deported, Ashoka experienced profound remorse. He renounced conquest and adopted dhamma (righteous conduct) as state policy.

Ashoka's diplomacy was revolutionary:

Emissary Networks: He dispatched ambassadors to Syria, Egypt, Macedonia, Cyrene, and Epirus, the first documented systematic diplomacy connecting India to the Mediterranean world.

Moral Suasion, Not Force: Unlike contemporaries who projected power through armies, Ashoka projected influence through ethical example and humanitarian missions.

Universal Concern: His edicts, inscribed on rocks and pillars across the subcontinent, proclaimed concern for all beings, not just his subjects. One edict established free hospitals and veterinary clinics for neighboring kingdoms.

"सर्वेषां हिताय सर्वेषां सुखाय।" "For the welfare of all, for the happiness of all."

This vision, leadership through ethical example rather than coercion, underlies India's Global South strategy.

What Is the Global South?

The term "Global South" replaces older framings: "Third World," "developing countries," "non-aligned nations." It refers broadly to countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania that share:

• Colonial history: Most were colonized by European powers
• Development challenges: Lower per-capita income, infrastructure gaps
• Limited voice: Underrepresented in global institutions (UN Security Council, IMF voting, WTO agenda-setting)
• Climate vulnerability: Suffer most from climate change while contributing least

The Global South includes 6.5 billion people, 85% of humanity. Yet G7 countries (population 770 million) dominate global economic governance.

India's position is unique: large enough to sit at G20 tables, yet developing enough to understand Global South concerns. This dual position enables bridge diplomacy.

India's Global South Strategy

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has articulated India's approach:

"India is not a bridge. India is a voice, our own voice, but one that resonates with others because our experiences are shared."

The strategy has several elements:

Platform Provision: India creates forums where Global South nations can speak. The Voice of Global South Summit (2023) and subsequent gatherings provide platforms previously unavailable.

Agenda Setting: India brings Global South priorities into G20, BRICS, and multilateral discussions. Debt relief, climate finance, food security, issues the North prefers to minimize, become unavoidable.

Development Partnership: India's development assistance focuses on capacity building, not dependency. Solar panels in Africa, IT training in Asia, infrastructure in small island states, India exports capabilities, not just aid.

Institutional Reform: India advocates for UN Security Council expansion, IMF quota revision, and WTO reform, structural changes that would give the South greater voice.

G20 Delhi: The African Union Moment

India's G20 presidency (December 2022 - November 2023) demonstrated Global South leadership in action.

The signature achievement: permanent G20 membership for the African Union.

Before Delhi: G20 included the European Union but not the African Union. 55 African countries, 1.4 billion people, the world's youngest population, vast resources, had no seat at the table.

India made AU membership a priority. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman argued that Africa's exclusion was "untenable." PM Modi personally lobbied G7 leaders.

The Delhi Declaration announced AU membership, a permanent change to global governance architecture.

Why does this matter?

The G20 makes decisions affecting global finance, trade, and climate policy. Without a seat, Africa was subject to rules made by others. With a seat, African nations participate in shaping those rules.

This exemplifies India's Global South strategy: not just speaking for others, but creating space for others to speak.

Development Cooperation: The India Model

India's development partnership differs from both Western aid and Chinese lending:

Western Model (OECD DAC): Grants with conditions, governance requirements, procurement rules, policy prescriptions. Recipients often feel condescension.

Chinese Model (BRI): Large loans for infrastructure, often with Chinese construction and labor. Creates debt and dependency.

Indian Model: Grants and concessional loans focused on capacity building. Indian projects train local workers, use local materials where possible, and transfer technology. Recipients build capability, not just infrastructure.

Examples:

Africa: India has trained 40,000+ African professionals through ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation). Solar initiatives power villages in 15 countries. India-Africa health initiatives combat malaria and HIV.

SAARC: Neighbors receive preferential trade terms, currency swap access, and development credits. Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka all benefit from Indian Lines of Credit.

Small Island States: India announced the SAGAR initiative (Security and Growth for All in the Region) providing coastal surveillance, disaster response capability, and maritime infrastructure to Indian Ocean nations.

Total Indian development cooperation: approximately $30 billion since 2004, modest compared to China's $1+ trillion, but structured for recipient ownership rather than donor control.

BRICS Expansion and the New Alignments

India operates within BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), a grouping representing 40% of world population and 25% of global GDP.

At the August 2023 summit, BRICS expanded: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and UAE joined (Argentina was invited but declined). The enlarged BRICS+ represents an even larger share of global economic activity.

India's BRICS position is nuanced:

Convergence with China: Both want Global South voice amplified, Western dominance reduced, and multilateral institutions reformed. On these, India and China align.

Competition with China: Both seek Global South leadership. India offers partnership; China offers investment. Countries choose based on their needs and China's strings.

Distinct from Russia: Unlike Russia, India maintains strong Western relationships. India participates in BRICS+ without abandoning G7 engagement.

This multi-alignment, participating in BRICS while engaging the West, championing Global South while sitting at G20, defines India's unique diplomatic position.

India-Africa: The Strategic Partnership

Africa represents the Global South's future:

• Demographics: 1.4 billion people; median age 19; working-age population will exceed China and India combined by 2050
• Resources: 30% of world's mineral reserves; vast agricultural potential; untapped energy resources
• Markets: Rising middle class; rapid urbanization; mobile-first digital adoption

India's Africa strategy emphasizes:

Trade: India-Africa bilateral trade reached $98 billion (2022-23). India is Africa's fourth-largest trading partner.

Investment: Indian companies have invested $75+ billion in Africa across energy, telecoms, banking, and manufacturing.

Education: Over 15,000 African students study in India annually. ITEC scholarships train African civil servants, military officers, and professionals.

Health: Indian pharmaceuticals (60%+ of Africa's generic drugs) and healthcare investments address the continent's medical needs.

The contrast with China is stark: China's Africa investment ($170+ billion) exceeds India's, but creates dependency through debt. India's approach builds African capacity, schools, hospitals, training programs, that remain after Indian involvement ends.

Your Turn: Thinking Globally

Ashoka sent emissaries across the known world not to conquer but to share. India's Global South leadership continues this tradition, creating platforms for shared voice rather than projecting power.

What does this mean for you?

For students: The Global South will shape 21st-century economics. Understanding African, Latin American, and Asian markets, their needs, cultures, and growth trajectories, creates professional advantage.

For professionals: Global South markets offer growth that mature markets cannot. The skills to navigate diverse regulatory environments, cultural contexts, and partnership models become premium.

For entrepreneurs: The next billion consumers come from the Global South. Products and services designed for these markets, affordable, mobile-first, culturally appropriate, have massive potential.

For citizens: India's global role affects every Indian. Trade agreements shape prices; diplomatic relationships affect opportunities; climate commitments determine environment. Informed citizenship requires global awareness.

The world is one family, but families need someone to convene discussions, mediate disputes, and advocate for the vulnerable. India is claiming that role.

In our next lesson, we examine the destination: Das-Lakh-Koti, India's path to becoming a $10 trillion economy.

Servant leadership and long-term relationship building, the strategy of creating value for others as foundation for sustainable influence.

Robert Greenleaf's 'servant leadership' theory (1970s) argues that leaders who serve followers' needs build deeper loyalty than those who command. Ashoka anticipated this by two millennia.

India's development partnership, training 40,000+ Africans, providing affordable medicines, building capacity, creates goodwill that outlasts any single government. Countries remember who helped them build; they resent who made them dependent.

India's favorability ratings in Africa exceed China's despite China's 5x larger investment. Quality of relationship matters more than quantity of dollars.

Capacity building vs dependency creation, development approaches that strengthen recipients' independent capability versus those that create permanent need for donor involvement.

The 'teach a man to fish' principle, giving capabilities rather than outputs. China's BRI has faced criticism for creating debt dependencies; India's ITEC training creates self-sustaining skills.