Changes in national power in the Global South: examining the World Power Index (1992-2022)

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of national power in the Global South between 1992 and 2022, using the World Power Index (WPI) as a quantitative and longitudinal measuring tool. A synchronic analysis at four key moments – 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2022 – identifies two main dynamics: first, patterns of concentration with the rise of the BRICS bloc (headed by China) and, less prominently, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and Argentina; and second, patterns of dispersion, revealing significant falls in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, Central America and the Caribbean. The results reflect both the dynamism and unevenness of the distribution of national power. The study fills a gap in the literature by providing an empirical and systematic analysis of the development of national power in the Global South since the end of the Cold War.

Keywords

• national power
• global south
• world power index
• multipolarity
• brics