Operating Multipolar World Is More Like Chess Game: S Jaishankar

NDTV

a day ago

Brussels:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while speaking at GMF Brussels Forum 2025, explained his comment on Europe that he made in 2022, saying that in these three years, Europe's stance has evolved.
"Somewhere Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems but the world's problems are not Europe's problems. That if it is you, it's yours, if it is me, it is ours. I see reflections of that," Mr Jaishankar had said this when India was pressed to take a rougher stance against Russia on their conflict with Ukraine.
When asked by a journalist if Europe has evolved from it, Mr Jaishankar jested, saying that the quote was 'thrown at him' frequently.
"You have no idea how many times that quotation has been thrown back at me!" he said.
"I do want to say this we're now in 2025 and I think there's been a big change where Europe is concerned in these three years which is a large part of being on your own or being part of a multipolar architecture one is to realize your own capabilities and limitations and compulsions and relationships. So you are more self-reliant in a way, but the other part of it is also to try to put yourself in the shoes of the other party. It's not easy to do," he said.
S Jaishankar stressed that he was not justifying anything, but Europe should have put itself in Russia's shoes, if they truly know what they want.
"I know Russia is a big issue right now. My honest answer to you is I don't think Europeans had a good sense of how the Russians felt about the relationship or about the direction of events when people say we didn't see that coming, you normally don't see that. I'm not justifying anything," he said.
S Jaishankar said that to be a good practitioner in international relations, one has to understand the behaviour and practices of other countries.
"I'm just saying that in international relations if you have to be a good practitioner, if you have to do well even for your own country or for your own group of countries. It's smart to try to understand the thinking processes, the interests, the anxieties, the behavioral traits of other parties and I certainly didn't see that I would say in respect of Russia also," he said.
S Jaishankar pointed out that Europe's narrative of evolution after the formation of the Russian state is starkly different from the Russian version.
"So in fact often the narrative you hear from Russia is so starkly different about let us say the evolution of Europe after 1992. Europe has one version or much of Europe has one version, Russia has a very different version," he said.
Mr Jaishankar said that the quote in question here meant to draw attention of Europe to Asia, African, and Latin American countries- the third world- while Europe made any decision.
"So the point, the quotation which was recalled, was more like okay look worry about the rest of us as well. We folks in Asia and Africa and Latin America, we are also taking a hit on at that time 2022 on energy, on food prices, on fertilizers so spare some thought to us and when you make your decisions factor that in that was the intent then," he said.
Mr Jaishankar said that operating in a multipolar world is like playing a game of chess, one has to anticipate the moves of other players too.
"The larger point I would make is in a multipolar world one is of course to in a way you're more selfish but you also have to be more realistic and some ways smarter in trying. It's more of a chess game. You've got to see many more moves ahead which means you got to be able to have the ability to read the minds of the other players as well," he said.