Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, while speaking on the changing nature of global politics in Raisina Dialogue 2026, said that now the world has moved towards a multi-polar system and the era of big agreements between big powers is over. He said that today the global balance of power is changing and many countries are together shaping the global system.

Jaishankar said that “Global South” is not just a political term but it is linked to shared historical experiences and sentiments. Giving the example of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said that at that time India itself was running a vaccination campaign, yet it provided the vaccine to the countries of the Global South. This proves that the spirit of the Global South is real and there is a kind of cultural and emotional connection.

The External Affairs Minister also said that earlier the “Global West” was seen as a strong and united group, which was culturally, politically and strategically united. But now differences and different viewpoints are becoming visible even within western countries.

Jaishankar said that the structure of international relations is changing rapidly and now a few select powers can no longer control the entire world. He said that multipolarity has now become a permanent reality and it cannot be stopped.

He also said that in the coming times, big countries can make temporary agreements on limited issues, but there will be no such big global agreement in which some powers come together and impose their conditions on the rest of the world. According to him, that era is now over.

Jaishankar also stressed on multilateral cooperation and said that multilateral system is possible even in a multipolar world. He said that multipolarity and multilateralism are not in opposition to each other. Rather, the success of global cooperation will depend on the world accepting this new power structure and pursuing international cooperation accordingly.