FOREWORD

RYAN ALEXANDER

The current issue of the Journal of Global South Studies furthers our incremental effort to understand the origin of the Global South and the multiple factors perpetuating its existence. Robert Portada uses the case of South Sudan to analyze the ways in which domestic private security firms in developing nations with personalist regimes compete in a marketplace dominated by foreign firms centered in economically developed Western nations. Benjamin Barton joins the historical debate on the reasons behind the erosion of Global South–South cooperation, moving the discussion away from the overbearing influence of the Global North and toward an understanding of structural weaknesses within the Global South as a major cause. Taiwo Bello explains the role of Ivory Coast president Felix Houphouet Boigny in securing the independence of Biafra from Nigeria, exploring how he leveraged his support of Biafra to bolster his own nation’s reputation. As always, I want to thank the editorial staff at both the Journal of Global South Studies and the University of Florida Press, along with the peer reviewers and book reviewers who volunteer their time for the betterment of the journal.

Our parent organization, the Association of Global South Studies, was established to provide an international structure to support the humane and scientific study of peoples, problems, and issues in the world’s developing countries, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life in those places. The late Dr. Harold Isaacs, professor emeritus of history at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Georgia, founded the Association of Third World Studies (ATWS), Inc., in 1983. The association now has a global membership and chapters in South Asia and Africa. In the summer of 2016, following a vote of the members of the association, ATWS was renamed the Association of Global South Studies (AGSS).

As ATWS, the association began its history as an institution in 1991 when, under a newly ratified constitution, elected officials assumed responsibility for the management of the organization. Since 1992, the executive headquarters have been located at Georgia Southern University (1992–2003), Mississippi State University (2003–2006), Louisiana State University–Shreveport (2006–2024), and the State University of New York at Plattsburgh (2024–). Due to the dedicated and energetic leadership of Zia H. Hashmi and Paul Rodell at Georgia Southern, Shu-hui Wu at Mississippi State, William Pederson at LSU-Shreveport, and Lauren Eastwood at SUNY Plattsburgh, AGSS has made great progress as a global, professional organization. In 1995, the United Nations recognized the success of AGSS by granting it UN “consultative status,” thus enabling the association to increase its direct impact on world development. AGSS has an established and newly revamped website, which can be found at http://apps.gsw.edu/atws/.

Membership in AGSS is open to any person interested in studying the developing countries. Yearly membership dues are $60.00, which includes an annual subscription to JGSS. The yearly subscription rate is $60.00; single copies are $30.00. Discounts are available for students and those living in the developing countries. Journal subscription, as well as copies of JTWS/JGSS, may be obtained by writing to the editor, Ryan Alexander, at ralex006@platts burgh.edu. Individuals interested in submitting articles to be considered for publication by the JGSS Board of Editors should send a message to the same.

Articles appearing in this journal can be found through the databases JSTOR and Project MUSE and are abstracted and indexed in the International Bibliography of Periodical Literature, the International Bibliography of Book Reviews, the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, the International Political Science Abstracts, Political Science Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life, Periodica Islamica, A Matter of Fact, Media Review, Consumers Index, Social Sciences Index, University Microfilms, PAIS Indexes, and CAB International (CABI).

RYAN ALEXANDER, EDITOR