Introduction

The world’s leaders descend on New York City this week for the annual gathering of the United Nations—think of it as our global town hall. Amid the backdrop of the Ukraine war, spiralling inflation, natural disasters and heightening superpower tensions, there is a lot to be discussed. It comes also on the heels of the G20, where Indian PM Narendra Modi played a pivotal role in shaping global agreements on Ukraine and pushing for the African Union to join the bloc—an equivalent, he argues, to the EU. As the Global South continues to refuse to pick a side in the war in Europe, we are asking this week: is the West’s global dominance over?