'Weaponisation of everything…' Jaishankar flags change in world affairs amid Ukraine conflict

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on November 2 said the Ukraine conflict has dramatically widened the scope of political leveraging, in which trade, debt, and even tourism are being weaponised as the points of pressure.

Delivering a lecture at the IIM Calcutta, Jaishankar said today there is a larger change underway in international affairs that is very important to comprehend.

“This emanates from the weaponisation of everything. In recent years, we have already seen, how trade, connectivity, debt, resources and even tourism have become the point of political pressure. The Ukraine conflict has dramatically widened the scope of such leveraging,” Jaishankar said on the topic of “India and the World”.

“The scale of measures, technology control, infrastructure and service restrictions and seizure of assets, has truly been breathtaking. At the same time, it is also a fact, that global rules and practices have been gamed for national advantage, in a manner that can no longer be overlooked. At one level, it induces caution about international exposure but beyond a point that cannot be safeguarded because the very nature of existence is now globalized,” he added.