Olu Allen
The world is not run by saints. It never has been. And if recent events in the Middle East have taught us anything, it’s that soft power without hard teeth is just a nice-sounding illusion.
While Gaza smoulders and the Israeli war machine tightens its grip, with blessings and bullets from superpower allies, the Global South watches in real time what it means to lack deterrent power in a world that only respects fire.
What’s happening is not just a humanitarian catastrophe. It’s a geopolitical lesson written in the blood of the powerless. And we, in Africa, in Latin America, in parts of Asia, should take notes.
If we don’t start thinking beyond hand-me-down diplomacy and donor dependence, we will continue to be the world’s battlefield and its afterthought.
Deterrence is the New Diplomacy
Let’s not kid ourselves. Nuclear weapons are not just about destruction—they are about being taken seriously. The five countries that matter at the UN Security Council table all have one thing in common: the bomb. They don’t always act justly. But they act with impunity. And no one dares blink.
Now, I am not advocating for a reckless nuclear arms race in already unstable regions. But I am asking a simple question: where is the deterrent doctrine of the Global South?
Where is the collective defence thinking? Where are the homegrown technologies, satellites, cyber capabilities, advanced drones, and continental military-industrial strategies?
If we do not have the means to defend our sovereignty, we have no sovereignty.
Stop Outsourcing Our Survival
We still behave as if foreign troops will save us from terrorism. We ask international donors to fix our healthcare, feed our refugees, and fund our elections. We even outsource the narrative of our suffering, waiting for Western media to care before we do.
This infantilisation must end.
Leadership in the Global South must shift from reactive to strategic, from begging to building. What we face—from insurgencies to economic sabotage, climate collapse to disinformation wars—demands a new kind of leadership. Not presidents-for-life who dance to IMF music while their countries burn, but visionaries who can think 50 years ahead and marshal their populations toward purpose, not pity.
Relevance is a Choice
Nobody is going to give us a seat at the table. We must build our damn table—and let them come asking for a seat.
This means regional integration, not just talkshops. It means investing in science, not just sports stadiums. It means cultivating our thinkers, engineers, and strategists, not just clapping for “foreign investors” who see us as cheap labour and resource mines.
Israel is brutal. But it is prepared. And that preparation—however one judges it—forces the world to listen.
Can we say the same for our region?
Until we do, we remain beautiful, bountiful, and disposable.
Olu Allen is a public affairs analyst and educator based in Kano. He writes regularly on global politics, African affairs, and governance for national and international publications.
