The International Relations of the North–South Divide: Historical Inequality, Contemporary Disagreement...

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Nicholas Lees (University of Liverpool)

The International Relations of the North–South Divide

Historical Inequality, Contemporary Disagreement and World Politics

Nicholas Lees (University of Liverpool)

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English

Bristol University Press
20 November 2025

Development studies; International relations; International institutions

Available open access digitally under a CC-BY-NC-ND license.

This book examines the significance of both historical and contemporary inequality in shaping diplomatic disagreements in international relations.

The author demonstrates that the North-South divide has endured into the 21st century by drawing on three decades of data measuring the foreign policy positions of states on divisive global issues, including new text-based measures of international priorities within the United Nations General Assembly. This divide reflects the dissatisfaction of many states of the Global South with the post-Cold War international order, owing to historical legacies of unequal development.

Wide-ranging and rigorous, this new empirical investigation demonstrates the ongoing relevance of material inequality for international politics and the multilateral system.

By: Nicholas Lees (University of Liverpool)
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781529253689
ISBN 10: 1529253683
Pages: 298
Publication Date: 20 November 2025
Audience: College/higher education , General/trade , Further / Higher Education , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Nicholas Lees is Senior Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Liverpool.

Reviews for The International Relations of the North–South Divide: Historical Inequality, Contemporary Disagreement and World Politics

“Lees offers an insightful and compelling account of how differences in foreign policy preferences can be attributed to the enduring North-South divide in global politics. The book combines robust empirical analyses and a rich array of theoretical insights to trace the factors that have contributed to global inequalities and that divide the foreign policy of the Global North and Global South. This is an important piece of scholarship that speaks to varying theoretical and empirical perspectives on global inequality and foreign policy.” Theresa Squatrito, The London School of Economics and Political Science