ABU DHABI, Broadcasting News Corporation : Global economics, politics and demographics have made the world “more multipolar” in which soft powers such as the UAE has a key role, India’s foreign minister said here on Thursday, adding that globalisation has to correct its faults “to broaden its benefits”. “I think the economics of the world the politics of the world the demographic of the world is making the world more multipolar. And I would argue that it is actually the natural diversity of the world, which got distorted in history, which is now kind of coming back into play,” Dr. S. Jaishankar, Indian External Affairs Minister, who is on an official visit to the UAE, said at an event at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) in Abu Dhabi.
Regional autonomy in multipolarity
In the past, “we used to think nationally, country as a unit. That’s not always true, and a region can be a unit,” he suggested in a fireside discussion with Mladenov Nickolay, Director-General of AGDA, citing the Middle East politics in the past ten years as an example. “I would argue that so many more things were decided in the Middle East regionally than they were in the previous days. So, there is a lot of regional autonomy, which is part of multipolarity.” Talking about the UAE’s role in such a multipolar world, Jaishankar said, “I find it very fascinating because in many ways the UAE has truly become the kind of global crossroads of this region.”
UAE among top 5 in world
About twenty years back the list of top five global cities could be different, but “today the UAE as a country and Dubai as a city would definitely feature out there,” the minister affirmed. There is a certain modernism and progressiveness in the UAE and debates here do not look at problems of the present and past only “but it is a polity, which is actually trying to address the opportunities as well as the challenges,” said the top Indian diplomat, emphasising that “for a big oil producer [UAE] to actually have such a big commitment to renewables such as hydrogen, I think, it is a very major statement.” Therefore, the association with the UAE, has been very beneficial to India as it shapes and influences “our thinking. It gives us opportunities to work with another modernistic, progressive society, which is why it is a pleasure to always come here,” Jaishankar affirmed.
Global demographic impact in next 25 years In the next 25 years one huge factor of change is going to be demography, which will favour India as it is likely to be the most populous nation in the world, he argued.
Among the present established powers, many of them will go through an enormous demographic change in the next 25 years. “So, if I were to look at the economy, if I were to look at the demographic, if I were to look at the technology, I think a lot of these trends really point for us in a good direction.” However, he does not support the argument on declining power of the U.S., a global superpower. “I am not a votary, frankly, of this declining U.S. [theory]. I would say the evidence points to the U.S. reinventing itself.”
Quad-like diplomacy to stay and way forward
Talking about the relevance of “the Quad,” the informal grouping of the U.S., Japan, India and Australia with shared economic and security interests in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions; and the I2U2 Group, which includes the UAE, the U.S., India and Israel, the minister said, “I do think this form of diplomacy is there to stay and it is the way forward for many.” He expressed his confidence about the future of I2U2 Group, highlighting the latest developments such as the recent top level Leaders’ Summit and launching two important projects on food corridor and green energy. There are a lot of interesting ideas on business, innovation and technology that are also evolving, the top diplomat added. “I think there’s a market out there, there’s a gap out there, there is an attraction among countries to find this kind of solution,” he asserted.
Globalisation should correct its ill-effects
Globalisation has created a fragile world, the minister argued. “What was projected as a solution to a lot of challenges for the entire world, [and while contributing so] the globalisation itself created challenges such as inequities between states, within societies. It created winners and losers. It has actually created overconcentration in some places.” The coronavirus pandemic, ongoing conflicts in some part of the world and even the climate disturbances make a global impact because of an increasingly connected world created by globalisation, Jaishankar said. However, globalisation is a reality, and nobody can keep away from it because “we are all very far gone in that process,” he suggested. “The issue is really the fairness of the globalisation process that does not yield enough benefits to all participants,” he pointed out. The real problem of globalisation is the overconcentration, and it has to be addressed and obviously within societies there has to be equity and fairness, the top diplomat suggested. He believes that “market fundamentalism era is behind us and today even right-wing politicians in many countries do not talk that the market will solve everything. I mean people do realise that the state has fundamental responsibilities that it cannot abdicate,” he explained. “So, my answer to you on globalisation would be, the solution has to come by correcting globalisation to broaden the ownership base and broaden the benefits of globalisation,” he said in response to a question from WAM. NEWS COLLECTED FROM EMIRATES NEWS AGENCY – WAM.