Polarity, Norms and Choices: India and a Polycentric World Order - In Conversation with Dhruva Jaishankar

There is an emerging yet nascent consensus among International Relations scholars about the fading of the Manichean world order. The binary lens of great powers and bipolarity; democracy and authoritarianism; norm creators and receivers, is no longer sufficient to explain the contemporary geopolitical developments. The fate of this multipolar, polycentric world depends mainly on the choices made by 'emerging powers. Be it the post-pandemic recovery of the global economy largely driven by emerging markets or the transition to clean energy, the demand of which, again, is driven by the emerging markets of the 'global south' or the increasing relevance of multilateral institutions, the choices made by the emerging global south reflects the shifting global zeitgeist.

India is one such emerging power whose current strategic stance is the pinnacle of strategic autonomy, emphasizing diplomatic activity, geopolitical pragmatism, placing national interests before bloc politics, and maintaining connections with all parties so that it can utilize these relations to get the best possible result, even during times of global turbulence. However, despite these developments, India risks becoming increasingly marginalized in an emerging international order marked by renewed bifurcation fueled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the China-U.S. strategic rivalry. Developments in the Indo-Pacific can be seen as a microcosm of this. At the same time, New Delhi maintains lukewarm support of more exclusive and functionally driven plurilateral groupings, such as the Quad where New Delhi remains unwilling to become enmeshed in the securitization of institutionalized regional initiatives akin to the Five Eyes or AUKUS. In this context, it remains to be seen if India's long-standing commitment to non-alignment/strategic autonomy will serve to strengthen or weaken its position in the emerging global order.

This panel draws on the expertise of Dhruva Jaishankar and Pavel Luzin, moderated by our very own Prof. Daniel Drezner, to explain the variables that feed into the making of India's policy choices in this evolving global order.

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Co-hosted with: Eurasia Club

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