MJ Akbar at Gauhati University: West Asia central to new global power shift
Former Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar said on Thursday, 30 April that the global order is undergoing sweeping changes, with traditional international institutions losing ground in an increasingly multipolar world. Speaking at a national symposium hosted by Gauhati University in Guwahati, Akbar argued that West Asia has emerged as a central theatre in this unfolding power realignment.
Key Observations by MJ Akbar
Delivering the keynote address at the symposium titled 'West Asia in a Fragmented Global Order: Security Dynamics and Economic Implications', Akbar pointed to the United Arab Emirates' decision to distance itself from OPEC as a telling indicator of shifting regional priorities. He said such moves reflect a broader pattern in which national interests are increasingly overriding older alignments historically shaped by external — particularly Western — influence.
Akbar also flagged ongoing debates around the dominance of the US dollar in global financial markets, framing these as further evidence of a structural recalibration in geopolitical and economic power.
