The recent G20 Leaders’ Summit held in Johannesburg highlighted the different priorities of the member countries when it came to conflict, with Global North countries raising concerns about the Russia/Ukraine war representing an existential threat to Europe’s security and the continent’s foundational principles.

Global South members emphasised the Israel/Palestine conflict, especially the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in the region.

Although the issues were ultimately addressed in the declaration, Saturday’s closed plenary session revealed that member countries had a particular focus when it came to conflict resolution.

Countries such as South Africa have called for more aid to Gaza and a just resolution, reflecting the priorities of the Global South. 

These countries often view the conflict as a key issue related to international law and human rights, and some including South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Mexico have taken steps to bring cases to the International Court of Justice. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as ‘’genocide’’ and held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally responsible. 

He affirmed Türkiye’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and called for immediate international action. He also stressed the urgency of a permanent ceasefire and the immediate commencement of reconstruction and humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

Global North countries, especially those in Europe, have focused on the Russia-Ukraine war as a matter of territorial integrity and sovereignty. 

These countries see the conflict as a direct challenge to the international order and they used the summit to condemn Russia’s actions. 

US President Donal Trump – who was absent from the summit – recently suggested a 28-point peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia which involves the settlement of occupied territories in the east and south of Ukraine.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reaffirmed support for Ukraine and emphasised that any peace agreement must directly involve Kyiv and include concrete security assurances, while Australian Prime Minister Anthony

Albanese expressed support for Ukraine against Russia’s “illegal and immoral invasion” and said his country is also open to sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, depending on international coordination and the situation on the ground.

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s continued support for Ukraine against Russia and said any settlement in Ukraine must include a credible deterrent against Russia.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that Europe faces a “deep threat” to its security from Russia’s war in Ukraine, and added that peace requires the consent of both Ukraine and its European partners. 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he is committed to providing continued economic, humanitarian, and defensive military assistance, as well as imposing further sanctions on Russia. 

Despite the divisions, the G20 leaders issued a joint declaration that included calls for peace in both the Middle East and Ukraine, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as other areas such as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Both sides also agreed on the importance of multilateralism and international law as a means to solve global issues. 

Professor Theo Neethling, head of the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State, said European leaders increasingly treat the war in Ukraine as the defining strategic crisis of the era, overshadowing even the turmoil in Gaza. He said this is because the conflict strikes at the very foundations of Europe’s security order. 

Neethling said Russia’s invasion represents a direct challenge to the norms that have kept the continent stable since the end of the Cold War.  

“Chief among them is the principle that borders cannot be redrawn by force. For states on NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) eastern flank, a Russian victory is not an abstract concern but a potential prelude to future aggression that could bring war closer to their own borders,’’ he said. 

“While european governments recognise the humanitarian gravity of the Gaza crisis, it does not pose an existential threat to european territory or the continental balance of power. As a result, Ukraine remains the core test of europe’s strategic resolve – a conflict that, in the eyes of many leaders, will shape the continent’s security environment for decades to come,’’ he said.

International relations expert, Dr Noluthando Phungula, said the different and focal points of the global north and south are the reality of politics, national and regional interests.

Phungula said geopolitically it makes sense that european countries are more concerned with the war in Ukraine, adding that it has a direct impact on them, while directly challenging european security. 

manyane.manyane@inl.co.za

Source link