By Anshul Nadendla     5/31/25

     “The timing couldn’t have been more symbolic.” 

     These were the words of the Times of India when India surpassed the United Kingdom to become the world’s fifth-largest economy. As India achieved this economic feat in 2022, the year that marked 75 years of its independence from the British Empire, the Times seized the opportunity to highlight the curious turn of fate that a former subject would best its former master. 

     But India’s economic rise is not a one-off occurrence. Across the globe, many low and middle-income countries are accelerating their economies and solidifying their geopolitical independence. We do not need to look beyond the BRICS+ 2024 summit to understand this trend. The BRICS is an international alliance comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Though weakened by internal divisions, it is designed to be the antithesis of more established groups like the G7 and NATO. The BRICS summit represents a shift in the global order: the rise of power among countries subjugated during the colonial era. But the summit, which Russia hosted amid its siege on Ukraine, also reflects how the ascendancy of newer power structures is accompanied by a weakening of vital democratic values. Whether it is India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indonesia under President Prabowo Subianto, or China under President Xi Jinping, the new mode of chasing power over democratic consolidation is widespread. After outlining the neo-colonial structure that is better fit for the modern global geopolitical scene compared to popular existing terminologies, we will explore India as a case study exemplifying the nuanced ascendancy of historically marginalized countries.

     Analysts often categorize countries by using paradoxical geographical labels such as the ‘West’ and ‘non-West’, or the ‘Global North’ and ‘Global South.’ These classifications are inaccurate. Australia, for example, though considered a member of the ‘West’ and the ‘Global North,’ is geographically neither. Such terminologies disregard the complex histories that have led to the disparities among these countries. One question often dictates the welfare of a country: were you the colonizer, or colonized? For centuries, it was the former that dominated the world order. The colonizing nations, to maintain their domination over those they considered lesser peoples, used tactics ranging from stoking a colony’s internal divisions to genocide and mass starvation. As such, global analysts and leaders should instead group countries together keeping the burden of colonization in mind.

     Many countries that were oppressed during the colonial era are now considered members of the ‘Global South.’ Because of this, the colonial legacy is woven into the self-consciousness of those in the ‘Global South,’ encompassing both those who embrace or reject the sweeping label. The lived experience of colonial subjugation has united these countries based on the common perception that their transnational collective identity is inherently different from, if not rivalrous to, their ‘Northern’ counterparts. Born out of this unity are alliances like the BRICS. The BRICS epitomizes the increasing recalcitrance of the rest of the world in following the foreign policy of the Atlantic powers. Thus, the balance of power on the international stage is shifting, as new actors rise to reshape international norms at the expense of traditional hegemons. 

     One salient actor among this disruptive new guard is India. India’s growing power reflects the shift in the world order. Suffering under 200 years of British rule, Indians saw their land pillaged, their rights abused, and their lives scarred. Now, close to 80 years later, India is a major economic player and has carved for itself an important role in geopolitics. Much of this development has been under Modi, whose domestic approval rating of 73% as of April 2025 is one of the highest among democratically elected leaders. Despite this, ‘Western’ analysts scorn Modi. 

     Why does Modi receive this condemnation? Because while in power, Modi has led India away from the path of democracy. In his efforts, Modi has trampled on the independence of the press, undermined opponents like the Indian National Congress, and dominated the judiciary. Free speech is also targeted by Modi’s administration. Many independent journalists and media houses are expected to heed Modi’s Hindu nationalist rhetoric. When they refuse to do so, they are censured. When the news organization BBC released a documentary in 2023 exposing Modi’s involvement in the anti-Muslim 2002 Gujarat riots, the central government banned the documentary in India. Afterwards, it raided the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai offices under claims of ‘tax evasion.’ The raids were a clear use of government resources to exact revenge. Non-government interest groups are also persecuted. For example, Indian authorities forced Amnesty International’s operations in India to shut down upon the group’s exposé of several human rights violations Indian officials committed in Jammu and Kashmir and during the 2020 Delhi Riots. So while India’s geopolitical power fortifies, its democracy declines.

     India’s ascendance to the global stage demonstrates that in today’s world, economic potential and geopolitical power matter more than a commitment to democracy. However, to single out India for this is disingenuous. Indeed, the decline of democratic principles is also affecting those considered bastions of liberalism. The Global State of Democracy’s 2024 report found that tenets such as the provision of civil liberties and the rule of law were under threat in Eastern Europe and nations like France, the Netherlands, and Spain. And then there is the United States, the chief enabler of Modi’s strength. Even as India’s secular democracy weakens under Modi, the United States nevertheless celebrates the nation’s newfound prowess. In 2023, President Biden honored Modi by hosting a state dinner in his honor. The warm reception of India by the United States could have symbolized the equal footing two historically different worlds now hold with one another, but the expected significance of such a moment was muted by New Delhi’s actions and Washington’s indifference. The message was clear: the reward for illiberalism is a feast at the White House. 

     While the emergence of India and others in the ‘Global South’ may seem like a case for justice after centuries of marginalization imposed upon this group of nations, their emergence is followed by a reckless indifference to democratic principles. This trend is not entirely universal, however. For example, Brazil, under President Lula da Silva, has made significant democratic milestones that are reversing the consequences of previous populist rule. Brazil demonstrates how democratization and growth do not have to be part of a zero-sum game. Consequently, there may be a path forward for formerly colonized countries. But in the current geopolitical landscape, leaders like Modi are not interested in this path.

     As the global order evolves, the term ‘Global South’ will become increasingly inaccurate, not only because it suggests geographical peripherality, but because it suggests geopolitical peripherality. While many may celebrate this shift of power as a form of restorative justice, the democratic shortcomings of these countries’ leaders may warrant caution. But why is democracy’s downfall in many of these ascending economies important? Because it opens us to an era of geopolitics where democratic underpinnings are no longer respected. In this ‘post-colonial’ era, the domination of the imperial powers is over, but the emergence of new actors may pose its own threat to fundamental liberal values.