Jaishankar: Washington has adopted India’s strategic autonomy

Speaking at an Asia Society event alongside former US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, Jaishankar pointed to a fundamental shift in American foreign policy. He observed that Washington is now managing complex, often contradictory relationships with China, Russia, and various European nations simultaneously. This approach, once criticized by Western observers as a lack of focus, has become the new standard for the United States.

Jaishankar noted that a double standard historically defined the relationship, where the US expected partners to limit their diplomatic options while maintaining its own broad network of ties as a global power. Today, he argues, those pretenses have vanished. As nations navigate a more multipolar order, Jaishankar suggests that every country is prioritizing pragmatic, self-interested deal-making. Using a metaphor of multitasking, he remarked that the capacity to juggle diverse geopolitical demands is now in high supply in Washington, signaling a permanent departure from the rigid alignments of the past.