Fixed world order from 1945 was unrealistic, says EAM S Jaishankar

EAM S Jaishankar stated at the Raisina Dialogue that freezing the mid-20th century world order was 'unrealistic.' He argued power has spread out, leading to a multipolar world driven by technology and demographics, not just old metrics.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has stated that the global expectation of maintaining a fixed world order from the mid-20th century was "unrealistic," noting that power has now significantly "spread out" across various dimensions.

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue 2026, the Minister reflected on the evolving nature of global governance over the last seven decades. "When we look back at these 70 years, I think the expectation that we can freeze a 1945 or a 1989 forever was a very unrealistic one. In fact, look back at the 70 years. These 70 years, we debate, how did we do, why didn't it last, 70 years is 1% of Indian history. Why would 1% of Indian history last? Life moves on," Jaishankar said.

Drivers of Global Transformation

He argued that the international community's focus on historical frameworks failed to recognise the emerging drivers of global transformation. "I think this attachment to the past did not take into account the forces that were propelling the change. If there are going to be two big changes in this decade, one will be technology, but the other will be demographic," he told the audience.

A Shift Towards a Multipolar World

Addressing the shifting global power dynamics, Jaishankar noted that while much of the current geopolitical analysis remains focused on the United States, the world is moving toward a more fragmented distribution of influence. "A lot of the analysis is obviously centred around the changes in America. My sense is you're going to have a future which will really be much more multipolar because no country today has hegemony over so many domains that it is an overall hegemon," the Minister remarked.

The New Dimensions of Power

He further explained that modern power is no longer defined solely by traditional metrics of wealth or military might, but by specialised regional strengths. "It's not just a distribution of GDP and capabilities. I think in different domains, different parts of the world will contribute more or will have more capabilities. So the power in its different dimensions has spread out much more," Jaishankar added.

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