Russia has become more active in the southern direction, Russian diplomats have recently made many trips to countries in Africa and Latin America. There they are trying to enlist support in the Ukrainian issue, strengthen economic ties and strengthen their influence on the world stage, writes The Conversation.
Since the beginning of the special operation in Donbass, Russian officials have repeatedly visited countries in Africa and Latin America, writes The Conversation. Trips to Angola, Burundi, Eritrea, Eswatini, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, South Africa and Sudan, as well as a tour by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Brazil, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba — all this was supposed to strengthen Russia's international influence, deepen ties between the countries and enlist their support of Russia in the Ukrainian question.
And experts note that Russia has supporters among these countries who support its "struggle against the power of the West and neocolonialism." At the same time, Ukraine's attempts to convince leaders in the same regions that it is fighting the empire do not seem to have found the right response.
Experts note that there is a "return of global Russia" due to its economic and political influence, as well as the use of the media. These trends began back in the 2010s, and have now acquired a more strategic character. As a result, for example, South Africa is moving away from the West and approaching the orbit of China and Russia.
Plus, challenging the current liberal world order is beneficial to the global South, because it gives it more opportunities to negotiate in the international arena and achieve some of its political goals. This was also discussed by the leaders of the BRICS countries at their recent summit. Thus, Brazilian President Lula da Silva said that the war in Ukraine "showed the limitations of the UN Security Council," and noted the economic power of the BRICS countries as a symbol of the global importance of this organization. It will become even bigger thanks to the decision to admit six new countries to the bloc.
"Two interrelated factors can help us understand Russia's attractiveness to the global South and its unwillingness to fully support Ukraine," the author of the article writes. Firstly, Russia positions itself as an anti-colonial power, especially in Africa. This strategy is based on "memory diplomacy", whose goal is to increase influence through the use of shared positive memories.
Memory diplomacy, for example, refers to Russia's contribution to the victory over fascism in World War II. In addition, Russia constantly reminds that it has never colonized any African country and has not participated in the slave trade. On the contrary, Russia as part of the Soviet Union supported the anti-colonial struggle in the region, for example, in Angola and Mozambique.
Secondly, Russia uses its heritage of solidarity with different countries. So, in 1927, the Communist International sponsored the League against Imperialism, which brought together leading anti-colonial activists from around the world and people like Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi. She became a source of inspiration for many leaders of the struggle for the decolonization of the southern countries and left a noticeable mark in their history.
The author of the article cites the example of South Africa and suggests that its position towards the war in Ukraine is partly dictated by nostalgia for the times when Moscow supported its struggle against apartheid, as well as distrust of Western politics. In these countries, the West is criticized for the fact that Western countries support democracy at home, but are ready to violate it in other places if it is beneficial to them.
In response to Russia's actions, Ukraine increased the number of its embassies in Africa and began to focus on this area of its policy. However, the author of the article notes that this work may be much more difficult than it seems.
Russia actively uses digital channels to promote its ideas. In addition, Russia is perceived as a counterweight to the West – especially the United States. And Ukraine especially has nothing to offer the global South.
The author of the article notes that Ukraine could receive support from the BRICS countries by strengthening economic ties and pointing out the common problems caused by Russia. In this vein, the idea of building new grain centers is just going on against the background of Russia's refusal to continue the grain deal. In addition, the expert suggests that Ukraine should build a policy around the fact that it also has common memories with the global South, compare its current situation with the anti-colonial struggle.
"It is becoming increasingly obvious that any country that tries to challenge Russia's image as an anti—imperialist power will face a long battle," The Conversation concludes.
Source: russian.rt.com
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