Multilateralism is in serious danger today, says India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar

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Multilateralism is in serious danger today as the bigger countries are focused on their own interest, said S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020.

Speaking at the launch of the book ‘Portraits of Power: Half a Century of Being at Ringside’, written by a former bureaucrat and current chairman of the Finance Commission N K Singh, Jaishankar said: “Multilateral is in serious danger today as bigger countries are focused on their own interest.” Calling for reforms at the United Nations, he said the UN needs to be reformed as it makes the organization less credible.

He also spoke on the upcoming U.S. Presidential elections and said everyone is looking at debates on issues like trade, immigration and security.

“The US was always known for its optimism. It is, however, singularly missing. Presently, we are looking at debates on issues like trade, immigration, security and how they relate to the world. We are also looking at the post-globalization politics of the world’s premier economy. In a sense, we are looking at the impact on rebalancing — economic rebalancing, political rebalancing, cultural rebalancing, geo-strategic rebalancing,” he said.

“You can see the anxieties on rebalancing and globalization and the weight of the U.S. in the world today is reflected out there. What happens in the U.S. is not just an American issue,” Jaishankar added.

Apart from the External Affairs Minister, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das along with others, participated in the launch of the book.