Not all that glitters is gold.

Continuities in international order and limits to the reconfiguration of the global south

Abstract

Current literature on International Relations has noted, for quite some time, that international power is undergoing a transformative process and that we are facing a “reconfiguration of the global South.” However, our opinion is that these statements exaggerate the depth and nature of the transformations. In this paper we will put forth for discussion the widely used concepts of “reconfiguration of the international order” and “democratization of international relations” and seek to test their scope and limits. Our hypothesis is that, even though since the beginning of the twenty-first century a redistribution of mainly economic resources has taken place globally, the rules, principles, institutions and policies that have structured the international system since the second half of the twentieth century have not changed. The discourse maintained by emerging powers is one of system reform, but in their actions they attempt to converge with traditional powers, following the path of liberal order. For the rest of the “South” this situation does not raise new possibilities for influencing and participating in the international system, but replicates the asymmetries and dependencies of the prevailing order.