A Message from the Editor: War of Position: Russia and Ukraine in Global South Studies

Abstract

In the last editorial note, I made the point that in order for the Global South to be a useful frame of analysis, we need to remind ourselves from time to time of exactly what it is. How do we define it? What are its strengths and weaknesses as an analytical tool? Out of what historical context did it first arise? How has it evolved over time? How does it bear on society today? I won’t rehash what I wrote in that piece, except to say that one point I failed to emphasize is that it is a relative concept; the Global South exists only in relation to the Global North. As I write this editorial note, I cannot take my mind off of developments in the Global North, especially those pertaining to Ukraine. It is beyond dispute that Russian aggression toward Ukraine, a sovereign nation that has had its share of ups and downs since the end of the Cold War, is both illegal and inhumane. It reflects Russian president Vladimir Putin’s personal tendencies more than it does any sound geopolitical strategy. In his view, Ukrainian nationhood is a fiction, and he is obsessed with the idea of repatriating the more than twenty million ethnic Russians living outside Russia’s borders (it is important to note that while the Russian government regards this plan as repatriation, the term is something of a misnomer in this case, given that most of these people are not from Russia and seem to have little desire to move there). The personal nature of the conflict— as if it were a vendetta exacted on a mass scale— gives his tragic misadventure an extra feeling of illegitimacy. Yet there are geopolitical implications, and they make the situation far more complex than mainstream media outlets would have you believe. If we set aside