Emerging Powers and the Remaking of Global Order

October 15, 2026

The Policy Center for the New South, in partnership with The Asian Network, is organizing a webinar titled “Emerging Powers and the Remaking of Global Order” to examine the growing role of emerging powers and the Global South at a time of profound transformation in the international system.

As power becomes more diffuse, economic gravity shifts, multilateralism comes under pressure, and strategic competition intensifies, countries across Asia, Africa, the Gulf, and Latin America are seeking greater strategic autonomy, strengthening South-South trade and investment, advancing digital and green transitions, and calling for greater representation in global governance.

These ambitions, however, unfold against significant challenges, including debt vulnerabilities, climate exposure, geopolitical pressures, technological dependencies, and gaps in institutional reform.

Against this backdrop, the webinar will explore how emerging powers and countries of the Global South are navigating these transformations and contributing to the next phase of global governance. It will also examine the opportunities and constraints shaping their growing role and the forms of cooperation and institutional adaptation that could emerge as the international order continues to evolve.

Speakers
Bilal Mahli
International Relations Specialist
Bilal Mahli is an International Relations Specialist at the Strategic Analysis & Monitoring Unit of the Policy Center for the New South. His research focuses on Europe and the Middle East, analyzing geopolitical dynamics, policy development, and governance in these regions. Bilal holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve, Germany, and a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Cologne, Germany. He has previously worked in national public institutions in Germany, contributing to policy analysis and development. ...
Otaviano Canuto
Senior Fellow
Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, Affiliate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Brookings Institute. Former Vice President and Executive Director at the World Bank, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Vice President at the Inter-American Development Bank. ...
Shofwan Al Banna
Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations, Universitas Indonesia
...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    Giovanna Rinaldo
    November 4, 2026
    Brazil’s presidential election, which concluded on October 25, 2026, was above all a digital battle. This is nothing new; the impact of social media on elections has been widely analyzed since Barack Obama's 2008 win marked a turning point for digital campaigning worldwide. Almost two decades later, social media is an entirely different breed, with a life of its own – and still very little regulation within electoral politics. The danger, however, is that digital players now also in ...
  • October 29, 2026
    Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory brings to an end one of the most closely contested elections in Brazil’s recent history. Before any broader analysis, however, a qualification is necessary. Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin’s controversial decision to extend voting hours sparked debate over the electoral process. Although the measure was not mathematically decisive in Lula’s come-from-behind victory, the episode risks fuelling challenges to the result and further eroding poli ...
  • October 22, 2026
    Strategic hedging is rational when it preserves a worthwhile choice at a tolerable cost while respecting existing commitments. Drawing on the literature on hedging and Latin American autonomy, this Policy Brief examines contrasting illustrations of that proposition. It distinguishes ambiguity about future alignment from uncertainty about existing obligations and explains how clearly bounded commitments can reconcile autonomy with credibility. The cases reveal different vulnerabiliti ...
  • Authors
    Nizar Messari
    October 20, 2026
    In October 2026, Brazil will elect its president. It will also renew the entire lower legislative chamber and two-thirds of the upper chamber, elect governors in all states, and renew state legislatures. What will be the impact of these elections nationally, regionally, and internationally? Who are the main presidential candidates, and what are their agendas? What are the main challenges facing Brazil over the coming years? These are the questions that this Policy Brief seeks to ans ...
  • October 15, 2026
    The Policy Center for the New South, in partnership with The Asian Network, is organizing a webinar titled “Emerging Powers and the Remaking of Global Order” to examine the growing role of emerging powers and the Global South at a time of profound transformation in the international sys...
  • Authors
    Paul Isbell
    October 9, 2026
    In the first seven Policy Briefs of this ongoing series of analysis on Pan-Atlanticism: The Atlantic Basin in a Multipolar-Transnational World, we developed the argument that the strategic significance of the Atlantic Basin is on the rise for a range of international actors (states, regions and non-state agents) and from distinct political or ideological perspectives. In addition, in the most recently published Policy Brief -- “The U.S. and the Current International Reconfiguration: ...
  • October 7, 2026
    Brazil's election poses a question that extends well beyond Latin America: how much freedom does a country retain to define its international role when external pressure collides with domestic political exhaustion? For the Global South, the answer matters more than any foreign government's preference regarding the next occupant of the presidential palace. Strategic autonomy remains fragile if every change of government puts a country's freedom of action back up for negotiation. ...
  • October 02, 2026
    Building on his Policy Brief "Latin America, World Politics and the Great Powers", Nizar Messari examines how recent developments are reshaping U.S. influence in the region and affecting ...
  • Authors
    September 30, 2026
    You can imagine how often I've been asked to comment on where the Brazilian economy is headed after the election. With polls pointing to a runoff on October 25 and currently showing a statistical tie between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro in vote simulations, I'm naturally asked about their economic programs and about the country's relations with the United States. ...