Opinion

Raisina Dialogue 2023: India’s way of revamping global geopolitics

India’s 8th edition of the Raisina Dialogue featured numerous debates on the current geopolitical and geoeconomic situation. The dialogue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as the Chief Guest of the event. Organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), the dialogue addresses the most pressing global challenges that the world is facing. With India’s G20 Presidency going on at full thrust with a motto of  ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ the Raisina Dialogue 2023 is yet another forum to enhance global cooperation.

Raisina Dialogue – “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest?”

The Raisina Dialogue, held from March 2–4, 2023, was a high-profile event that drew participants from over 100 nations, including ministers, former heads of state and governments, military commanders, captains of industry, technology leaders, academia, journalists, scholars of strategic affairs, experts from top think tanks, and young people.

The conversation centered on the five debate pillars for this year, namely Neo Insurgence: Geographies, Domains, Ambitions, Amoral Mosaic: Contest, Cooperate, or Cancel, Chaotic Codes: Sovereignty, Security, Society, Pernicious Passports: Climate, Commons, Citizens, Grey Rhinos: Democracies, Dependencies, and Debt Traps.

The Quad emerging as a significant player in Indo-Pacific

India, the United States, Australia, and Japan form the Quad Group, are gradually transforming into one of the most important and prominent voices in the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad Squad: Power and Purpose of the Polygon was the theme of the discussion during the Raisina Dialogue. Tracing India’s relationships with the Quad countries, it is evident that in the last few years, the bilateral ties have become deeper and more confident. Speaking at the discussion, EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar explained how gradually there was greater strategic clarity among the countries, which transformed the Quad group into a Summit-level grouping, and the role played by growing interstate relationships between the countries. Alongside EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar, leaders who marked their presence and deliberated on key issues in the discussion included Antony J. Blinken, US Secretary of State; Hayashi Yoshimasa, Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs; and Penny Wong, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.

EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar discussed the outcomes of the Quad conference during the discussion. He stated that the Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism would be established, that the Quad and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) would work more closely together, and that the Quad would support UN reforms via Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on the subject.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi sought to draw an analogy between legendary English rock band ‘The Beatles and Quad as more of a ‘soft Beatles’ where every member may release a solo album of their own. The Minister made these comments in the context of the Quad being a very flexible framework in which countries can act with one another in accordance with their national interests.

Three major areas that the world needs to address and where Quad can make a difference were further highlighted by EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar. Namely, more reliable and resilient supply chains, digital security, and connectivity.

India’s growing stature in the geopolitics

Speaking at the panel discussion ‘Turbulence, Temperament, and Temerity: Leadership in the Age of Uncertainty,’ former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said that India’s position is potentially more powerful than ever before and “it is absurd to think that India is not a permanent member of UN Security Council.” Kevin Pietersen, Former England Cricketer, and EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar were also speakers at the panel discussion.

During the discussion, EAM drew a comparison of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a cricket team captain and said he gave his bowlers a certain amount of freedom while expecting them to take wickets. The Minister made these remarks, explaining the functioning of the government under PM Modi.

On the subject of recent trends in the popularity of foreign policy-related matters among Indians, EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar said, “We all know that the world is in a tough place, and because of that, I think more people are getting interested in the world’s problems and in their solutions.” Further, explaining the increasing interest of youth in foreign policy-related matters, EAM said, “The globalization of India itself—we have a million Indian national students out in the world at any given point, there are 34 million Indians and people of Indian origin abroad.” The very deep globalization of India is therefore the reason young people are taking much more interest in the world, added the EAM.

India pitches for the Global South

During the Raisina Dialogue, MoS MEA Meenakashi Lekhi stressed the significance of the global south countries in establishing the new global order. The Minister said that the Global South is where three-fourths of humanity lives, but the term has been used more like a metaphor for underdevelopment. Moreover, the Minister underlined that during the pandemic, when countries all over the world turned inward, India provided COVID-19-related medical equipment and vaccines at a particularly difficult time to more than 100 countries, especially in the Global South. India has also continued to be a reliable partner for shared development while upholding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other nations, with development projects in 78 different countries.

The Minister also highlighted the importance of multilateralism and said, “It is of the utmost importance that we shape the New World on the pillars of multilateralism, freedom, independence, security, and prosperity, the alleviation of need and poverty in the world, sustainable development, equal opportunities, human rights, democracy and commitment to a peaceful and just international order.”

 

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