The Russia-Ukraine War: Shaping Global Politics in the 21st Century
The Ukraine war will shape global politics for years to come. When the year began, the debate on Ukraine had already started. Vladimir Putin was amassing his troops around Ukraine.
Harsh V Pant
Professor of International Relations at King’s College London and Director of Research at Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi.
A Rising India: Sustaining the Growth Trajectory
This economic trajectory of India also gives India a distinct place in global politics today. There is a reason why the West, despite its differences with India over Ukraine, has continued to substantively engage with New Delhi. In fact, India's ties with the West have grown significantly amidst all the negative press India has received in the West. Where journalists remain prisoners of their short-term outlooks, policy-makers in the West recognize the real story -- the rise of India as a credible geopolitical and geo-economic player in the 21st century.
Major Power Contestation in New World Order: An Opportunity for India
To say that the year 2022 has been a tumultuous one would be an understatement. Even as the year comes to an end, Russia continues with its bombardment of Ukrainian cities, targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure with missiles and drones. The world’s second most powerful nation, China, is facing multiple pressures. In a matter of days, the Chinese Communist Party reversed its zero Covid policy as it came under pressure from the wider public that was tired of Xi Jinping’s strict Covid measures.
Indo-Pacific & the New Normal
With tensions between an aggressive China and an emerging India intensifying, there will be significant changes and challenges in the Indian Ocean and South Asian regions. As 2022 comes to an end, the world is embracing a ‘new normal’ where new fault lines are being reconfigured in the Indo-Pacific.
India’s Place in China’s Discernment
Recent clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers along the Line of Actual Control, or LAC, have once again underscored how a 20th-century conflict continues to shape the 21st-century trajectory of Sino-Indian relations and constrain New Delhi’s aspirations to play a larger role on the global stage. The Galwan Valley crisis of 2020 made it clear that Beijing had no intention of diplomatically resolving its border dispute with India. It also pushed Indian decision-makers into making certain choices that they were reluctant to make in the past, hoping against hope that engagement with China would be enough to produce the desired results.
Berlin Sought Closer Ties with Delhi
Germany is changing, its strategic worldview is evolving, and its arrival on the global stage as a geopolitical player comes with immense possibilities. This was displayed during German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock’s maiden visit to India last week. Her clear and confident articulation of Berlin priorities was in sync with expectations in New Delhi about the need for a robust India-Germany and India-European Union (EU) partnership to tackle the formidable challenges that the world faces.