Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in the Lok Sabha, highlighted the need for India to be self-sufficient in order to thrive in the post-COVID New World Order. In his address in the Lok Sabha. The PM cited many historical instances and examples in order to fully illustrate his point. The Prime Minister stressed upon the need for India to emerge as a leader in the post-Covid new world order, and not just remain as a mute spectator, struggling to find her place.
PM Modi recounted the horrors of the two world wars, and how humankind and human values were under severe threat during this period in time. “After the Second World War, post world war, a New World Order emerged and took shape.” said PM Modi. describing the chain of events which took place in order to usher in the era of a New World Order.
The phrase ‘New World Order’ has an interesting history behind it. The phrases ‘new order of the world’ and ‘new international order’ were both a part of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s speeches. Woodrow Wilson was also a proponent of the League of Nations, which in itself was an attempt to establish a new world order post the death and destruction of World War I.
The New World Order that PM Modi mentions, however, does not refer to this but instead refers to the new world order which emerged after World War II. The New World Order which emerged post World War II refers to the creation of international institutions like the United Nations, the Bretton Woods system, international alliances like NATO etc.
Bretton Woods System
In order to understand the post World War II New World Order, it is necessary to study the Bretton Woods Agreement and its consequences. The Bretton Woods Agreement, signed in 1944 between 44 Allied nations with the goal of establishing a new global monetary system, is still relevant today. In simple terms, it replaced the Gold Standard with the U.S. Dollar as the new global currency. Bretton Woods required countries to not redeem its currency with gold, but instead with U.S. dollars. And because of that, the Bretton Woods agreement established the U.S.’s dominance on the world economy which still persists to this date.
The Bretton Woods Agreement also established the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, both of which continue to be major international financial institutions even to this date. The IMF was instrumental in the survival of the Bretton Woods system as it was important in order to bail out countries if their currency values dropped off.
The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) also played a crucial role in establishing the post World War II New World Order. Its initial mission to finance and fund the reconstruction of European countries after the destruction of World War II was necessary in order to secure the U.S.-Western Europe alliance. This later led to the formation of a formal military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO in 1949.
Increase in Military Power
PM Modi then recounts that in the aftermath of World War II, even though multiple institutions like the U.N. and various mechanisms were set up in order to walk the path of peace, it did not happen. The world immediately after the end of World War II, saw the rise of two new superpowers, the USA and the USSR. The constant brinksmanship between them started from 1950 itself with the Korean War, with USA backing South Korea and the USSR backing North Korea. This ‘Cold War’, which fortunately never lead to head-to-head confrontation between the USA and USSR, lead to many other Cold War-related conflicts though. The Vietnam War is a prime example.
“But the experience turned out to be very different. The experience was, that everyone started talking about peace, but in the middle of it, whoever had the capability to increase their military power, did so.” This is considered to be a direct reference to the Cold War and the Arms race. Every country which had the capability to increase its military power, did it, including India with the development of nuclear weapons. The message that PM Modi was trying to convey was that the New World Order established post World War II had failed to maintain and uphold peace.
Post-COVID New World Order
PM Modi, after giving a proper historical context as to how India missed the bus the last time a New World Order emerged, urged India to not miss out again. “After the 2nd World War, we saw the New Word Order emerge as mute spectators and tried to adjust and fit into our place in the world”, PM Modi said. The PM rued over historical missed opportunities but sent a strong message that India intends to be a part of the post-COVID New World Order.
“For India to make its place in the New World Order, India has to be independent and capable, and the way to do that is through Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ the PM exclaimed in the Lok Sabha today. Aatmanirbhar Bharat is a policy program whose aim is to boost self sufficiency and self reliance within India and amongst Indians. As PM Modi says himself, currently we are not sure as to how the post-COVID New World Order will take shape. However, we do have a guess.
The Great Reset and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are the two contenders in what a post-COVID New World Order economic system can look like. Great Reset is a fanciful utopian idea lobbied by the billionaires in the World Economic Forum. The “Great Reset” promises to build “a more secure, more equal, and more stable world” as long as everyone on the planet agrees to “act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions.” The Great Reset is the agenda of the next World Economic Forum summit in Lucerne, Switzerland in May 2021.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing through the use of smart modern technology. This ‘Revolution’ has picked up speed, ever since the COVID lockdowns because of its ultimate benefit of utilizing a machine instead of a worker. Automation poses a serious threat of job losses in the West, as machine threatens to overtake man in various jobs. However, India is still insulated from this fourth industrial revolution because of the abundance of labour and inferior technologies than in the West.
