India has a major role in shaping a new world order
BRICS Summit held in South Africa and the G20 Summit that just concluded in India, have intrigued the world with their agenda to declare themselves as true representative voices of the Global South, which refers to developing countries. Such representation suggests political and ideological opposition to a Western dominated world order, aimed at others claiming their rightful place as equal players in world affairs.
It raises the question of whether the dynamics of these groupings, in their new avatars, can genuinely challenge the power settings of today’s prevailing institutions of global governance. It has always been a dynamic world, with constant shifts of power, experimentation and adoption of innovative ideas that often lead to revamps of old norms and systems in preparation for a better evolved future that is more inclusive and hopefully more equitable and sustainable.
An approach based on global cohesion has seen demand increase, and the power shift that seems underway in a multipolar world may have its challenges, but also has momentum. While the pace of this shift may be debatable, its chance of actualization is realistic, given the fact that the old international institutions set up by the Global North (that is, developed countries) do not structurally reflect the global economic shifts that the world has witnessed over the past three decades or so.
This leads to the next important question. What will constitute a new world order? This may eventually depend on whether a global rebalance in this ‘Asian century’ has a Chinese or Indian imprint.
A proper answer will require us to analyse what each state and its long-term growth strategy represent. We must also understand whether this seemingly reformist agenda
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