THE GLOBAL DIVIDES:

THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH

Nestlhyn B. Ligot
Cavite State University
HISTORY OF THE TERM
• First World – Capitalist system
• Second World – Communist System
• Third World – those that did not fall in either category
• countries less developed in Africa, Asia, and Latin America because of
prevailing poverty and economic dependence to First World States

 Eventually abandoned when the “Second World” or Soviet Bloc

collapsed
THIRD WORLD VERSUS GLOBAL SOUTH
“The Global South is not a
directional designation or a
point due to south from a fixed
North. It is a SYMBOLIC
designation meant to capture
the semblance of cohesion that
emerged when former colonial
entities engaged in political
projects of decolonization and
moved towards the realization
of postcolonial international
order.”
-Grovogui
After WWII, more countries are
decolonized particularly after the
creation of UN in 1945
This reconstructed the World
Politics which was the 3terms- First,
Second and Third worlds
emerged

The vision of the Third World (non-

aligned) countries was
significantly observed when
African and Asian countries met
in Bandung, Indonesia called
Bandung Conference in 1955
BANDUNG CONFERENCE
 29 participants, Assembled Asian and
African States
 changing the structure of global
economy that would promote
economic independence and well-
being
 What united them is not their
common identity, nor their culture,
but their bottom line value for
freedom and universal human rights
THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE
GLOBAL NORTH GLOBAL SOUTH

• Rich, industrialized • Developing Nations

nations • Non-democratic
• Democratic, Capitalist Countries
Countries
THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE
• Developed or non-developed?
• Human development – standard of human well-being
that takes account of people’s ability to develop their
full potential and lead fulfilled and creative lives in
accordance with their interest and needs
• Human Development Indicators (HDI)
• Life expectancy, education, literacy, fuel, sanitation, shelter,
food, jobs, crime, personal distress, careers/jobs
• by William Brandt. Former chancellor of West Germany
• Global north is where industrial development is concentrated
• Global south (except Australia) is where poverty and disadvantage exists
GLOBAL NORTH VS GLOBAL SOUTH
 Industrialized North; low-wage, low investment rural
South
Global South are those needing aid of international
organizations like IMF
 growth of TNCs in Global north means dominating
global market and exploiting cheap labour in the
Global south
Prosperity
of the North is dependent on the
development of the South
 This classical image was altered in
the start of 21st century where TNCs
from developing countries have
become increasingly important
 Top 10 TNCs in 2007 were from 16
developing countries: China, Hong
Kong, Taiwan, India, Malaysia,
Singapor, Korea, etc
 Therefore, we must not limit the
conception of the global South and
the global North in its conventional
characterization
MAJOR LENSES OF GLOBAL RELATIONS
Realism
• From Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas
Hobbes
• States prioritizes self interest and
survival
• Degree of peace is relative, temporal,
can be disrupted anytime
• North and South divide: Global North is
Interacting with Global South to
promote their very own interest
MAJOR LENSES OF
GLOBAL RELATIONS
Liberalism/ Constructivism
• More optimistic
• ‘universal and perpetual peace’ is
possible because of cooperation and
mutual respect
• Through trade and economic
interdependence, division and war
are less likely to happen
• These goals would only be possible if
these are based on exixting norms and
conduct and international systems,
with the help of institutions
 MAJOR LENSES OF GLOBAL RELATIONS
Marxism
• Suggests inequality in global system
• Capitalist or industrialized global North tend to dominate and exploit the
global South
• Bec playing field is uneven and is further complicated by globalization
MAJOR LENSES OF GLOBAL RELATIONS
Post Modernism
• Truth is always contested and
plural
• All ideas and concepts expressed
in language is caught in complex
relations of power

• Language is the idea of

discourse power – which can
disclose or illustrate power
relations