New York, Sep 29 (IANS): The world is moving towards a more multipolar order as countries adjust to a changing United States, its dealings with China and the erosion of old trading assumptions, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in New York.
EAM Jaishankar said governments were looking for ways to reduce risk, diversify their partnerships and get more from existing relationships. He described the process as an adjustment to a more competitive international environment.
“The rest of the world is busy making its arrangements,” he said after discussing the relationship between the United States and China.
EAM Jaishankar pointed to what he described as an erosion of alliances and a greater tendency by the most powerful country to act alone. He also raised the possibility of closer dealings between the world’s two largest powers, while saying competition between them limited what they could agree on for everyone else.
He said countries outside that rivalry were seeking their own solutions. They were considering new partners, weighing existing ties and trying to protect themselves from disruptions.
The minister described a paradox at the centre of present-day diplomacy: intense competition alongside deep economic interdependence. When one country gained leverage through that dependence, he said, there was a growing temptation to use it against another.
“Diplomacy has become an extreme sport,” EAM Jaishankar said. Governments had to respond quickly to high-risk decisions while keeping the patience needed for longer negotiations, he added.
He cited geographical, financial, travel and market-access “choke points” as examples of the pressure countries could exert. He also said assumptions underpinning the trading system had been weakened over time by practices that departed from market principles.
EAM Jaishankar said the United States was now pursuing a different approach to trade, including deals negotiated with individual partners. He argued that the shift could produce new bargains and relationships, though it would take time for a new pattern to emerge.
India, he said, would seek a balance among its relationships with the United States, Europe, Japan, China, Russia, the Gulf, ASEAN and parts of the Global South. He likened the approach to “portfolio management”.
That did not mean accepting constant instability, he said. Major trading countries had strong reasons to seek dependable partners and predictable conditions, even if a particular arrangement offered a smaller immediate gain.
“I’m not pessimistic about the world,” Jaishankar said. He expected countries to make new bargains as they worked through the present period of competition and uncertainty.
He also rejected the suggestion that the United States alone had caused the weakening of international economic rules. Market assumptions had been eroded earlier, he said, while current American policies were changing the way countries negotiated with one another.
The United Nations was founded in 1945, when the balance of economic and political power differed markedly from today’s. Debate over how international institutions should reflect changes in that balance has continued for decades.
India participates in groupings that bring together different sets of partners, including the G20, BRICS and the Quad. Those forums give it several channels for pursuing its diplomatic and economic interests.
