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COVER STORY SEPTEMBER 12, 2025 | The Indian Eye 4

THE MULTIPOLAR TURN

NEW WORLD

ORDER?

As the US carries out its tariff war and struggles with strained alliances, India, Russia, and China are

strengthening ties under platforms like the SCO and BRICS, redefining the balance of global power

OUR BUREAU
Tianjin/ New Delhi / Tokyo
or much of the post-Cold War
era, the global system has been
Fdescribed as unipolar, domi-
nated by the economic, military, and
technological clout of the United
States. That order is now showing
unmistakable signs of strain. Lead-
ers across Eurasia—from Moscow to
Beijing to New Delhi—are calling for
an end to unipolarity and working to
shape a more balanced, multipolar
system.
Russian President Vladimir Pu-
tin articulated this vision most direct-
ly during his recent visit to China,
where he described the very notion
of a unipolar world as “unfair” and
unsustainable. He stressed that a
multipolar system does not mean a
new hegemon taking the place of the
US, but rather a framework where
“all actors of international relations
must be equal.”
This thinking is increasingly
echoed in forums such as BRICS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the venue of the Shanghai Cooperation
the Shanghai Cooperation Organi- Council (SCO) Summit, in Tianjin on Monday. (ANI Photo)
zation (SCO). These platforms not
only give voice to the collective con-
cerns of the Global South but also Asia are coordinating more actively bridge and a balancing power. At the ment suggested a greater receptive-
provide tangible mechanisms to re- than at any point in recent decades. 25th SCO Summit, Modi met with ness from China, which has often
shape trade, security, and technolog- While disagreements among them President Putin and President Xi Jin- been accused of shielding Pakistan at
ical cooperation. The SCO Summit remain, the very act of consen- ping, affirming India’s willingness to international forums.
in Tianjin underscored this momen- sus-building reflects a slow but steady shape the rules of engagement in Asia Equally significant was Modi’s bi-
tum, with leaders discussing reform shift away from Western dominance. and beyond. lateral meeting with Xi Jinping. Both
of global governance, counter-ter- In his speech at the SCO, Modi leaders spoke of India and China as
rorism strategies, and cooperation INDIA AT THE CENTER underlined three pillars for coop- “development partners, not rivals,”
in cutting-edge areas like artificial eration: security, connectivity, and signaling a willingness to stabilize re-
intelligence. mid this transition, India’s role opportunity. His emphasis on coun- lations that have been strained since
The outlines of multipolarity is proving decisive. Prime Min- tering terrorism resonated strongly the 2020 border clashes. Although
are visible: large economies like In- Aister Narendra Modi’s back- after the Pahalgam attack, and the differences remain profound, the
dia and China, energy powerhouses to-back visits to Japan and China in summit’s final declaration reflect- recognition that disputes should not
like Russia, and a coalition of middle late August highlighted how New ed India’s concerns by condemning define ties points to a pragmatic re-
powers from Central and Southeast Delhi is positioning itself as both a cross-border terrorism. That align- Continued on next page... >>

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