Don’t believe in world order superiority: Rajnath

NEW DELHI: India does not believe in a world order where a few countries are considered superior to others, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, while also calling for concerted efforts by the international community to counter emerging security threats including cyber-attacks and information warfare.
“We believe in a multi-aligned policy realised through diverse engagements with multiple stakeholders, so that views and concerns of all can be discussed and addressed for a prosperous future for all,” Singh said, in an address at the National Defence College here.
The minister’s comments come amid China’s muscle-flexing along the line of actual control and in the larger Indo-Pacific region as well as the ongoing bloody Russia-Ukraine war that has led to major disruptions in trade, food and fuel supplies around the world.
Singh said a strong and prosperous India would not be built at the cost of others. “Rather, we believe in helping other nations to realise their full potential. India does not believe in a world order where few are considered superior to others,” he said.
“Realpolitik cannot be the fig leaf for being immoral or amoral. Rather, enlightened self-interest of nations can be promoted within the framework of strategic morality, which is predicated on the understanding and respect for the legitimate strategic imperative of all the civilised nations,” he added.
Stressing the need to consider security as a truly collective enterprise, which can create a global order beneficial to all, Singh said national security should not be considered a zero-sum game.
“We should strive to create a win-win situation for all. We should not be guided by narrow self-interest which is not beneficial in the long-run. We should be guided by enlightened self-interest which is sustainable and resilient to shocks,” he said.
Noting that information warfare has the potential to threaten political stability, the minister said, “There is no account of how much fake news and hate material is likely to be brought in society through social media platforms.”
“The deployment of information war was most evident in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Throughout the conflict, social media has served as a battleground for both sides to spread competing narratives about the war and portray the conflict on their own terms,” he said.