What Happened
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi (March 5–7), asserted that "no country today is an overall hegemon" and that the world's future would be "much more multipolar."
- He argued that the post-WWII and post-Cold War international orders — built around US primacy and institutions like the UN, IMF, and WTO — are being fundamentally challenged and cannot continue indefinitely.
- Jaishankar identified technology (AI, quantum computing, renewables), demographic shifts (youth bulges in Africa and Asia), and the rise of the Global South as key drivers of the multipolar transition.
- He emphasised India's unique position: a country with civilisational depth, the world's largest population, a growing economy, and relationships across all major power blocs — making it a natural "swing state" in any multipolar order.
- Jaishankar also called for reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to reflect contemporary geopolitical realities, citing India's long-standing case for a permanent UNSC seat.
Static Topic Bridges
Multipolarity and the Evolution of the International Order
The international order since 1945 was built on US-led unipolarity after the Cold War ended in 1991. Scholars like Charles Krauthammer described the post-1991 "unipolar moment." However, the rise of China, the EU's institutional weight, India's growth, and the reassertion of Russia have progressively moved the world toward multipolarity — a system where multiple great powers compete without any single dominant hegemon. UPSC questions frequently test the distinction between unipolar, bipolar, and multipolar orders, and India's role within them.
- Unipolar moment (1991-2008): US dominance across military, economic, and normative domains.
- G20 (est. 1999, elevated to Leaders' Summit 2008): reflects multipolarity — includes US, China, India, EU, Russia, Brazil, etc.
- BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa): a multipolar forum explicitly challenging Western-led institutions; expanded in 2024 to include Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Argentina.
- India chairs G20 in 2023; BRICS in 2021 — using both Western and non-Western platforms simultaneously.
- "Multi-alignment" is India's practical foreign policy response to multipolarity (as opposed to Nehruvian non-alignment).
Connection to this news: Jaishankar's multipolar thesis is the intellectual foundation of India's foreign policy — he argues India's strength grows as unipolarity weakens, since multipolarity gives middle powers like India greater room to manoeuvre.
UN Security Council Reform: India's Case for Permanent Membership
The UN Security Council has 5 permanent members (P5: US, UK, France, China, Russia) with veto power, and 10 non-permanent elected members. Its composition has not changed since 1965 (when non-permanent seats were expanded from 6 to 10). India leads the G4 group (with Germany, Japan, Brazil) that advocates for UNSC expansion. India's candidacy for a permanent seat rests on its population (~1.43 billion), economic size (~3rd largest by PPP), democratic credentials, and its role as a major UN peacekeeping contributor.
- UNSC P5 composition was set at the UN's founding in 1945 (San Francisco Conference).
- G4 (India, Germany, Japan, Brazil): propose 6 new permanent seats (without veto initially) and 4 non-permanent seats.
- Coffee Club (Uniting for Consensus): led by Italy, Pakistan, South Korea — opposes permanent seat expansion.
- India has served 8 terms as non-permanent UNSC member; most recent: 2021-22.
- UN Charter reform (including UNSC expansion) requires 2/3 majority in General Assembly + ratification by P5 — practically very difficult.
- China has consistently opposed India's permanent membership bid.
Connection to this news: Jaishankar's call for UNSC reform at Raisina 2026 reinforces India's long-standing diplomatic campaign — and is particularly timely given the Iran war exposing the UNSC's paralysis (P5 division prevented any collective response).
India as a "Vishwamitra" (Friend of the World): Global South Leadership
A recurring theme in India's current foreign policy discourse is its self-positioning as the voice of the Global South — developing nations that feel marginalised in global governance. India hosted the Voice of Global South Summits (2023, 2024) and made "One Earth, One Family, One Future" the theme of its G20 presidency. The concept draws on India's civilisational principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ("the world is one family") and positions India as a bridge between developed and developing worlds.
- Voice of Global South Summit I (January 2023): 125 countries; hosted virtually by India.
- India's G20 Presidency (2023): prioritised debt relief (Common Framework), food/energy security, digital public infrastructure, climate finance.
- India secured African Union membership in G20 during its presidency — a significant diplomatic win.
- India is the world's largest recipient of remittances (~$125 billion in 2023) and a major contributor to UN peacekeeping.
- "Vishwamitra" concept articulated by PM Modi: India as a global friend, not just a bilateral partner.
Connection to this news: Jaishankar's multipolar vision is inseparable from India's Global South leadership aspiration — he argues that as unipolarity wanes, the Global South (where India is the largest nation) gains structural influence.
Key Facts & Data
- Raisina Dialogue 2026: March 5–7, New Delhi; theme "Samskara – Assertion, Accommodation, Advancement"
- UN Security Council: 5 permanent members (P5), 10 non-permanent; last expanded in 1965
- India's UNSC non-permanent terms: 8 times; most recent 2021-22
- BRICS expanded in 2024: added Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia (Argentina declined)
- India's G20 Presidency 2023: African Union became G20 member under India's chairmanship
- Global South Summit I: 125 countries participated (January 2023)
- India: 3rd largest economy by PPP (~$14 trillion); world's largest democracy by population (~1.43 billion)