"Multipolar World Order Remains Distant as US-China Dominance Deepens"
Multipolarity
A world order in which several states of roughly comparable power shape global outcomes.
G2 dynamic
Informal term for a world effectively co-managed by the United States and China alone.
The post-Cold War international order was built on the assumption that power would gradually diffuse across many states, producing a genuinely multipolar world. Institutions like the United Nations, the G20, and the WTO were designed to give middle and emerging powers a meaningful voice in global governance. India's foreign policy has historically been anchored in this aspiration. From Non-Alignment during the Cold War to Strategic Autonomy in the present era, India has consistently sought to avoid being locked into any single great-power orbit. The Panchsheel principles, mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality, and peaceful coexistence, reflect this tradition of independent positioning.
The formation of BRIC in 2006 (later BRICS with South Africa) was partly an expression of this multipolar aspiration. It brought together large emerging economies to signal that the West no longer held a monopoly on global economic weight. Similarly, India's active participation in the G20, and its presidency in 2023, reflected a belief that inclusive multilateralism could reshape global governance. However, the structural reality of economic power has shifted in ways that complicate this vision. The I2U2 grouping (India, Israel, UAE, and the United States), formed as a plurilateral format, illustrates how India has also tried to carve out agency through smaller, issue-specific coalitions rather than relying solely on large multilateral bodies, a recognition that broad forums often move slowly while great-power dynamics move fast.
The central analytical claim in contemporary IR is that multilateral forums do not shape the world order; they operate within parameters set by great-power politics. This is a fundamentally Realist insight: the distribution of material power, economic output, military capability, technological capacity, determines the real architecture of international relations, while institutions reflect and legitimise that architecture rather than independently driving it.
The economic data makes this concrete. Within BRICS, China accounted for less than half of the group's combined GDP when the original four-member forum was formed. Despite expansion to eleven members, China now accounts for roughly three-fifths of BRICS' combined GDP. Within the G7, the United States now accounts for close to three-fifths of the group's nominal output, up from less than two-fifths three decades ago. This concentration means that both forums are increasingly dominated by a single power each, China in BRICS, the United States in the G7. …
Consider the following statements with regard to BRICS:
I.16th BRICS Summit was held under the Chairship of Russia in Kazan.
II.Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS.
III.The theme of the 16th BRICS Summit was 'Strengthening Multiculturalism for Just Global Development and Security'.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
India is a member of which among the following?
1.Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
2.Association of South-East Asian Nations
3.East Asia Summit
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The 'Fortaleza Declaration', recently in the news, is related to the affairs of
How will I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE and USA) grouping transform India's position in global politics?
Match the following multilateral forums with their distinguishing membership characteristics:
List I (Forum) — List II (Membership feature)
A.G7 — 1. Includes US, China, Russia, India, EU, Brazil, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
B.BRICS — 2. Includes only advanced Western economies and Japan; excludes China and Russia
C.G20 — 3. Includes China, Russia, India, Brazil, South Africa, and six additional members; excludes US and EU
D.East Asia Summit — 4. India is a member; India is NOT a member of APEC or ASEAN
Select the correct match:
Consider the following statements regarding BRICS:
1.China accounts for roughly three-fifths of BRICS' combined GDP as of the current expanded membership.
2.BRICS was originally formed in 2006 as a four-member grouping.
3.The Fortaleza Declaration, adopted at the 6th BRICS Summit, announced the establishment of the New Development Bank.
4.Indonesia became a full member of BRICS at the 16th Summit held in Kazan, Russia.
How many of the above statements are correct?
With reference to the I2U2 grouping, consider the following statements:
1.I2U2 comprises India, Iran, UAE, and the United States.
2.The grouping focuses on issue-specific cooperation in areas such as food security, clean energy, and infrastructure.
3.I2U2 has a permanent secretariat headquartered in New Delhi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements about the distribution of economic power within major multilateral groupings:
1.The United States currently accounts for close to three-fifths of the G7's nominal economic output.
2.China's share of BRICS' combined GDP has declined following the expansion of BRICS to eleven members.
3.When the United States and China disagree at the G20, the forum's capacity for collective action is significantly constrained.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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