Mahesh Jethmalani@JethmalaniM
When the President of Finland Alexander Stubb openly says India may need to get involved to help broker a ceasefire in Iran War, it is a sign of how profoundly the world’s view of India has changed.
Under PM Narendra Modi, India is no longer seen as a passive observer at the margins of global conflict. It is increasingly seen as one of the very few powers that can speak to all sides, protect its own interests, and still retain the credibility to calm a crisis.
That shift did not happen by accident. It came from years of steady leadership, strategic autonomy, and a foreign policy that refused to become anyone’s camp follower. While the old commentariat mocked balance as weakness, the world has begun to recognise it as influence. In a fractured world, the countries that matter are not the loudest. They are the ones others trust when the fire needs to be contained.
India has arrived. And those still undermining its rise should understand this much: the world has already started adjusting to India’s stature. Anyone refusing to see it will do so only at the cost of their own relevance.