Turbulence and conflicts have dominated the first six years of the 2020s. Events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the conflict in West Asia have disrupted the normal way of life across the world. COVID-19 disrupted global supply chains, exposing the vulnerabilities of nations dependent on some others for critical needs. That forced nations to look inwards, focusing on self-sufficiency and self-reliance. The Russia-Ukraine war that followed soon after further exposed key vulnerabilities in global security as well as intertwined issues of trade dependency and connectivity.
However, the mother of all disruptions has resulted from the war in Iran, leading to closure of sea traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point through which almost 20 percent of world’s crude oil and other petroleum products transit. The conflict is thus causing an unprecedented global energy crisis.
Yet India has been able to wade through these multiple crises successfully and its economy still continues to grow steadily. India developed a COVID-19 vaccine, which it exported to more than 110 countries. India thus won the trust and respect of the world.
When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, it was India’s message that resonated across the globe: “this is not the era of war.” Simultaneously, it withstood pressure from Europe and the United States and continued to buy crude oil from Russia to safeguard its energy security and exercise strategic autonomy.
