G20 was undoubtedly a diplomatic triumph
A historic, monumental, watershed, and unprecedented G20 Summit in New Delhi just concluded with many diplomatic triumphs. Bharat (that is India), the land of 1.4 billion and the mother of all democracies, was highlighting its diversity, economic prowess, and development model on a global stage.
New Delhi, for once, was the most decorated and adorned city just like a “Dulhan” (bride) of the world. It was ready to welcome the leaders of G20 as the guests of honor, delegates, global forum heads, and media from more than one hundred countries. The beautifully decked Delhi was equally the centerpiece of Bharat’s ancient and iconic history, art, culture, and heritage. Delhi was highly secured and fortified with meticulous planning and execution to welcome the world leader and their delegation.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), President Murmu said that the G20 Presidency theme, ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future’, is a global roadmap for sustainable, inclusive, and human-centric development. The ancient Sanskrit slogan from the scriptures, “Vasudaiva Kutumbkam” literally means World is One Family.
A warm welcome to all Heads of Delegations of the G20 nations, Guest countries, and International Organisations participating in the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi.
India’s G20 Presidency theme, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future’, is a global roadmap for…
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 9, 2023
This article discusses the three groundbreaking G20 outcomes with outreaching consequences on the geopolitical and economic future of the world.
Admission of African Union: G20 in Bharat was the first largest confluence of the world leaders. Together, they represented 85% of the world’s economic output, 80% of global emissions, 75% of international trade, and 67% of the world’s population. On the first day of G20, the first diplomatic triumph for Bharat’s Prime Minister Modi was the unanimity for admitting the African Union as a permanent member of G20. This added to the peoples’ power of 55 African countries with an economy worth about $3 trillion and 1.4 billion in population. Would G20 be called G21 going forward as a topic of discussion another time? What a marvelous moment for the African Union sitting next to G20 leaders similar to the European Union and a diplomatic victory for Bharat’s leadership.
New Delhi Declaration: Rooted in the ancient Sanskrit statement, “Vasudaiva Kutumbkam”, the summit’s three consecutive sessions over two days discussed One Earth, One Family, and One Future, respectively. In many strategy sessions, a commonly used phrase is that ‘one size does not fit all.’ The G20, however, proved beyond doubt that even the disparate political “world” admirably fitted under one umbrella i.e., Vasudaiva Kutumbkam.
Let us note that never before in history, a consensus was reached by the evening on the first day on “G20 New Delhi Leader’s Declaration[1].” It states we are One Earth, One Family, and we share One Future. It further includes, “We, the Leaders of the G20, met in New Delhi on 9-10 September 2023, under the theme ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbkam’. We meet at a defining moment in history where the decisions we make now will determine the future of our people and our planet. It is with the philosophy of living in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem that we commit to concrete actions to address global challenges.”
The consensus on a 37-page Declaration with ten broad, comprehensive, and inclusive topics of global significance did not happen by accident. It is a diplomatic triumph of the experienced and skilled negotiators of Bharat and the G20 member nations who worked tirelessly wordsmithing the Declaration. They worked behind the scenes for weeks.
The “Spice Route”: The second day of the unprecedented G20 also proved, “What goes around comes around.” A historic deal was clinched among India, the US, the EU, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to set up the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEE EC)[2]. Modi called it an “effective medium for economic integration of India, West Asia and Europe.” President Biden said, “This is a real big deal,” and he thanked Modi for it.
The proposed infrastructure development project is very futuristic to includes railways, ports, electrical grids, a data network, and a hydrogen pipeline. It is essentially a “spice route” of the 21st century world aimed at increasing trade links between South Asia and the Middle East to Europe. It is expected to increase trade by as much as 40% in magnitude with a greater speed. In many quarters, this is being touted as the counterbalance to the expansionist approach to China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative.
For the G20 host, Bharat, it was a regional political triumph in the global context. China has been developing OBOR in the disputed territory of Kashmir, dubbed as PoK. The futuristic Spice Route will offer Bharat a significant advantage over China’s OBOR and it may even “kill” OBOR with China’s slowing economy.
While Dulhan Delhi was hosting the heads of foreign states and local politicians for the biggest “vegetarian” feast by President Murmu, the domestic political drama was in full swing. The India National Congress (INC) was questioning why their party President was not invited. Presumably, many INC Chief Ministers chose not to attend the dinner in protest. The prince charming of INC, Rahul Gandhi, projected as the next Prime Ministerial candidate of the newly formed I.N.D.I.A. alliance, was in Europe. As usual, he was bad-mouthing Bharat while the E.U. and the rest of the world was praising Modi’s team for the best-organized, carefully led, and well-celebrated G20.
As for a caring and future political “Dulha (bridegroom)” for Dulhan Delhi, it must wait until the 2024 elections with Modi to return as the next Prime Minister. In the meantime, Delhi should be pleased to welcome Bharat’s daughter, Akshata Murty, and son-in-law, Rishi Sunak, the proud and practicing Hindu Prime Minister of the UK.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
Reference:
[1] G20 New Delhi Leader’s Declaration – Europa.eu
[2] G20 summit: New ‘spice route’ deal to counter China’s OBOR – Sep 10, 2023, ToI
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Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.
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