Ever since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been treated as a “pariah state” by much of the West. However, three years into the war, Russia has managed to mitigate its international isolation by maintaining economic, diplomatic and political ties with the Global South by tactfully utilizing Soviet-style left-wing messaging containing anti-colonial sentiments.
The emergence of the “Global South”
In 1955, many newly independent countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East participated in the Bandung Conference in Indonesia. The summit’s communiqué endorsed the concept of “nonalignment.” Nonalignment referred to a desire by many postcolonial countries to stay neutral in the rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, which subsequently morphed into the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, NAM lost much of its geopolitical relevance and influence due to the perception of U.S. dominance.
However, in recent years, NAM has started to regain relevance under the name “Global South,” as there is a growing sentiment economically vibrant economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are not given the sufficient diplomatic representation in various international forums, such as the U.N. Security Council. Importantly, the Global South’s refusal to openly condemn Russia demonstrates how the West is gradually losing its dominance internationally.
Russia’s Soviet-style propaganda
Since its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has amplified its narrative of an anti-colonial country to gain influence in the Global South. In September 2022, after Russia annexed four regions in southeast Ukraine, Putin gave a speech in which he accused the Western elite of being “racist” and “colonial.” A year later during the Vladivostok Economic Forum, Putin emphasized that Russia has “never been a colonizer anywhere” and proclaimed the era of Western colonialism over after centuries of robbing the world.
In February 2024, the Russian government hosted a conference called “For the Freedom of Nations.” During this event, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a speech and accused the “former colonial powers” of illegally imposing sanctions on “countries that refuse to submit to dictates and surrender their sovereignty and national identity.” Lavrov also accused the West of using money intended for “climate justice” to give weapons to Ukraine and highlighted how it horded COVID vaccines at the expense of the Global South. Importantly, Russians have often argued the West is merely using Ukraine to fight a proxy war vis à vis Russia.
In many respects, Russia’s rhetoric is very similar to that of the Soviet Union. During Nikita Khrushchev’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly in 1960, the Soviet prime minister said five centuries of colonial rule have resulted in poverty, loss of rights and the forceful confiscation of land. In 1978, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev said “Africa is an object of very close and, I should say, unhealthy interest of the forces of imperialism,” during a state-visit to Madagascar.
Analysis of Russia’s narrative
One reason why Russians have been able to promote the narrative as an anti-colonial power is due to the historical memory of the Soviet Union as an anticolonial power in much of the Global South. For example, the Soviet Union provided extensive support to various anti-colonial movements, such as the Namibian-based South West Africa’s People’s Organization (SWAPO). Many African independence leaders received their education in the Soviet Union. While it is essential to note that not every anti-colonial movement was “communist,” the relative recent historical memory of Moscow aiding anti-colonial movements has left a long-lasting positive view of Russia.
The second reason, which is perhaps more salient today, is the growing perception the West has lost its credibility in claiming to represent international law, human rights and the rules-based order. Actions such as the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and close partnerships with autocratic regimes have eroded the West’s moral high ground. This sentiment has heightened especially in the wake of the Gaza War, as many in the Global South see the blatant hypocrisy of the West acting inconsistently between Ukraine and Gaza on issues related to international law.
Unlike the Soviet Union, Russia’s rhetoric towards the Global South is not based on any ideology. In fact, Putin has criticized the Soviet government, such as in 2016 when he criticized Lenin’s role for “brutally executing” the last Russian tzar and his family. In the leadup to the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech in which he accused the Bolsheviks, especially Vladimir Lenin, of artificially creating Ukraine. Moscow has also vigorously promoted various right-wing conservative policies, such as restricting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and accusing the West of being morally decadent and “woke.”
Rather, Russia’s messaging towards the Global South illustrates how a country can justify a policy by relying on rhetoric from the opposite end of the political spectrum to safeguard its national interests.
Featured image: Photo by Felipe Simo on Unsplash
Edited by James Sutton
