For decades, international power and influence have been defined by military force, economic influence, and control over global institutions. However, another form of influence is emerging in the global south: a power rooted in sovereignty, blessed by historical memory and resistance to external pressure. The Southern African Development Community (SADC), created in 1980 and including 16 States, is becoming a symbol of this change.
In recent years, SADC’s positions on regional conflicts and governance issues reflect more than routine diplomacy. This body demonstrates a growing determination among African states to defend the principle that political outcomes should be determined by Africans themselves, and not by foreign governments pursuing strategic interests. This is not about anti-Westernism, but rather a demand for coherence.
In the global south, and especially in Africa, leaders and citizens have watched for too long as international norms appear to be applied selectively. International principles such as democracy or human rights are universal values in global political scenarios, but their application often depends on geopolitical convenience. The result has been a widening credibility gap between Western rhetoric and practice.
This phenomenon could be described as a form of moral rearmament based on the intellectual and political trust of states that increasingly refuse to be treated as passive recipients of Western decisions. Most countries are claiming the right to define their own priorities and alliances. Interestingly, this trend poses a challenge to the US, as influence cannot be based solely on economic aid, security cooperation or diplomatic pressure, but increasingly depends on credibility.
SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi participated in the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington in April 2026, championing their priorities and global collaboration and highlighting southern Africa’s growing determination to influence, rather than simply react to, international economic governance.
The global south’s perception of Western double standards has become a reason to diversify its relationships. The growing involvement of African states with powers such as China, India or Brazil reflects this reality and the United States is learning the lesson: international politics should not underestimate the aspirations of countries that prefer flexibility to alignment.
SADC’s growing assertiveness must be understood as part of the global transformation. However, in challenging the traditional frameworks of existing hierarchies, the real question is whether established powers are prepared to commit to a world in which influence must be earned rather than taken for granted.
The future of international relations may depend less on who holds the most power and more on who demonstrates greater respect for the sovereignty and autonomy of others. In that sense, the global south, and especially Africans, are no longer simply reacting to the world order, but are helping to redefine it.
