Politics Theory Other

The term Global South has become ubiquitous in commentary on international affairs, but by the early 2000s middle and lower income countries were more frequently described as belonging to the developing world or - in the case of those states deemed favourable destinations for international capital - emerging markets. Those terms have since increasingly fallen out of favour and been replaced by 'Global South' - a term whose roots go back to the 1960s.

To talk about why that occurred - and its historical significance in the context of the decline of US hegemony, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the US war on Iran - Ravinder Kaur returns to PTO to talk about the concept of the Global South and her recent essay on the topic.

Notes:

Global South Redux: The Making of a Geopolitical Concept

https://brill.com/view/journals/gg/32/2/article-p207_4.xml

PTO interview: Capitalist dreams and nationalist designs w/ Ravinder Kaur

https://soundcloud.com/poltheoryother/108-capitalist-dreams-and-nationalist-designs-w-ravinder-kaur

In the midst of an ever increasing drumbeat of commentary predicting a major European war, and demands that military spending be increased to meet the threat posed by Russia, Khem Rogaly joins PTO to talk about the UK defence budget.

We talked about how the military spending of the United States, the UK and their Nato allies compares with the spending of their adversaries, and why Britain and France are outliers in their force projection capabilities in Europe. We also talked about why the UK ministry of defence has such a poor track record with defence procurement, and we discussed Britain's hugely expensive Trident nuclear weapons system. Finally, Khem outlined some first steps for what a reforming government could do to shift UK policy towards creating a military that was genuinely focussed on defence.

Notes:

Posturing to the World: The Costs of Britain’s Global Military and Expansive Strategy:

https://transitionsecurity.org/posturing-to-the-world/

Teemu Ruskola joins PTO to talk about his new book, 'The Unmaking of the Chinese Working Class: How Communism Built a Capitalist Superpower'.

We talked about how China's remarkable economic rise was facilitated by the state's socialist inheritance and about the central role played by Chinese migrant workers. We went on to discuss the creation of a conventional capitalist labour market in China, as the so-called iron rice bowl of the State Owned Enterprises and the cradle-to-grave welfare system for urban workers was broken up. We went on to talk about the so-called New Enclosure Movement in the Chinese countryside that is finally expropriating the rural population of their control over land. Finally, we touched on the truly global implications of the unmaking and remaking of the Chinese working class.

To listen to this episode of PTO Extra become a PTO sustainer at patreon.com/poltheoryother

Between 2015 and 2022, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states waged a devastating military campaign in Yemen, which - David Wearing argues in today's episode - was so severe that it resembles Israel's genocidal actions in Gaza.

A key role in the Yemen conflict was played by British-built planes that were used to indiscriminately bomb the country, and contributed to what was described by the United Nations at the time as the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

In a new report for the Campaign Against the Arms Trade and the Transition Security Project, David and his co-authors argue the case for the British government and UK arms companies to pay reparations to the people of Yemen.

In the episode we talked about the report and Britain's role in the Yemen conflict, including in the current phase as hostilities between Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia escalate once more. And finally, we touched on the UAE and the Manchester City scandal and what it tells us about the phenomenon of the gulf monarchies' involvement in sportswashing.

Notes:

Britain’s Role in Yemen’s Brutal War Must End – And Reparations Should Follow:

https://zeteo.uk/p/britains-role-in-yemens-brutal-war

Reparations for Yemen: A proposal for a windfall tax on British arms companies that enabled Saudi war crimes

https://caat.org.uk/app/uploads/2026/09/CAATTSP-Yemen-Reperations-WEB.pdf