Jaishankar talks of ‘dishonoured commitments’ during COVID-19

Pandemic has prompted countries to become self-seeking often resorting to broader definition of national security that disrupted supply chains, he notes

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has hinted that countries failed to live by “commitments” during COVID-19. The pandemic had prompted countries to become self-seeking often resorting to broader definition of national security that disrupted supply chains, he said in a speech at a ‘Future of Asia’ event organised by Nikkei on Thursday. “In the past, defence, politics and intelligence drove calculations, with some extrapolation into domains like resources, energy or technology. With some notable exceptions, its demands were balanced out by the requirements of global exchanges, economic efficiency and perhaps by social habits. These trends, in fact, became stronger as the globalisation mantra took deeper root. The pandemic, however saw capabilities leveraged, commitments dishonoured, supply chains blocked, logistics disrupted, and shortages created, with all the accompanying anxieties,” said Mr. Jaishankar distinguishing the pandemic-era response of nation-states from the usual globalisation-driven concerns.