Search 21st April, 2020 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx
Topic: General Studies 2:
- Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate
- Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
- COVID-19 Crisis
The emerging issues in the international relations will witness challenges on three fronts – politically, economically and socially.
Politically,
The virus has put to the test various political systems’ ability to effectively protect their populations. Brittle institutions are being exposed, and political shifts are being triggered.
At the multilateral level, the crisis could be read as a call to more cooperation or conversely push the bipolar centers of geopolitical power further apart.
A. Credibility of the world institutions is looking at further eroded:
B. The balance of power between countries will shift:
Despite its economic progress and ability to contribute positively to global efforts to deal with the coronavirus crisis, China would have to work very hard to persuade the world that it will contribute positively and generously in dealing with the challenges the world faces today. Moreover, China underplaying the impact and consequences of what recently transpired in Wuhan is certainly not going to add to its international standing.
BUT…
C. Increasing influence of China & Russia
D. Globalisation –
Economically,
As pointed out in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2020, there are a number of tipping points in the economic system and the economic consequence of a shock to the global system is likely to be a correction.
Mounting pressure to reduce supply chain costs motivated companies to pursue strategies such as lean manufacturing, offshoring, and outsourcing. Such cost-cutting measures mean that when there is a supply-chain disruption, manufacturing will stop quickly because of a lack of parts.
Socially,
COVID-19 has exposed the weakness of global governance – in the area of health. Also,…
Conclusion
India has done well not to irresponsibly criticise China publicly and has also handled foreign policy skillfully, both regionally among the SAARC countries and globally in the G20. India’s role in working quietly and behind the scenes with Saudi Arabia to convene a tele-conference of leaders of the G20 during the crisis merits special mention. It signalled the will of the entire community of nations to confront the coronavirus challenge in unision.
Our current lifestyles as a whole – over-consumption, value chains, urbanization, mobility, relationship with nature, and so on – which, unrestrained, are ultimately responsible for increasingly severe health crises and also for increasingly frequent climate disasters. The two are indeed difficult to separate. Covid-19 emerged in the wake of major fires striking in Australia. In both cases, the same lesson applies. Only a change of course, that would not only be geopolitical but also civilizational, can save humanity.
Connecting the dots:
