By The Pulseline News Desk
The rise of the Global South should not be viewed as an attempt to challenge or replace the West, but as the growing ability of developing countries to have a greater say in shaping international decision-making, Supreme Court Judge Shiran Gunaratne has said.
Delivering the keynote address at the International Conference in International Relations (INCIPRe) organised by the Department of International Relations of the University of Colombo’s Faculty of Arts, Justice Gunaratne has said the growing influence of developing nations was contributing to the emergence of a more plural and multipolar international order.
He has said international decision-making was no longer the exclusive preserve of a limited number of powerful states, pointing to the emergence of new centres of economic growth, expanding technological capabilities and greater confidence among developing countries in asserting their interests.
“International decision-making is no longer the exclusive domain of a relatively small number of powerful states,” he has said.
According to Justice Gunaratne, the transformation taking place in the international system should not simply be understood as a shift in the distribution of power.
“The rise of the Global South should not be viewed as an attempt to replace one dominant power with another, but as the growing capacity of developing nations to ensure that their experiences, priorities and aspirations are reflected in institutions governing the international system,” he has said.
“This transformation is perhaps best understood not as a redistribution of power alone but as a redistribution of participation,” he has added.
Beyond military and economic power
Justice Gunaratne has also argued that influence in the international system was no longer determined solely by military strength or economic power.
Diplomatic effectiveness, institutional credibility, ideas and the ability to build consensus were becoming increasingly important sources of international influence, he has said.
The shift has particular significance for smaller states, which may lack the economic or military capabilities of major powers but can exert influence through diplomacy, expertise and engagement with international institutions.
For Sri Lanka, he has said, its location in the Indian Ocean creates both an opportunity and a responsibility.
The Indian Ocean carries a substantial share of global maritime trade and connects major centres of economic activity, while its strategic importance has continued to grow amid increasing geopolitical competition.
“A strategic location creates opportunity; it is diplomacy, constructive engagement, and principled statecraft that transform opportunity into meaningful influence,” Justice Gunaratne has noted.
‘Multi-alignment’ as modern non-alignment
Justice Gunaratne has described the contemporary expression of the traditional policy of non-alignment as “multi-alignment”, under which countries of the Global South could preserve their independence in decision-making while maintaining constructive relationships with multiple partners.
Such an approach would allow developing countries to engage with different powers without becoming subordinate to any single one, he has said.
The concept is particularly relevant to smaller states located at the intersection of competing geopolitical interests, where maintaining strategic autonomy can be as important as securing economic, security and diplomatic partnerships.
Justice Gunaratne’s comments come as the international system continues to evolve towards a more complex distribution of economic, political and strategic influence, with developing countries seeking greater representation in global institutions and decision-making processes.
Sri Lanka’s role in shaping international law
Justice Gunaratne has also pointed to the development of international law as evidence that smaller countries can have a significant impact on global affairs.
He has highlighted the contribution of Sri Lankan diplomat Shirley Amerasinghe, who served as the first President of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. The conference played a crucial role in the development of the modern international law of the sea and ultimately contributed to the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
For Justice Gunaratne, Amerasinghe’s contribution demonstrated that a country’s influence is not necessarily determined by its size or material power.
Rather, smaller states can shape international outcomes through diplomacy, expertise, ideas and principled engagement.
The lesson he has suggested remains relevant as developing nations seek a greater role in shaping the rules and institutions of the international system.
“Power may shape the international order, but legitimacy sustains it,” Justice Gunaratne has said.
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