Trump’s Trade War Revives a Vital Old Question: Can the Global South Go Its Own Way?

Tariffs, Like Free Trade, Discipline the Global South

Nations across the Global South were forced to surrender economic self-determination under the banner of free trade. Absent a collective response, Donald Trump’s dismantling of this order will only further erode developing nations’ economic sovereignty. Shipping containers are stacked on a cargo ship at PortMiami on April 15, 2025, in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) The United States’ recent tariff offensive has left developing coun…

Trump’s trade war revives a vital old question: Can the Global South go its own way?

Even as US and China begin talks, the Global South should not play ball and reconsider old ideas of self-reliance and regional trade, say experts Back in 1980, a clutch of African leaders tried to break from history. Over the past hundred years, the continent had been ravaged by colonialism. Even after independence, trade links between colonial powers and African nations had not changed. Africa continued to export raw materials and import expens…