Featuring: Shashi Tharoor, Malcolm Rifkind
Despite the rise of China, it is still widely assumed that global politics revolves around the West, and emerging nations are clamouring to be its allies. But might this be fundamentally mistaken? As Russia and China declared a new world order in early 2022, India, shortly to have the largest population in the world with the fastest growth rate, has remained neutral trading with both blocks, along with sixteen African countries and many others.
Is it time to recognise that the West is no longer the dominant power in the world? Is India a new leading global power holding the balance, rather than simply a valuable ally? Should the West recognise its weakness and forge new alliances across the world? Or with the highest standard of living is the West's decline overdone and the role and influence of the West secure for generations to come?