Covid-19, Ukraine, and their economic fallouts, have shown us that in today’s world, every crisis has global dimensions. India, at this moment in time, is perhaps more involved in global multilateralism than it has been at any point in its history.
As we celebrate the seventh decade of our Republic, there are many achievements that India can be proud of. Today, the world looks at India with a new sense of anticipation as we emerge as one of the fastest-growing major economies. New Delhi is today seen as capable and willing to shape global outcomes and shoulder greater responsibilities in a world facing a leadership vacuum. There are challenges, but the optimism that radiates from India is a galvanizing force at a time when a fractured and polarised world has few bright spots.
Biden and the Republican House Speaker need to look beyond US borders as they negotiate the debt ceiling.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023 at Davos that got over recently was conspicuous in underlining the influence of geopolitics on contemporary global economic trends. Though this high-profile annual gathering in a Swiss resort is ostensibly aimed at reiterating the conventional economic wisdom on the need to further the agenda of economic globalization, there has been a distinct shift in the global mood over the last few years and there is no likelihood that things are going to return to “end of history" euphoria any time soon.
On December 1, 2022, India assumed the presidency of the G20 for a year. Preparations and blueprint for making it somewhat different than the previous ones were already afoot as India played a critical role at the Bali Summit in bridging the differences on the Russia-Ukraine issue and helping issuance of the Bali Declaration that was being dogged by the geo politics between Russia and the West.
The Taliban has promised not to allow terrorist attacks on others from Afghan soil, but it is unable to keep its word. Last month’s attack on Chinese nationals at a hotel in Kabul has rattled Beijing. For it had hoped to overcome the “graveyard of empires” and reap the benefits of its resources as well as fill the geopolitical vacuum in Afghanistan.
West Asia is India’s extended neighborhood with deep civilizational connect and historic and P2P roots. Over time, these have been categorized in the 3E matrix, which includes, though not exclusively, Energy Security; Economic Engagement; and Expatriates of Indian origin and their welfare. India’s nearly 9 million diaspora in West Asia, mostly in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, has been instrumental in developing their host countries while remitting over $50 billion to India, which has been significant and nearly accounts for 1/10th of India’s current foreign exchange reserves.