The US and its allies owned the skies, no opponents of theirs could compete with them in the air but now concerns are being raised as China is rapidly catching up with the West.

How China is fast catching up with the West | China 'pulling ahead' in air-to-air missiles

Russia and China agreed to deepen security cooperation across Eurasia to oppose US and Western influence. According to Lavrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed such a move, and the two countries agreed to "start a dialogue with the involvement of our other like-minded people on this issue."

Russia-China relations: Lavrov hits out at west over 'illegal sanctions'

China and Russia agree to boost ties

Hours after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov in Beijing, China on Wednesday (April 10) vowed that it would not accept "criticism or pressure" over its ties with Russia.&nbsp;

Washington had warned that it would hold Beijing responsible if Moscow made gains in Ukraine.

"China and Russia have the right to engage in normal economic and trade cooperation," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, adding: "This kind of cooperation should not be interfered with... China also does not accept criticism or pressure".

Also watch |&nbsp;Gravitas | Xi-Putin Bonhomie at Risk as China Continues Sneak Invasion of Russia

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Lavrov is on a two-day visit to China. This is his first high-accord visit abroad after Russian President Vladimir Putin was elected Russian president for an unprecedented fifth term last month.&nbsp;

Lavrov also met with Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi earlier on Tuesday (April 9).

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vladimir-putin-from-soviet-fight-picking-child-to-russias-reigning-president-701470">Vladimir Putin: From Soviet fight-picking child to Russia's reigning president</a>

Russian President Putin, shortly after winning the elections, suggested that he was considering China for his first visit overseas, in another sign of deepening Moscow-Beijing ties.&nbsp;

Putin has deployed Russian ties with China to partly escape the crippling nature of Western economic sanctions imposed on Russia after Moscow launched a military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.

The Kremlin on Tuesday (April 9)&nbsp;confirmed that such a visit was "in the works", saying Lavrov's trip could be viewed as "preparations for upcoming interaction at the highest level", state-run news agency Tass reported.&nbsp;

During his meeting with Lavrov, Xi pledged to strengthen communication with Russia and said Beijing supports Moscow in "maintaining social security and stability", according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.&nbsp;

Lavrov said "consolidating and enhancing" relations with China was the "priority of Russia’s foreign policy", according to Chinese state media.

Putin last visited Beijing in October 2023, for the Belt and Road Forum.&nbsp;

Xi made a state visit to Moscow in March 2023 after entering his third term as Chinese president.

Xi and Putin have a history of bonhomie that has escaped the pleasant pretence of diplomatic warmth. Xi once called Putin his most "intimate friend". On Xi Jinping's birthday in 2019, Putin gifted his Chinese counterpart a box of ice cream, in a show of bonhomie not much seen among global strongmen leaders.

(With inputs from agencies)

Hours after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov in Beijing, China on Wednesday (April 10) vowed that it would not accept "criticism or pressure" over its ties with Russia.

Hours after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov in Beijing, China on Wednesday (April 10) vowed that it would not accept "criticism or pressure" over its ties with Russia. Washington had warned that it would hold Beijing responsible if Moscow made gains in Ukraine. "China and Russia have the right to engage in normal economic and trade cooperation," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, adding: "This kind of cooperation should not be interfered with... China also does not accept criticism or pressure". Also watch | Gravitas | Xi-Putin Bonhomie at Risk as China Continues Sneak Invasion of Russia × Lavrov is on a two-day visit to China. This is his first high-accord visit abroad after Russian President Vladimir Putin was elected Russian president for an unprecedented fifth term last month. Lavrov also met with Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi earlier on Tuesday (April 9). Also read | Vladimir Putin: From Soviet fight-picking child to Russia's reigning president Russian President Putin, shortly after winning the elections, suggested that he was considering China for his first visit overseas, in another sign of deepening Moscow-Beijing ties. Putin has deployed Russian ties with China to partly escape the crippling nature of Western economic sanctions imposed on Russia after Moscow launched a military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022. The Kremlin on Tuesday (April 9) confirmed that such a visit was "in the works", saying Lavrov's trip could be viewed as "preparations for upcoming interaction at the highest level", state-run news agency Tass reported. During his meeting with Lavrov, Xi pledged to strengthen communication with Russia and said Beijing supports Moscow in "maintaining social security and stability", according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Lavrov said "consolidating and enhancing" relations with China was the "priority of Russia’s foreign policy", according to Chinese state media. Putin last visited Beijing in October 2023, for the Belt and Road Forum. Xi made a state visit to Moscow in March 2023 after entering his third term as Chinese president. Xi and Putin have a history of bonhomie that has escaped the pleasant pretence of diplomatic warmth. Xi once called Putin his most "intimate friend". On Xi Jinping's birthday in 2019, Putin gifted his Chinese counterpart a box of ice cream, in a show of bonhomie not much seen among global strongmen leaders. (With inputs from agencies)

Putin to visit Beijing soon? Lavrov's China visit lays groundwork as the two countries defy West

Slovakia will be heading to polls this Saturday for the runoff presidential polls. Though the president plays a ceremonial role in the country all odds will of course be on the election as the vote could decide whether the central European nation will lean towards the European Union or could it notch closer towards Russia.

Slovakia elections: Ivan Korcok is up against Peter Pellegrini | Pro-West vs Pro-Russia faceoff

#The West Asia Post | In his latest work, Joseph Chalouhi, a French-Lebanese painter is trying to bring to light the rich history of the place. His message is to move beyond the traumas of the past for a positive vision of the future. Ghadi Francis gets you more

French-Lebanese artist blends architecture and heritage

Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin is out. The Russian president sat down with the news anchor for several hours. It began as a history lesson. Then there was some ranting, some joking and some snarling. But mostly, Putin had an open stage to take jabs at the US.

Gravitas | Putin asks US: Don't you have anything better to do? | Tucker Carlson interview

Indian-origin students have mysteriously died in U.S. over the past few weeks prompting concerns among the community and calls for investigation. The latest case is of Shreyas Reddy Benigeri, a student of the Lindner School of Business, Cincinnati. Benigeri's death is the fourth such incident in the past few days and sixth in the month of January. No foul play was suspected but the Indian community in U.S. is concerned. Is the U.S. no longer safe for students?

Gravitas | Alarm as Indian students die mysteriously in US | West no longer safe?

Tehran ramps up space missions amid concern of war spillover. The West remains critical of Iran's space missions. West fears Iran could develop long-range ballistic missile system. Watch to know more!

Iran successfully launches satellites as West criticises space project

At least 19 people were killed and nearly 2,000 inmates escaped in Sierra Leone when the country's main military barracks and prisons were attacked on the 19th of November. The Sierra Leone government designated the Sunday's assault as a failed coup attempt which aimed to "subvert and overthrow" the government. Several countries in the West and Central Africa are under military rule after a series of recent coups, including Sierra Leone's neighbour Guinea as well as Mali, Niger and Chad. In Sierra Leone itself, the political situation has been tense since June this year after President Julius Maada Bio's re-election in a disputed vote. Mohammed Saleh brings you the details.

Nearly 2,000 inmates escape during attempted coup

Top U.S and European diplomats sought ways on Sunday to keep the Gaza war from spreading in the Middle East, but three months after the conflict erupted, more bloodshed underlined the challenge and Israel was set on pressing its campaign.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, were on separate trips to the region to try to quell spillover from the war into Lebanon, the West Bank and Red Sea shipping lanes, where Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have vowed to keep up attacks until Israel halts its campaign in the Palestinian enclave.

"We have an intense focus on preventing this conflict from spreading," said Blinken, who was in Jordan on Sunday and will also travel to Israel, the West Bank, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt during his fourth trip to the region.

Jordan's King Abdullah urged Blinken to use Washington's influence over Israel to press it for an immediate ceasefire, a palace statement said, warning him of the "catastrophic repercussions" of Israel's continued military campaign.

Despite global concern over the death and destruction in Gaza and international pressure for a ceasefire, Israeli public opinion remains firmly behind the operation aimed at wiping out the Hamas group that rules Gaza, although there has been a big drop in support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He has not taken responsibility for the security failures that allowed Hamas to attack southern Israel on Oct. 7. But he has vowed to press on with the retaliatory action.

"The war must not be stopped until we achieve all the goals - the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. I say this to both our enemies and our friends," Netanyahu said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Some 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to Israeli officials. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas. For Israelis, the deadliest day in the country's history and the accounts of atrocities that later emerged left a sense that the survival of the country is at stake.

Israel's offensive has so far killed 22,835 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials on Sunday. Some 113 Palestinians were killed and 250 others were wounded in separate Israeli strikes on Gaza in the past 24 hours, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said.

An Israeli air strike on a car near Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday killed two Palestinian journalists who were out reporting, according to health officials in Gaza and the journalists' union there.

The fighting has displaced most of the enclave's 2.3 million population, with many homes and civilian infrastructure left in ruins amid acute shortages of food, water and medicine.

“We hope that ... Blinken looks at us with an eye of mercy, ends the war, ends the misery we are living in. We are a people that must live a free and dignified life," said one woman, Um Mohamad Al-Arqan, standing by the tent where she is living.

Blinken, who visited Turkey and Greece at the start of his trip, will aim to press hesitant Muslim nations in the region to prepare to play a role in the reconstruction, governance and security of Gaza if and when Israel achieves its goal of eliminating Hamas, said a senior State Department official.

<h2>Focus on Central, Southern Gaza</h2>

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari summarised the offensive on Saturday, saying Israeli forces had completely&nbsp;dismantled Hamas' "military framework" in northern Gaza and had killed around 8,000 militants in that area.

"We are now focused on dismantling Hamas in the centre of and south of the (Gaza) strip," he said in an online briefing.

Palestinian health ministry casualty figures do not differentiate between fighters and civilians, but the ministry claims that 70% of Gaza's dead are women and people under 18.

Gun battles intensified in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis as well as in districts in the centre of the densely populated Palestinian enclave.

Smoke rose from the sites of Israeli bombing on Sunday morning east and north of Khan Younis. Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis killed 50 people, health officials in Nasser Hospital said on Sunday.

Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip killed gunmen loading weapons into a vehicle and dismantled a launch site that fired rockets towards Israel, the Israeli military said.

Hamas' armed wing said its fighters destroyed a troop carrier in Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Outside Gaza, there was fresh violence in the occupied West Bank. Israeli aircraft fired on Palestinian militants who had attacked troops in the West Bank, the military said, and Palestinian health officials said seven Palestinians were killed in the strike.

An Israeli border police officer was killed and others wounded when their vehicle was hit by an explosive device during operations in the West Bank city of Jenin, the military and police said.

The West Bank had already seen its highest levels of unrest in decades during the 18 months before the Gaza war, and confrontations have since risen sharply. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers and settlers over the past weeks in the West Bank and security forces have made thousands of arrests.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Top U.S and European diplomats sought ways on Sunday to keep the Gaza war from spreading in the Middle East, but three months after the conflict erupted, more bloodshed underlined the challenge and Israel was set on pressing its campaign.

Top U.S and European diplomats sought ways on Sunday to keep the Gaza war from spreading in the Middle East, but three months after the conflict erupted, more bloodshed underlined the challenge and Israel was set on pressing its campaign. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, were on separate trips to the region to try to quell spillover from the war into Lebanon, the West Bank and Red Sea shipping lanes, where Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have vowed to keep up attacks until Israel halts its campaign in the Palestinian enclave. "We have an intense focus on preventing this conflict from spreading," said Blinken, who was in Jordan on Sunday and will also travel to Israel, the West Bank, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt during his fourth trip to the region. Jordan's King Abdullah urged Blinken to use Washington's influence over Israel to press it for an immediate ceasefire, a palace statement said, warning him of the "catastrophic repercussions" of Israel's continued military campaign. Despite global concern over the death and destruction in Gaza and international pressure for a ceasefire, Israeli public opinion remains firmly behind the operation aimed at wiping out the Hamas group that rules Gaza, although there has been a big drop in support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has not taken responsibility for the security failures that allowed Hamas to attack southern Israel on Oct. 7. But he has vowed to press on with the retaliatory action. "The war must not be stopped until we achieve all the goals - the elimination of Hamas, the return of all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. I say this to both our enemies and our friends," Netanyahu said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. Some 1,200 people were killed and 240 were taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to Israeli officials. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas. For Israelis, the deadliest day in the country's history and the accounts of atrocities that later emerged left a sense that the survival of the country is at stake. Israel's offensive has so far killed 22,835 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials on Sunday. Some 113 Palestinians were killed and 250 others were wounded in separate Israeli strikes on Gaza in the past 24 hours, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said. An Israeli air strike on a car near Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday killed two Palestinian journalists who were out reporting, according to health officials in Gaza and the journalists' union there. The fighting has displaced most of the enclave's 2.3 million population, with many homes and civilian infrastructure left in ruins amid acute shortages of food, water and medicine. “We hope that ... Blinken looks at us with an eye of mercy, ends the war, ends the misery we are living in. We are a people that must live a free and dignified life," said one woman, Um Mohamad Al-Arqan, standing by the tent where she is living. Blinken, who visited Turkey and Greece at the start of his trip, will aim to press hesitant Muslim nations in the region to prepare to play a role in the reconstruction, governance and security of Gaza if and when Israel achieves its goal of eliminating Hamas, said a senior State Department official. Focus on Central, Southern Gaza Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari summarised the offensive on Saturday, saying Israeli forces had completely dismantled Hamas' "military framework" in northern Gaza and had killed around 8,000 militants in that area. "We are now focused on dismantling Hamas in the centre of and south of the (Gaza) strip," he said in an online briefing. Palestinian health ministry casualty figures do not differentiate between fighters and civilians, but the ministry claims that 70% of Gaza's dead are women and people under 18. Gun battles intensified in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis as well as in districts in the centre of the densely populated Palestinian enclave. Smoke rose from the sites of Israeli bombing on Sunday morning east and north of Khan Younis. Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis killed 50 people, health officials in Nasser Hospital said on Sunday. Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip killed gunmen loading weapons into a vehicle and dismantled a launch site that fired rockets towards Israel, the Israeli military said. Hamas' armed wing said its fighters destroyed a troop carrier in Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Outside Gaza, there was fresh violence in the occupied West Bank. Israeli aircraft fired on Palestinian militants who had attacked troops in the West Bank, the military said, and Palestinian health officials said seven Palestinians were killed in the strike. An Israeli border police officer was killed and others wounded when their vehicle was hit by an explosive device during operations in the West Bank city of Jenin, the military and police said. The West Bank had already seen its highest levels of unrest in decades during the 18 months before the Gaza war, and confrontations have since risen sharply. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers and settlers over the past weeks in the West Bank and security forces have made thousands of arrests. Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. (With inputs from agencies)

Israel-Hamas war: Western diplomats aim to prevent Gaza spillover after three months of conflict

The year of great strategic realignment; China's diplomatic coup in West. Watch the video to know more.

The year of great strategic realignment; China's diplomatic coup in West

Post October 7, 2023, the world has been thrown into tumult. The proximate cause for that is the war between Israel and Hamas which has now entered into its third month. Mutually reinforcing traumas of both Palestinians and Israelis render this war ‘maximalist’ or almost zero-sum. This much is well-known and obvious. But there are broader ramifications and implications. These pertain to democracy and democratisation - two allied ideas and themes that trace their wellsprings to the Idea of the West. Concomitants and relates of western inspired modernity, it has been held, partly out of hubris and partly ignorance that both constitute the ‘endpoint’ of humankind’s political evolution and thereby history. The tone for this view was perhaps set by the great political scientist, the late Samuel Huntington and his ‘modernisation thesis’. The great scholar dwelt on the ‘Third Wave of Democratisation’ and held it to be an augury of the future. But we enter the third decade of the 21st century, there is a veritable ‘democratic recession’ on the anvil with ‘democratic backsliding’ taking place across the world.&nbsp;

Before exegeting on the thematic concern of this essay, a wee digression first: I do not aim to dwell on the reasons for ‘democratic recession’; neither am I making value-laden judgements on democracy itself. I have a far more limited point to make and adumbrate upon: the West’s almost missionary impulse and proselytisation about democracy. Is the West right about insisting upon democracy as the panacea for the non-West? If it is, does it stand morally and ethically qualified to do so?&nbsp;

In the war between Palestinians and Israelis lies most of the answer. This war has polarised world opinion, more stridently in the Western world. One immediate recall of this is the strident and poignant calls for ceasefire between Palestinians and Israel. Massive demonstrations have taken place across the Western world supporting the ceasefire. But no major government that has given unqualified support to Israel has even budged. In fact, the United States even vetoed a proposal for the same. Now the point I would like to make is inferential (but very valid): if those in power in the Western world owe and derive their power from the vox (people), then legislation and policy must reflect the distilled essence of the preferences of the very same people. On the proverbial ground, however, what is observed is that to quell these protests two prongs are employed: one is the policing power of the states and two discursive power of the media to decry these (sometimes). At the levels of legislation and policy, there is zero traction. My question (as naïve as it may sound) is: Is this democracy?

Watch | US: Obama fears Biden could lose in 2024? | Race to Power

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Two, mainstream Western media, either because of being wedded to ‘convention’ or ‘convention plus ideology’ chooses to put an interpretative grid on events that cannot said to be ‘objective’. Moreover, any dissenting view that goes against their respective news and editorial slants and stances are not given space. But power, privilege and interest as defined by conventional media is privileged. If media or the Fourth Estate is the guard rail of democracy, is not it failing this basic ‘acid test?

Third, at a more prosaic but nonetheless important level of analysis, if democracy loosely correlates with justice or fairness or ‘Justice as fairness’, which Western country can claim to be the society that emblematises this? ‘Facts’ suggest that in this regard a great elision takes place where contradictions are justified either with parsimonious explanations or ‘economics’ is employed as a justificatory premise. Instead of the ‘rule of law’, there appears to be ‘rule by lawyers’. By this I mean the very prosaic but very elemental fact that deprives many from access to justice let alone the tenets of justice. Consider a hypothetical illustration here. A student on an immigrant visa in a Western country falls foul of staff in his/her university. The staff member does not like the cut of her or his jib. Now ‘rules being rules’ – that is both subjective and objective or open to interpretation - and where hypothetical staff member can use his/her power and discretion to nullify the student’s studentship in the sense of enrolment at the uni.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/the-west-needs-to-take-a-fresh-look-at-itself-and-the-world-heres-why-638521">The West needs to take a fresh look at itself and the world. Here’s why</a>

This has immigration implications. If the student’s immigration status is hampered, effectively he/she does not have any real redress and his/her life is effectively ruined. This holds not only for outsiders to a Western society but its insiders in an 'n' number of permutations and combinations. In essence then if a native of a Western society especially from a socio-economic class that is not privileged and falls foul of the law, effectively he/she has no real and effective means of redressal. He/she has to live with the injustice. If the West’s ‘rule of law’ dictum falls short, not merely of the ideal but also in utilitarian terms, then how can the West use this dictum and lecture the non west?

Arguably, with respect to the latter, it can be said no society is perfect and dismiss this argument on utilitarian grounds with the caveat that ‘things are getting better’. Even if this explanation is accepted, what about the voice of the people, law, legislation and public and foreign policy? And what about the ‘sentinel of democracy’, the media? In terms of people, legislation and policy, if the war between Israel and Palestinians is employed as an illustrative example then the question is whether foreign policy drives domestic policy or vice versa? If it is the former, then again democracy stands implicated. And if media is instead of educating the public ‘manufacturing consent’ then the Fourth Estate is failing. This obviously constitutes another failure of democracy. The point to note is that these egregious failures are not happening in Africa or Asia but in the crucible and centre of gravity of democracy, the West.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/an-open-letter-to-donald-trump-yes-make-america-great-again-664540">An open letter to Donald Trump: Yes, Make America Great Again</a>

These then are moral and ethical failures. And if these hold, then the West has forfeited any claim – proselytizing or otherwise – to preach about democracy to the non-West. Now all this does not actually implicate democracy, in principle, but surely in practice. The obvious corollary here is that before looking outward the West must look inward and within. That is, it must set its house in order first.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/the-pity-of-war-why-israel-must-be-stopped-648509">'The pity of war’: Why Israel must be stopped</a>

The foregoing discussion is not an idle exercise in frivolity. I, the author of this essay, have vantage points on the issues delineated: I have earned this perch and vantage point. What has accrued, in the main is the synthesis between reason, rationality and tradition. I do not owe this to any university or an academic setting; it is my ‘blood and sweat’, so to speak that has gone into the making of these. The thematic concern of this essay is then an important and significant issue - fraught with consequences and implications for both the West and the world at large. All of us need to think and introspect - more so the West!

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Post October 7, 2023, the world has been thrown into tumult. The proximate cause for that is the war between Israel and Hamas which has now entered into its third month.

Post October 7, 2023, the world has been thrown into tumult. The proximate cause for that is the war between Israel and Hamas which has now entered into its third month. Mutually reinforcing traumas of both Palestinians and Israelis render this war ‘maximalist’ or almost zero-sum. This much is well-known and obvious. But there are broader ramifications and implications. These pertain to democracy and democratisation - two allied ideas and themes that trace their wellsprings to the Idea of the West. Concomitants and relates of western inspired modernity, it has been held, partly out of hubris and partly ignorance that both constitute the ‘endpoint’ of humankind’s political evolution and thereby history. The tone for this view was perhaps set by the great political scientist, the late Samuel Huntington and his ‘modernisation thesis’. The great scholar dwelt on the ‘Third Wave of Democratisation’ and held it to be an augury of the future. But we enter the third decade of the 21st century, there is a veritable ‘democratic recession’ on the anvil with ‘democratic backsliding’ taking place across the world. Before exegeting on the thematic concern of this essay, a wee digression first: I do not aim to dwell on the reasons for ‘democratic recession’; neither am I making value-laden judgements on democracy itself. I have a far more limited point to make and adumbrate upon: the West’s almost missionary impulse and proselytisation about democracy. Is the West right about insisting upon democracy as the panacea for the non-West? If it is, does it stand morally and ethically qualified to do so? In the war between Palestinians and Israelis lies most of the answer. This war has polarised world opinion, more stridently in the Western world. One immediate recall of this is the strident and poignant calls for ceasefire between Palestinians and Israel. Massive demonstrations have taken place across the Western world supporting the ceasefire. But no major government that has given unqualified support to Israel has even budged. In fact, the United States even vetoed a proposal for the same. Now the point I would like to make is inferential (but very valid): if those in power in the Western world owe and derive their power from the vox (people), then legislation and policy must reflect the distilled essence of the preferences of the very same people. On the proverbial ground, however, what is observed is that to quell these protests two prongs are employed: one is the policing power of the states and two discursive power of the media to decry these (sometimes). At the levels of legislation and policy, there is zero traction. My question (as naïve as it may sound) is: Is this democracy? Watch | US: Obama fears Biden could lose in 2024? | Race to Power × Two, mainstream Western media, either because of being wedded to ‘convention’ or ‘convention plus ideology’ chooses to put an interpretative grid on events that cannot said to be ‘objective’. Moreover, any dissenting view that goes against their respective news and editorial slants and stances are not given space. But power, privilege and interest as defined by conventional media is privileged. If media or the Fourth Estate is the guard rail of democracy, is not it failing this basic ‘acid test? Third, at a more prosaic but nonetheless important level of analysis, if democracy loosely correlates with justice or fairness or ‘Justice as fairness’, which Western country can claim to be the society that emblematises this? ‘Facts’ suggest that in this regard a great elision takes place where contradictions are justified either with parsimonious explanations or ‘economics’ is employed as a justificatory premise. Instead of the ‘rule of law’, there appears to be ‘rule by lawyers’. By this I mean the very prosaic but very elemental fact that deprives many from access to justice let alone the tenets of justice. Consider a hypothetical illustration here. A student on an immigrant visa in a Western country falls foul of staff in his/her university. The staff member does not like the cut of her or his jib. Now ‘rules being rules’ – that is both subjective and objective or open to interpretation - and where hypothetical staff member can use his/her power and discretion to nullify the student’s studentship in the sense of enrolment at the uni. Also Read | The West needs to take a fresh look at itself and the world. Here’s why This has immigration implications. If the student’s immigration status is hampered, effectively he/she does not have any real redress and his/her life is effectively ruined. This holds not only for outsiders to a Western society but its insiders in an 'n' number of permutations and combinations. In essence then if a native of a Western society especially from a socio-economic class that is not privileged and falls foul of the law, effectively he/she has no real and effective means of redressal. He/she has to live with the injustice. If the West’s ‘rule of law’ dictum falls short, not merely of the ideal but also in utilitarian terms, then how can the West use this dictum and lecture the non west? Arguably, with respect to the latter, it can be said no society is perfect and dismiss this argument on utilitarian grounds with the caveat that ‘things are getting better’. Even if this explanation is accepted, what about the voice of the people, law, legislation and public and foreign policy? And what about the ‘sentinel of democracy’, the media? In terms of people, legislation and policy, if the war between Israel and Palestinians is employed as an illustrative example then the question is whether foreign policy drives domestic policy or vice versa? If it is the former, then again democracy stands implicated. And if media is instead of educating the public ‘manufacturing consent’ then the Fourth Estate is failing. This obviously constitutes another failure of democracy. The point to note is that these egregious failures are not happening in Africa or Asia but in the crucible and centre of gravity of democracy, the West. Also Read | An open letter to Donald Trump: Yes, Make America Great Again These then are moral and ethical failures. And if these hold, then the West has forfeited any claim – proselytizing or otherwise – to preach about democracy to the non-West. Now all this does not actually implicate democracy, in principle, but surely in practice. The obvious corollary here is that before looking outward the West must look inward and within. That is, it must set its house in order first. Also Read | 'The pity of war’: Why Israel must be stopped The foregoing discussion is not an idle exercise in frivolity. I, the author of this essay, have vantage points on the issues delineated: I have earned this perch and vantage point. What has accrued, in the main is the synthesis between reason, rationality and tradition. I do not owe this to any university or an academic setting; it is my ‘blood and sweat’, so to speak that has gone into the making of these. The thematic concern of this essay is then an important and significant issue - fraught with consequences and implications for both the West and the world at large. All of us need to think and introspect - more so the West! (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Dear West. You need democracy more than ‘us’. Work toward that Now!

Another tiny nation got embroiled in scuffles between the army and some rebel factions forcing the president to dissolve parliament. Guinea-bissau's leader umaro sissoco embalo issued a decree, saying that the date of forthcoming legislative elections will be set at the opportune moment, in line with the constitution. Earlier it was sierra leone having to deal with another attempted coup, indicating the fragility these nations that lie along the continent's west coast

Unstable tiny nations of Africa's west

Amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, Arab League's Ambassador to Delhi Yusuf Mohamed Jameel has said that he has got assurances from India that its position on the Palestine issue remains unaltered. In an interview with our Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Ambassador Jameel pointed to his discussions with Indian officials and emphasized that "Our friends in India always assure us that the only solution is the peace solution, the 2-state solution with borders of 1967, and this is the main issue."

India has reaffirms unaltered stance on Palestine says Arab League's Ambassador

Russia Simulates Nuclear Strike. It comes after the nation opted out of the Nuclear treaty. The upper house of parliament voted to revoke the ratification of a nuclear test ban treaty.

Russia simulates nuclear strike overseen by President Putin after opting out of nuclear treaty

Amidst talk of ‘Western decline’, ‘retreat of the West’, the ‘resurgence of China’ and so on, a fine but important point is lost: the West — pared to the essence — is an idea. That this idea took hold in certain geographies is a paradox: it may be both self-explanatory and a mystery at the same time. Disaggregated, the ideational premises that undergird the West are a certain notion about humans, the rights that inhere in these, rule of law, and an idea how humans can organise themselves in political communities. (These are, to employ academic jargon, ideal types- that is, no Western society perfectly corresponds to these but there are variations that hark back to the foundational idea(s) of the West). Obviously, this a reductive delineation of the ‘idea of the West’ but, in the main it constitutes the broad thrust of the idea. Can this idea ‘decline’? Is it declining? If it is, what are the countervailing ideas that challenge it? Do these ideas have traction? Is there a correlation between the idea of the West and the actual West? Does this actual west live up to the idea(s) of the West?

I may, as a starting point, make my stance and vantage&nbsp;point clear: my cognitive and intellectual development and quasi-healing of a fractured personality took place in the West. The former – I do not owe the West – but I attribute it to an intense quest for knowledge and understanding and then immersing myself in the highest intellectual and philosophical traditions of the West. The latter can be attributed to the positive emotional stimulus that I received from a couple of bold and beautiful people in and of the West. But to qualify this assertion, these people were not and are not ‘mainstream’ Westerners. They were unconventional. This is insofar as my intellectual, cognitive and quasi-emotional development is concerned. Structurally, the West has not been kind to me (actually, by and large the converse). The point of delineating this is to make my position clear: I do not have an axe to grind, nor do I have an agenda, neither am I reflexively ‘anti-Western’ nor am I a ‘drooling lick spittle’ of the West.

To hark back to the questions posed in this essay and attempt a response, the idea(s) of the West are powerful and potent. Who can quibble with the assertion that rights inhere in humans or that rule of law should govern society and that contingent on a normative consensus in and among society it should organize itself into a political community that reflects these principles or even ideas? But there are countervailing forces to these broad ideas. An example might suffice to illustrate this: China, in the nature of a contemporary ‘other’ to the West, offers another model to the world as the one to emulate. The features of this model are (roughly) the primacy of the party-state sitting atop a society that privileges ‘order’ over ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’, a partriarchical form of governance that is contra the normative principles of democracy overlaid by a nationalism correlating to a political economy paradigm that expects fidelity to these organising principles. While the West in terms of international relations wants its principles and ideas to be reflected in ‘world order’ and regimes that buttress it, China desires the converse. This battle lies at the heart of what has come to be known as ‘Cold War 2.0’.

The West and China then stand in contradistinction to and with each other. Who or what is the audience of this battle? The rest (or the non-West) is the answer. The timing of this battle is delicate: it comes at a time when the post-Cold War 1.0 order is emerging and shaping, where the colonial hangover of other states is dissipating or becoming poignant, and where importantly technology is shaping not only discourse and narrative but is gradually and inexorably becoming the arbiter of power and the power game in this century and beyond. Against this backdrop, the battle is morphing into a geopolitical context of will reflected in the building of hard power capabilities of the West, rest and China.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-reviving-cold-war-underwater-surveillance-network-to-tackle-china-638422">US reviving Cold War-era underwater surveillance network to tackle China</a>

In the interstices of these lies the fatal danger: in a turbo-charged contest of wills, geopolitical considerations and the privileging of the security problematique over ideas, principles and values, state interest(s) become determinative of states’ foreign, defence and security policies. This is a special danger for the West. The entity risks becoming a hollow husk if not a contra hologram of itself - its ideas, principles and ideals. If this scenario becomes real (trend analysis shows it is becoming so), then the whole world becomes an arena, a battlefield of realpolitik-informed premises.&nbsp;

In this schemata, power becomes the ultimate quest of states (with all its negative corollaries). Principles and ideals cede space to naked power defined as interest. While admittedly dangerous for the world (and even global security), the arena of politics - global and local - morphs into a prosaic, unromantic quest. This probable scenario cuts and eats into the very idea(s) of the West. In this prosaic power, whosoever has maximum power wins. But power neither happens nor occurs in a vacuum: it gets diffused. Whether it is China or the West that wins in the power game, the hold of either on the world will be tenuous and fraught. In the ultimate analysis, it is principle, ideas and ideals wedded to power - that is wielded in and informed by sagacity, farsightedness and long term vision - that wins the day. It is here that the West must take recourse to principle and prudence over narrow interest(s). The question is how.

For far too long, the West has either become too self-absorbed — an obsessive focus on identity politics, for example —&nbsp;introverted and short-sighted. All this is reflected in varying permutations and combinations in its domestic, foreign and security policies and of course political debates within. In the process, it has lost sight of itself. A corollary of this has been losing touch with the world beyond.&nbsp;

A paragraph from the famed novel, ‘The Ugly American’, might illustrate this point to some extent. In one of the scenes in the novel, a Burmese journalist, out of frustration observes that, ‘the American people that I meet in my country are not the same that I knew in the United States. A mysterious change seems to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land. They isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously, They are loud and ostentatious'. &nbsp;Of course, this vignette is not an accurate description and thereby reflection of what is sought to be highlighted in this essay. But it captures to a large extent its thrust.&nbsp;

In other words, what is sought to be conveyed in the vignette is engagement, understanding, defined by curiosity, humility and keenness to learn about others. The West has retreated into itself engaging with the world only in the idiom of geopolitics, security and interests. This does not even caricature the West. To be true to itself, and to be truly representative of itself, it needs to come out of the self imposed shell, and not see the world as a mere grand chessboard of politics informed by moves and counter moves. Let the West do this and engage the rest in terms of its ideas and ideals. If these are inherently and intrinsically potent, let the world decide and let the defining conflict of the 21st century be fought on the terrain of ideals, ideas and principles.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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Amidst talk of ‘Western decline’, ‘retreat of the West’, the ‘resurgence of China’ and so on, a fine but important point is lost: the West — pared to the essence — is an idea.

Amidst talk of ‘Western decline’, ‘retreat of the West’, the ‘resurgence of China’ and so on, a fine but important point is lost: the West — pared to the essence — is an idea. That this idea took hold in certain geographies is a paradox: it may be both self-explanatory and a mystery at the same time. Disaggregated, the ideational premises that undergird the West are a certain notion about humans, the rights that inhere in these, rule of law, and an idea how humans can organise themselves in political communities. (These are, to employ academic jargon, ideal types- that is, no Western society perfectly corresponds to these but there are variations that hark back to the foundational idea(s) of the West). Obviously, this a reductive delineation of the ‘idea of the West’ but, in the main it constitutes the broad thrust of the idea. Can this idea ‘decline’? Is it declining? If it is, what are the countervailing ideas that challenge it? Do these ideas have traction? Is there a correlation between the idea of the West and the actual West? Does this actual west live up to the idea(s) of the West? I may, as a starting point, make my stance and vantage point clear: my cognitive and intellectual development and quasi-healing of a fractured personality took place in the West. The former – I do not owe the West – but I attribute it to an intense quest for knowledge and understanding and then immersing myself in the highest intellectual and philosophical traditions of the West. The latter can be attributed to the positive emotional stimulus that I received from a couple of bold and beautiful people in and of the West. But to qualify this assertion, these people were not and are not ‘mainstream’ Westerners. They were unconventional. This is insofar as my intellectual, cognitive and quasi-emotional development is concerned. Structurally, the West has not been kind to me (actually, by and large the converse). The point of delineating this is to make my position clear: I do not have an axe to grind, nor do I have an agenda, neither am I reflexively ‘anti-Western’ nor am I a ‘drooling lick spittle’ of the West. To hark back to the questions posed in this essay and attempt a response, the idea(s) of the West are powerful and potent. Who can quibble with the assertion that rights inhere in humans or that rule of law should govern society and that contingent on a normative consensus in and among society it should organize itself into a political community that reflects these principles or even ideas? But there are countervailing forces to these broad ideas. An example might suffice to illustrate this: China, in the nature of a contemporary ‘other’ to the West, offers another model to the world as the one to emulate. The features of this model are (roughly) the primacy of the party-state sitting atop a society that privileges ‘order’ over ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’, a partriarchical form of governance that is contra the normative principles of democracy overlaid by a nationalism correlating to a political economy paradigm that expects fidelity to these organising principles. While the West in terms of international relations wants its principles and ideas to be reflected in ‘world order’ and regimes that buttress it, China desires the converse. This battle lies at the heart of what has come to be known as ‘Cold War 2.0’. The West and China then stand in contradistinction to and with each other. Who or what is the audience of this battle? The rest (or the non-West) is the answer. The timing of this battle is delicate: it comes at a time when the post-Cold War 1.0 order is emerging and shaping, where the colonial hangover of other states is dissipating or becoming poignant, and where importantly technology is shaping not only discourse and narrative but is gradually and inexorably becoming the arbiter of power and the power game in this century and beyond. Against this backdrop, the battle is morphing into a geopolitical context of will reflected in the building of hard power capabilities of the West, rest and China. Also Read | US reviving Cold War-era underwater surveillance network to tackle China In the interstices of these lies the fatal danger: in a turbo-charged contest of wills, geopolitical considerations and the privileging of the security problematique over ideas, principles and values, state interest(s) become determinative of states’ foreign, defence and security policies. This is a special danger for the West. The entity risks becoming a hollow husk if not a contra hologram of itself - its ideas, principles and ideals. If this scenario becomes real (trend analysis shows it is becoming so), then the whole world becomes an arena, a battlefield of realpolitik-informed premises. In this schemata, power becomes the ultimate quest of states (with all its negative corollaries). Principles and ideals cede space to naked power defined as interest. While admittedly dangerous for the world (and even global security), the arena of politics - global and local - morphs into a prosaic, unromantic quest. This probable scenario cuts and eats into the very idea(s) of the West. In this prosaic power, whosoever has maximum power wins. But power neither happens nor occurs in a vacuum: it gets diffused. Whether it is China or the West that wins in the power game, the hold of either on the world will be tenuous and fraught. In the ultimate analysis, it is principle, ideas and ideals wedded to power - that is wielded in and informed by sagacity, farsightedness and long term vision - that wins the day. It is here that the West must take recourse to principle and prudence over narrow interest(s). The question is how. For far too long, the West has either become too self-absorbed — an obsessive focus on identity politics, for example — introverted and short-sighted. All this is reflected in varying permutations and combinations in its domestic, foreign and security policies and of course political debates within. In the process, it has lost sight of itself. A corollary of this has been losing touch with the world beyond. A paragraph from the famed novel, ‘The Ugly American’, might illustrate this point to some extent. In one of the scenes in the novel, a Burmese journalist, out of frustration observes that, ‘the American people that I meet in my country are not the same that I knew in the United States. A mysterious change seems to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land. They isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously, They are loud and ostentatious'. Of course, this vignette is not an accurate description and thereby reflection of what is sought to be highlighted in this essay. But it captures to a large extent its thrust. In other words, what is sought to be conveyed in the vignette is engagement, understanding, defined by curiosity, humility and keenness to learn about others. The West has retreated into itself engaging with the world only in the idiom of geopolitics, security and interests. This does not even caricature the West. To be true to itself, and to be truly representative of itself, it needs to come out of the self imposed shell, and not see the world as a mere grand chessboard of politics informed by moves and counter moves. Let the West do this and engage the rest in terms of its ideas and ideals. If these are inherently and intrinsically potent, let the world decide and let the defining conflict of the 21st century be fought on the terrain of ideals, ideas and principles. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

The West needs to take a fresh look at itself and the world. Here’s why

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that there is a need to shed the “West is the bad guy” syndrome, as he said that they are not flooding goods on a massive scale in Asia and Africa, in an indirect reference to China.

In an interview to Indian news channel Asianet on Sunday (Sept 17), Jaishankar further said that his remarks should not be seen as a defence of the Western countries.

He was in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the launch of the&nbsp;PM Vishwakarma scheme.

"It is not the West which is flooding Asia and Africa with goods on a massive scale. I think we need to get over the syndrome of the past that the West is the bad guy and on the other side are the developing countries. The world is more complicated, the problems are much more complicated than that," the minister said in response to a question by former Indian diplomat TP Sreenivasan, who interviewed Jaishankar for the channel.

<h2>China's&nbsp;trade and economic policies</h2>

He said the issue today was the building up of a strong sense, over the last 15-20 years, over the inequities of globalisation where countries saw their products, manufacturing and employment come under stress due to their markets being flooded by cheap goods — an indirect reference to the Chinese trade and economic policies.

The minister said this underlying resentment and pain of those countries regarding the global economy was building up for the last 15-20 years and the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict resulted in prices of energy and food items going up.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-foreign-minister-to-visit-russia-from-september-18-to-21-636973">China's foreign minister to visit Russia from September 18 to 21</a>

“So, there was a sense of anger building up in countries about them being used as an extractive resource to fuel the economy of another nation and added that the West was not to be blamed for that,” he added.

<h2>Not defending West</h2>

He, however, quickly pointed out that he was not defending the West and said that the way manufacturing is being leveraged and subsidised, it is affecting the manufacturing of many nations’ economies.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/manipur-indian-army-soldier-abducted-while-on-leave-killed-636932">Manipur: Indian Army soldier abducted while on leave, killed</a>

However, India's manufacturing, agriculture, scientific achievements like the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ability to vaccinate, etc,&nbsp;all of that has created a sense among the Global South, which includes the African Union, "that one of us has the ability to stand, grow and progress".

"So, they identify with us in a way that they do not with other people," Jaishankar said.

Commenting on why Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the G20 summit in New Delhi, Jaishankar said the reasons were up for speculation.

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Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that there is a need to shed the “West is the bad guy” syndrome, as he said that they are not flooding goods on a massive scale in Asia and Africa, in an indirect reference to China.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that there is a need to shed the “West is the bad guy” syndrome, as he said that they are not flooding goods on a massive scale in Asia and Africa, in an indirect reference to China. In an interview to Indian news channel Asianet on Sunday (Sept 17), Jaishankar further said that his remarks should not be seen as a defence of the Western countries. He was in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the launch of the PM Vishwakarma scheme. "It is not the West which is flooding Asia and Africa with goods on a massive scale. I think we need to get over the syndrome of the past that the West is the bad guy and on the other side are the developing countries. The world is more complicated, the problems are much more complicated than that," the minister said in response to a question by former Indian diplomat TP Sreenivasan, who interviewed Jaishankar for the channel. China's trade and economic policies He said the issue today was the building up of a strong sense, over the last 15-20 years, over the inequities of globalisation where countries saw their products, manufacturing and employment come under stress due to their markets being flooded by cheap goods — an indirect reference to the Chinese trade and economic policies. The minister said this underlying resentment and pain of those countries regarding the global economy was building up for the last 15-20 years and the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict resulted in prices of energy and food items going up. Also read | China's foreign minister to visit Russia from September 18 to 21 “So, there was a sense of anger building up in countries about them being used as an extractive resource to fuel the economy of another nation and added that the West was not to be blamed for that,” he added. Not defending West He, however, quickly pointed out that he was not defending the West and said that the way manufacturing is being leveraged and subsidised, it is affecting the manufacturing of many nations’ economies. Also read | Manipur: Indian Army soldier abducted while on leave, killed However, India's manufacturing, agriculture, scientific achievements like the Chandrayaan-3 mission, ability to vaccinate, etc, all of that has created a sense among the Global South, which includes the African Union, "that one of us has the ability to stand, grow and progress". "So, they identify with us in a way that they do not with other people," Jaishankar said. Commenting on why Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the G20 summit in New Delhi, Jaishankar said the reasons were up for speculation. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

‘Should get over West is bad guy syndrome’, says India’s Jaishankar in indirect swipe at China

The Kim-Putin summit begins. The leaders hold bilateral talks. Kim solidified his stance of support for Russia

Kim Jong Un to Vladimir Putin: I support your sacred battle against the West

While the G20 Summit's Delhi Declaration addressed a range of global challenges, the omission of Russia by name while referring to the war in Ukraine remained conspicuous. The G20 Summit's outcome left Ukraine searching for stronger condemnation and a more unified response against Russia.

Shairee Malhotra, the Think20 Taskforce Coordinator for India's G20 presidency, offered insights into the situation.&nbsp;

Malhotra said, "It is understandable that Ukraine would feel this way."&nbsp;

"Ukraine would have expected and wanted to see concrete and firm references calling out Russian aggression, which the declaration avoids even though it does call on states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty."

After the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration was adopted with the consensus of G20 member nations, Ukrainian foreign affairs ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "G20 adopted a final declaration. We are grateful to the partners who tried to include strong wording in the text. However, in terms of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, G20 has nothing to be proud of."&nbsp;

Asked whether the absence of outright mention of Russia indicated dwindling support for Ukraine, Malhotra stated, "No, the absence of any mention of Russia in the Delhi Declaration does not signify dwindling military or political Western support for Ukraine."&nbsp;

Malhotra explained that the declaration was a result of "India’s skilled drafters and negotiators who managed to gain consensus on the ‘impossible’ document."&nbsp;

<h2>Testament of India's close ties with US, Europe</h2>

She said the declaration was also a testament to India's close bilateral ties with the United States, European Union and other Western states.

Despite their support for Ukraine, she added, US and European G20 members "would not have wanted India’s G20 presidency to conclude without a successful joint statement."&nbsp;

China's role in supporting the declaration also raised curiosity.&nbsp;

Malhotra pointed out, "China would not have signed on to a text that was explicitly critical of Russia, given its close relations with the country."&nbsp;

While it did not explicitly condemn Russia's actions, the declaration highlighted the disruptive impact of the war, particularly on developing countries, the expert added.&nbsp;

Emerging economies led by India and including Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa played a significant role in convincing developed economies to sign the text, she said.

Malhotra suggested that China's presence on the same side can be attributed to its ongoing competition for influence in the Global South.

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While the G20 Summit's Delhi Declaration addressed a range of global challenges, the omission of Russia by name while referring to the war in Ukraine remained conspicuous.

While the G20 Summit's Delhi Declaration addressed a range of global challenges, the omission of Russia by name while referring to the war in Ukraine remained conspicuous. The G20 Summit's outcome left Ukraine searching for stronger condemnation and a more unified response against Russia. Shairee Malhotra, the Think20 Taskforce Coordinator for India's G20 presidency, offered insights into the situation. Malhotra said, "It is understandable that Ukraine would feel this way." "Ukraine would have expected and wanted to see concrete and firm references calling out Russian aggression, which the declaration avoids even though it does call on states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty." After the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration was adopted with the consensus of G20 member nations, Ukrainian foreign affairs ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "G20 adopted a final declaration. We are grateful to the partners who tried to include strong wording in the text. However, in terms of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, G20 has nothing to be proud of." Asked whether the absence of outright mention of Russia indicated dwindling support for Ukraine, Malhotra stated, "No, the absence of any mention of Russia in the Delhi Declaration does not signify dwindling military or political Western support for Ukraine." Malhotra explained that the declaration was a result of "India’s skilled drafters and negotiators who managed to gain consensus on the ‘impossible’ document." Testament of India's close ties with US, Europe She said the declaration was also a testament to India's close bilateral ties with the United States, European Union and other Western states. Despite their support for Ukraine, she added, US and European G20 members "would not have wanted India’s G20 presidency to conclude without a successful joint statement." China's role in supporting the declaration also raised curiosity. Malhotra pointed out, "China would not have signed on to a text that was explicitly critical of Russia, given its close relations with the country." While it did not explicitly condemn Russia's actions, the declaration highlighted the disruptive impact of the war, particularly on developing countries, the expert added. Emerging economies led by India and including Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa played a significant role in convincing developed economies to sign the text, she said. Malhotra suggested that China's presence on the same side can be attributed to its ongoing competition for influence in the Global South. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

G20: Ukraine’s hopes of Russia’s stronger condemnation dashed. Is West support for it waning?

The chief of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) lashed out at Western nations, saying they were moving towards a power-based global economic system by adopting protectionist measures.

WTO chief accuses Western nations of protectionism

The exit of western car brands from Russia following the Ukraine war has turned out to be a boon for Chinese carmakers. Sleek Chinese SUVs and EVs now are increasingly popular in Russia and are set to eat into the market shares of western carmakers.

West vs China in Russia's car market

The BRICS nations consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are gathered in South Africa for a summit that carries the potential to define the bloc's future and its determination to challenge a world order it views as tilted in favour of the West. While these nations have never been more prominent on the world stage, the inner workings of BRICS remain complex. This family sure has issues. &nbsp;

The summit is missing Russian President Vladimir Putin, as South Africa faces potential obligations to detain him over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. India and China, both members of the group, are dealing with a border conflict.&nbsp;China finds itself in a complicated relationship with the US, while New Delhi maintains close bonds with Washington.&nbsp;

This year's summit is a big test for Indian diplomacy as two predominant themes taking centre stage are the urge for expansion and a drive towards adopting a shared currency, both of which present challenges for India.&nbsp;

<img alt="picture" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2145d093-e206-4a39-a239-939181990dd7" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/The%20battle%20for%20Kyiv%20-%202023-08-23T124121.219.png" />

Indian PM Narendra Modi during his initial involvement in Johannesburg, took part in the Leaders' Dialogue of the BRICS Business Forum

As the bloc seeks to rebalance global power, experts warn that it may adopt a more pronounced geopolitical stance, especially with China and Russia hoping to garner its support amid escalating tensions with the West - a prospect that could be advanced through its expansion.&nbsp;

There are conjectures that China and Russia are keen to welcome new members who would introduce an anti-Western perspective. Concerns also exist that the bloc's expansion could draw in nations that perceive BRICS as a counterforce to the European Union and the United States, which India and Brazil both oppose. But is that indeed the scenario?&nbsp;

"China will not project BRICS as anti-Western because China is delicately calibrating its relations with the US in the wake of domestic economic challenges, though Russia surely has a direct interest in forming an anti-Western grouping,” Dr Geeta Kochhar, Assistant Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University 
(JNU) told WION. &nbsp;

“China also seems to be the counterbalance Russia faces amidst the Russia-Ukraine war, and hence would not want to directly upset the West to avoid any sanctions from the Western world.” &nbsp;

Additionally, India also cannot prevent countries backed by China and Russia, like Iran, from joining the bloc, as India and Iran have the Chabahar port factor in the equation, Dr Kochhar explains.&nbsp;

The Chabahar port is situated along the Makran coastline in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province, adjacent to the Gulf of Oman and positioned at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz. It stands as Iran's sole port offering a direct route to the Indian Ocean.

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Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman

The primary and most crucial importance of the Chabahar port lies in enabling India to circumvent Pakistan when shipping goods to Afghanistan.&nbsp;It would also&nbsp;cut transport costs and time for Indian goods by a third.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/where-is-xi-jinping-chinese-leaders-unusual-absence-at-brics-business-forum-raises-eyebrows-628067">Where is Xi Jinping?&nbsp;Chinese leader's unusual absence&nbsp;at BRICS Business Forum raises eyebrows</a>

<h2>What is India’s stance?&nbsp;</h2>

In the complex world of geopolitics, India's current strategic choices are anything but straightforward. The question that looms large is where India truly fits into the ever-evolving global geopolitical puzzle. Some Western perspectives tend to scrutinise India's participation in groups like BRICS and the SCO, especially in light of the Ukraine conflict and the Western-Russia standoff. &nbsp;

A frequently raised question is: Is it feasible for India to actively engage in the Quad, which includes Australia, Japan, the US, and India, while concurrently maintaining its significance within the G-20, G-7, BRICS, SCO, and the broader global South?&nbsp;

“India is talking the rhetoric of multipolarity, but what multipolarity are we talking about?,” questioned Dr Manish Dabhade, founder, The Indian Futures, a New Delhi based independent think tank. &nbsp;

"India is certainly contesting Chinese unipolarity in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. That's precisely why India opposes the BRICS currency; it's not inclined towards even regional trading currencies. There's also an economic rationale behind this stance,” he told WION. &nbsp;

Currently, over 50 per cent of all global transactions are conducted in US dollars, while the Chinese&nbsp;Renminbi (RMB) accounts for just 3-4 per cent, and at most, it might increase to 4-5 per cent, which is a marginal shift, he pointed out. “The notion propagated by BRICS that they are de-dollarising the global economy is unlikely to materialise, at least not in the next 10-20 years.”&nbsp;

India is speaking the language of multilateralism, but it has largely chosen its side. The broader trajectory is shifting towards a closer alignment with the West, encompassing the US, Europe, and France, added Dabhade. India has also been contesting all of China's unfair trade practices, including its withdrawal from RCEP and China's inundation of Indian markets with their goods. However, primarily, it was about strategically countering China, he said. &nbsp;

There is an international climate now that is openly against China due to its expansionist agenda in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. This is the reason for the resounding calls to de-risk and decouple from China.&nbsp;

Follow the live blog for all latest updates on the 2023 BRICS summit:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brics-summit-day-2-pm-modi-to-hold-bilateral-meeting-with-sa-prez-ramaphosa-628219">BRICS Summit, Day-2: PM Modi to hold bilateral meeting with SA Prez Ramaphosa</a>

<h2>Non–alignment to multi-alignment?&nbsp;</h2>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/modi-aims-at-expansion-of-indias-upi-to-brics-nations-at-business-forum-meet-628060">India</a> is also walking the tightrope of multi-alignment, as noted by Dr Dabhade, while quoting Indian politician Shashi Tharoor. &nbsp;

“Somewhere, in some places, we are going to be with RIC (Russia, India, China trilateral) or even BRICS. However, India is also a part of the QUAD and has close bilateral relations with the US and France at the highest levels. But the larger eggs are in the American basket. India cannot simply walk out of BRICS because it still depends on Russian defence imports,” explained Dr Dabhade.&nbsp;

The contemporary geopolitical puzzle confronting New Delhi is far from a walk in the park: it involves India's need to establish a strong presence in non-Western global platforms like BRICS and the SCO, counterbalancing the ever-expanding influence of China within these arenas, and simultaneously juggling Western normative standards while carving out a space for itself in Eurocentric gatherings like the UNSC and the G-7. &nbsp;

All of this demands a delicate and multitasking approach, which Dr Kochhar likes to term "matured diplomacy". Additionally, India cannot antagonise anyone in a year when it’s hosting the G20 summit.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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The BRICS nations consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are gathered in South Africa for a summit that carries the potential to define the bloc's future and its determination to challenge a world order it views as tilted in favour of the West.

The BRICS nations consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are gathered in South Africa for a summit that carries the potential to define the bloc's future and its determination to challenge a world order it views as tilted in favour of the West. While these nations have never been more prominent on the world stage, the inner workings of BRICS remain complex. This family sure has issues. The summit is missing Russian President Vladimir Putin, as South Africa faces potential obligations to detain him over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. India and China, both members of the group, are dealing with a border conflict. China finds itself in a complicated relationship with the US, while New Delhi maintains close bonds with Washington. This year's summit is a big test for Indian diplomacy as two predominant themes taking centre stage are the urge for expansion and a drive towards adopting a shared currency, both of which present challenges for India. Indian PM Narendra Modi during his initial involvement in Johannesburg, took part in the Leaders' Dialogue of the BRICS Business Forum As the bloc seeks to rebalance global power, experts warn that it may adopt a more pronounced geopolitical stance, especially with China and Russia hoping to garner its support amid escalating tensions with the West - a prospect that could be advanced through its expansion. There are conjectures that China and Russia are keen to welcome new members who would introduce an anti-Western perspective. Concerns also exist that the bloc's expansion could draw in nations that perceive BRICS as a counterforce to the European Union and the United States, which India and Brazil both oppose. But is that indeed the scenario? "China will not project BRICS as anti-Western because China is delicately calibrating its relations with the US in the wake of domestic economic challenges, though Russia surely has a direct interest in forming an anti-Western grouping,” Dr Geeta Kochhar, Assistant Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) told WION. “China also seems to be the counterbalance Russia faces amidst the Russia-Ukraine war, and hence would not want to directly upset the West to avoid any sanctions from the Western world.” Additionally, India also cannot prevent countries backed by China and Russia, like Iran, from joining the bloc, as India and Iran have the Chabahar port factor in the equation, Dr Kochhar explains. The Chabahar port is situated along the Makran coastline in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province, adjacent to the Gulf of Oman and positioned at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz. It stands as Iran's sole port offering a direct route to the Indian Ocean. Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman The primary and most crucial importance of the Chabahar port lies in enabling India to circumvent Pakistan when shipping goods to Afghanistan. It would also cut transport costs and time for Indian goods by a third. Also read | Where is Xi Jinping? Chinese leader's unusual absence at BRICS Business Forum raises eyebrows What is India’s stance? In the complex world of geopolitics, India's current strategic choices are anything but straightforward. The question that looms large is where India truly fits into the ever-evolving global geopolitical puzzle. Some Western perspectives tend to scrutinise India's participation in groups like BRICS and the SCO, especially in light of the Ukraine conflict and the Western-Russia standoff. A frequently raised question is: Is it feasible for India to actively engage in the Quad, which includes Australia, Japan, the US, and India, while concurrently maintaining its significance within the G-20, G-7, BRICS, SCO, and the broader global South? “India is talking the rhetoric of multipolarity, but what multipolarity are we talking about?,” questioned Dr Manish Dabhade, founder, The Indian Futures, a New Delhi based independent think tank. "India is certainly contesting Chinese unipolarity in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. That's precisely why India opposes the BRICS currency; it's not inclined towards even regional trading currencies. There's also an economic rationale behind this stance,” he told WION. Currently, over 50 per cent of all global transactions are conducted in US dollars, while the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) accounts for just 3-4 per cent, and at most, it might increase to 4-5 per cent, which is a marginal shift, he pointed out. “The notion propagated by BRICS that they are de-dollarising the global economy is unlikely to materialise, at least not in the next 10-20 years.” India is speaking the language of multilateralism, but it has largely chosen its side. The broader trajectory is shifting towards a closer alignment with the West, encompassing the US, Europe, and France, added Dabhade. India has also been contesting all of China's unfair trade practices, including its withdrawal from RCEP and China's inundation of Indian markets with their goods. However, primarily, it was about strategically countering China, he said. There is an international climate now that is openly against China due to its expansionist agenda in Asia and the Indo-Pacific. This is the reason for the resounding calls to de-risk and decouple from China. Follow the live blog for all latest updates on the 2023 BRICS summit: BRICS Summit, Day-2: PM Modi to hold bilateral meeting with SA Prez Ramaphosa Non–alignment to multi-alignment? India is also walking the tightrope of multi-alignment, as noted by Dr Dabhade, while quoting Indian politician Shashi Tharoor. “Somewhere, in some places, we are going to be with RIC (Russia, India, China trilateral) or even BRICS. However, India is also a part of the QUAD and has close bilateral relations with the US and France at the highest levels. But the larger eggs are in the American basket. India cannot simply walk out of BRICS because it still depends on Russian defence imports,” explained Dr Dabhade. The contemporary geopolitical puzzle confronting New Delhi is far from a walk in the park: it involves India's need to establish a strong presence in non-Western global platforms like BRICS and the SCO, counterbalancing the ever-expanding influence of China within these arenas, and simultaneously juggling Western normative standards while carving out a space for itself in Eurocentric gatherings like the UNSC and the G-7. All of this demands a delicate and multitasking approach, which Dr Kochhar likes to term "matured diplomacy". Additionally, India cannot antagonise anyone in a year when it’s hosting the G20 summit. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Explained: Balancing act or anti-West pivot? India’s choices at the BRICS summit

In West Africa, countries under military coup are claiming good governance. In Niger too, locals have shown support to the military takeover. Perpetrators of the coup also claim that they are responding to people's demands. Our report tells you more about Burkina Faso, Mali and now Niger - all countries that seem to have embraced military rule.

Niger, Burkina Faso & Guinea Embrace coups

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