Self-appointed custodians of correctness cannot get away with it forever, EAM Jaishankar maintained

The weaponization of everything is leading to a larger change in international affairs, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday, highlighting how the Ukraine conflict has dramatically widened the scope of political leveraging.

"Trade, connectivity, debt, resources and even tourism have become points of political pressure. Gaming of global rules and practices for national advantage can no longer be overlooked," he argued while delivering a lecture at IIM Calcutta on the topic 'India and the World'.

According to EAM Jaishankar, sharpening great power competition is inevitably creating stress factors across multiple domains. "We are not just moving towards a different model of global interaction but also one of greater national opportunities. In India, we know this as Atmanirbhar Bharat," he said in a series of tweets highlighting the key points from his lecture.

He went on to say that the political consequences of globalization has created its own backlash with the world seeing a revived interest in strategic autonomy.

"When self-appointed custodians of correctness sit in judgement over global happenings, they cannot get away with it forever. Especially so when they have such strong vested interests in the outcomes," he explained.

Elaborating further, EAM Jaishankar said that the unfairness of globalization and stresses of the Covid experience have been aggravated by shortages and costs that derive from the developments in Ukraine. As a result,we are headed for a far more uncertain & insecure existence.

Highlighting another important point, he said that India, having such a large segment of vulnerable population, has to mitigate the impact of key negative trends. "We not only stand up for our own welfare, but speak on behalf of the Global South. We also have an obvious stake along with them in cooling down over-heated global politics," he pointed out.

India now had both the ability and the responsibility of shaping the global landscape, he said, adding that this was expressed in new concepts like the Indo-Pacific, mechanisms like Quad or I2U2 or initiatives like the International Solar Alliance.

"A lot of our foreign policy is devoted to preparing for, obviating, mitigating and reacting to national security threats. But clearly, a time has come that we need to decisively address longstanding vulnerabilities that a competitive world regularly exploits," he maintained.

Though his lecture, EAM Jaishankar also highlighted 10 reasons why India is taken more seriously now as moving towards becoming leading power:

1.Our handling of Covid.

  1. Robust eco recovery & digitally-enabled socio-eco delivery in a world of headwinds.

  2. Our growing economic relevance to the world.

  3. An independent foreign policy in an increasingly polarised world that also speaks for Global South.

  4. Innovative diplomacy that has introduced new concepts and platforms.

  5. Resolute national security policy.

  6. A determination to look after our own abroad.

  7. Willingness to serve as a First Responder.

  8. Contributing to global betterment through initiatives in solar energy, disaster resilience, maritime security and counter-terrorism.

  9. Perception of a civilizational state that is finding its place once again in the global order.