Great Power Politics is back with a twist

News: Great power politics between US and China is shaping every dimension of the global order

China’s rise has shaken the status quo in the global political order. As a rising power, it is challenging the foundation of the US-led global order. This has led to the US-China strategic competition.

Covid-19 has merely accelerated the trends that were already visible. As a result, the stage is set for a period of unrest.

How US-China strategic competition is shaping global politics?

First, the range of issues across which this competition is likely to be played out has expanded. From human rights to technology, from supply chains to defense. This contestation is now putting pressure not only on the other nations but also on the important institutions that shaped the present global order.

Second, the Indo-Pacific has become the center of contestation. The absence of any regional institutional architecture has led to the development of institutions such as the Quad and the Aukus.

Third, the middle powers, too, are actively engaging in this, by shaping the normative and institutional space as well as by pushing back against the Chinese aggression.

Fourthly, the call to strengthen democracy has become more pronounced, in the wake of the rise of authoritarian systems like China and Russia. The US President’s “Summit for Democracy” was aimed at generating a greater sense of solidarity among fellow democracies and preventing their “backward slide” around the globe.

What is the way forward for India?

The US-China competition is shaping every dimension of the global order, for instance, climate change and sustainable development, infrastructure and connectivity, trade partnerships, technological developments.

Indian foreign and security policies will have to contend with these shifts much like other nations.

Also, if India could make the right choices, this inflection point in global politics offers India an opportunity to emerge as a “leading power”.

Source: This post is based on the article “Great power politics is back with a twist” published in Business Standard on 30^th Dec 2021.