What is the issue?
- The Group of Seven (G7) countries held its ministerial meeting in London recently.
- This comes as a signal that the West is rebuilding its unity and strength, as against the perception of a declining west.
What led to the notion of a declining west?
- The notion of a declining West has been around for more than a century.
- But its recent credibility is rooted in the dramatic rise of China and its presumed capacity to overturn prolonged western dominance of the international system.
- The following developments with China seemed to tilt the scales against the West:
- rapid economic growth
- massive military modernisation
- impressive lead in new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence
- spectacular Belt and Road Initiative
- growing capacity to shape international institutions
- enhanced political influence across the world
- a deepening strategic partnership with Russia
- Reinforcing this has been the chaotic developments in the US during the four years of the Trump presidency.
- Trump trashed US alliances, abandoned America’s global leadership, walked out of global institutions, and tore up agreements signed by his predecessor.
How is the U.S at present under Biden’s administration?
- US President Joe Biden has brought order and purpose to governance at home.
- The US economy is roaring back on the strength of a huge economic stimulus and mass vaccination.
- Biden has brought a new vigour to American foreign policy as well.
- He has revitalised old US alliances in Europe and Asia and is building new global coalitions.
- Promising “extreme competition” with China, Biden has signalled that America is not willing to go gently in that front.
Where does India stand?
- Britain made invitation to India, along with Australia, South Korea and South Africa, to join the G-7 ministerial meeting and the summit thereafter.
- These are rooted in the conviction that Delhi must be an integral part of a powerful coalition of democracies to shape the global order in the 21st century.
- India seemed well poised to seize the new strategic opportunities coming its way.
- But India’s disastrous handling of the second wave of the coronavirus has set back hopes for an early rebound of the Indian economy.
- The situation has raised questions about its readiness to take a larger international role.
- Seen together with global dismay at Delhi’s democratic backsliding in recent years, India’s international prospects are dull.
- Despite this gloomy condition now, India’s society is resilient enough to recover and redeem its global possibilities.
Source: The Indian Express
