New Geopolitical Landscape

New Geopolitical Landscape

By Dr Arvind Kumar

Emergence of a new geopolitical landscape is becoming inevitable and this is likely to be characterized by a multipolar world, hitherto perched safely on the horizon but now rushing quite abruptly into the present. It seems that the two-century old Western hegemony is drawing to a close rather faster than expected. New emerging powers like China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, South Africa and the rest are going to decide the rules of the game called geopolitics and geo-economics very soon. The global dichotomy will be between slow- growing and fast-growing nations as much as the rich and the rising. The geopolitical balance is tilting in favour of the rising powers which are expanding their sphere of influence in respective areas. China is becoming actively involved in East Asia, Africa and Latin America. Turkey and Brazil are enhaning their regional clout. Europe is scrambling for saving itself from being reduced to insignificance.

Though United States still remains prima facie numero uno military power having the ability to project power in every part of the globe, but faced with burgeoning budgetary deficits and political gridlocks it is finding it cumbersome to retain numero uno position. Simultaneously, worries like nuclear proliferation, failing states, terrorism and regional conflicts are adding to Washington’s woes.

The growing tendency among the rising powers to prefer state power over international rules, sovereignty over multilateralism is dangerous. In this context, the changing geopolitical landscape is prone to see more rivalry and competition than co-operation.