External Affairs Minister Jaishankar: “Global South Emanates from Shared Historical Experiences”
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has asserted that the era of “big deals” between dominant powers is over, noting that global multipolarity is now an irreversible reality shaped by shared historical experiences.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2026, Jaishankar highlighted how India’s actions during the pandemic demonstrated the tangible significance of the Global South.
“When Covid happened, the fact that a country like India, still in the midst of its vaccination drive, was willing to send vaccines to other countries of the Global South shows that the Global South is real. There is an emotion—and to some degree a culture—where the Global West is concerned. The Global South emanates from shared historical experiences,” he said.
He also observed a changing dynamic within Western alliances, noting a departure from the previously cohesive identity of the Global West.
“I think the Global West was probably a more unified term—culturally, politically, strategically—until recently. Now, there is a differentiation within the Global West,” the Minister remarked.
Addressing structural changes in international relations, Jaishankar emphasised that global power is no longer concentrated in the hands of a few.
“Multipolarity is here to stay. Some of the bigger countries may form temporary compacts on limited issues. I’m not saying they are insincere, maybe they are, but structurally, there will not be a ‘big deal’ between powers that the rest of the world simply has to accept. That era is over,” he told the audience.
The Minister added that the future of global cooperation depends on accepting this new distribution of power rather than attempting to reverse it.
