External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said US President Donald Trump will introduce meaningful changes in the international order within the next couple of years. Addressing an ORF (Observer Research Foundation) discussion, Jaishankar forecasted, “you are going to get policies which will reshape the international order as we have got used to.” He continued, “I’m not saying it’s good or bad.” I’m just guessing what’s going to happen and something big I believe is about to hit us.
Trump, whose unconventional political tactics have become legendary, has been even more extreme in his second term, threatening military assaults on allies, embracing expansionist policies similar to China and Russia, and supporting plans that some regard as ethnic cleansing positions that would have been unimaginable a few years ago.
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EAM Jaishankar predicts that in next 2 years 🇺🇸 #Trump Presidency will reshape the international order.
“I’m not saying it’s good or bad. I’m just predicting what is to come and something big I think is coming at us.”
said @DrSJaishankar was in Germany talking with @samirsaran pic.twitter.com/3C7frzkkLT— Abhishek Jha (@abhishekjha157) February 17, 2025
Speaking of India’s role, Jaishankar referred to the Quad members’ foreign ministers’ meeting—the first multilateral meeting under Trump’s presidency. He said he did not foresee the sort of disruption in the Quad that has marked NATO during Trump’s tenure. Jaishankar noted, “What’s nice about the Quad? It has no overheads…Everyone comes, pays their bills, it’s fair,” drawing a comparison with the complicated structure of NATO.
Jaishankar also pointed to Trump’s NATO policy, citing his previous comments on leaving European allies exposed to Russian aggression, saying Trump had indicated he would tell Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” if NATO allies fail to fall in line with his requirements. He stressed that Trump’s engagement with the Quad was a clear, deliberate departure, going on to say, “it’s very interesting that the first foreign policy engagement of this administration, consciously, was the Quad.
This is an indication of a move towards a new world order dominated by the US, with policies that move away from the conventional alliances and expectations.
