External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar noted on Thursday that the world today is witnessing greater weaponisation, higher risk-taking and a politics suited to the social media era.
Delivering the keynote address at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2026, South Korea, Jaishankar said the inclination to assert differentials is greater and capabilities too are deployed with less hesitation.
He said technological advancement itself encourages such traits.
“As the interests of a few are openly prioritised, the costs to the many are less considered. This can only be countered by cooperation on more issues with greater players. At the end of the day, we will see whether multi-polarity really delivers,” the EAM said.
Jaishankar underlined the need for international cooperation in tackling global challenges such as pandemics and terrorism.
“Paradoxically, the challenges we confront have only further strengthened the centripetal side. Whether it is pandemics like Covid-19, acts of terrorism or the impact of extreme climate events, these cannot be contained within political jurisdictions. International cooperation is a must,” he said.
“Because our primary identity and decision-making instincts are fundamentally national, it does not happen automatically. Cultivating an openness towards the world is therefore essential. In India, we know it traditionally as ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ – the world is a family. Much of the current turbulence we see is about societies which are challenging that belief,” the EAM said.
He said politics is also at work against globalisation.
“When international regimes are perceived to be gamed, their acceptance starts to shrink. Some entrenched powers also find it hard to come to terms with loss of competitiveness. International economy then becomes a zero-sum game,” the EAM said.
Jaishankar stated that in an increasingly fragmented world, cooperation must be reinvented through five steps. Firstly, he called for “de-risking the international economy and diversifying production and supply chains,” emphasising that resilience and redundancy are essential to limit economic coercion.
Secondly, he advocated for “forging new understandings and closer relationships among influential nations,” arguing that such partnerships would help stabilise the global order and address issues and problems through agenda-specific cooperation.
Thirdly, he emphasised the need to enhance “awareness of the costs of narrow thinking and confrontation,” while underscoring the importance of collectively protecting and promoting international law and regimes, citing UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) as a good example.
Fourthly, he stressed the need to “encourage the power of aspiration” by providing the Global South with greater capacity and opportunities. “This would also create new factors of global growth,” EAM Jaishankar stated.
Finally, he called for the provision of global goods through common and shared endeavours.
“We cannot rely on a few to uphold rules and norms. The world must take more control over its own future. This, amongst others, must be expressed in reformed multilateralism,” the EAM said.
He said these five factors would make a powerful case for India and South Korea to cooperate more closely.