India’s strategic interests best served by considered calculation, not knee-jerk responses: EAM Jaishankar on countering global uncertainties

New Delhi : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said India’s strategic interests amid global turbulence are best served by “considered calculation” rather than knee-jerk responses, stressing the need to continuously assess and optimise the country’s strategy as it navigates a more complex international landscape.
Addressing the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) here, Jaishankar highlighted the challenges posed by ongoing conflicts, economic volatility, tariffs, dumping and the broader “weaponisation of everything”, saying India has to constantly adapt as its interests and global responsibilities expand.
“There are two major conflicts currently underway, one in the Gulf and the other in Ukraine. In each case, India has good ties with all the parties involved. Forging an approach is therefore not easy. How to balance out the various equities is a legitimate subject of conversation. The global economy is witnessing the weaponisation of everything. We are also seeing greater volatility in tariffs and increased dumping on other markets. How could that be best countered?” Jaishankar said. He said India’s growing interests, wider exposure and expanding partnerships require a sustained effort to respond to a rapidly changing global environment.
“India, with greater interests, more exposure, a larger number of partners, and operating in a more complex landscape, will have to constantly apply and reapply itself to this dynamic. Often, the answers are in optimising strategy and responses,” the External Affairs Minister said.
Jaishankar said India’s approach to the current turbulence could be assessed through several outcomes, including energy security, exports, supply chains and the security of the Indian community abroad.
“If one were to evaluate our strategy in respect of the current turbulence, there are some obvious metrics to arrive at a judgement. Where energy security is concerned, diversification has kept supplies coming and costs down. New partners, new markets and new routings have protected and even expanded our exports. Our supply chains have similarly benefited by nimble solutions. The Indian community abroad has been secured in large measure due to the right policy choices. Even our strategic interests are better served by considered calculation rather than knee-jerk responses. Each of these brings out the importance of continuous debate and dialogue,” he said.
Jaishankar also underlined the need for India’s intellectual engagement with international affairs to keep pace with the country’s expanding global role.
“India today engages with a much wider range of countries and regions. Our interests have become increasingly global, our responsibilities have grown, and expectations of India have also risen correspondingly. India is also articulating with greater confidence its perspectives on global challenges, including those that concern the Global South,” he said.
“As India’s global role grows, our intellectual engagement with international affairs must keep pace. While much of the established discourse on international relations has been shaped by concepts and experiences developed elsewhere, a rising India must increasingly bring its own history, experience, interests, concepts, and even terminology to the way it approaches the world,” the EAM added.
The minister’s remarks came in the context of what he described as a more volatile international environment, marked by conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine, uncertainty over tariffs, dumping in markets and the wider weaponisation of economic instruments.
He stressed that the complexity of India’s external environment makes continuous debate and dialogue important for shaping responses to these global uncertainties.