Finnish President Stubb: India Teaches Europe Passivity Isn't a Strategy

Praising India for not isolating itself despite not being part of a formal alliance, amid New Delhi's evolving geopolitical role, President Stubb underscored India's proactive engagement in world affairs and the importance of strategic autonomy in an era marked by shifting alliances and rising global competition.

He highlighted India's diplomatic clout, noting that New Delhi's influence stems from its active engagement in global partnerships, including the EU-India Strategic Partnership, which he described as "not just the mother of all deals, but a strategic choice and a gesture that opens up a new era in our relationship."

"The Europeans have now also been taught a lesson by India that passivity is not a strategy... Despite not being part of a formal alliance, India does not isolate itself. Quite the contrary, your power is based on active engagement. A timely example of this is, of course, the EU-India strategic partnership", the Finnish President said.

"We refuse to believe that the future will only belong to, say, two great powers while the rest of us are left to choose our sides. This does not hold now, and it will not hold in a decade or two. We should not allow it," he added.

Stubb recalled India's centuries-old strategic thought, noting that Kautilya's Arthashastra articulated a blend of realism and values -- a template that has guided India's foreign policy since independence.

He praised India's role as a constructive founding member of the United Nations and a major contributor to global peacekeeping operations, adding that "defending multilateralism is in your DNA".

"This marriage of interests, values and principles is evident in how India works as a constructive founding member of the UN. One of the biggest contributors to global peacekeeping operations, defending multilateralism is in your DNA," he said.

On global governance, the Finnish president reiterated support for India's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, asserting that India's leadership is crucial in reforming global trade systems that are "currently not delivering as they should" and where trade is being used "as a geopolitical tool".

Stubb also lauded India's emerging role in technology and innovation, particularly in artificial intelligence, referencing India's recent AI Impact Summit.

"India is both a driver and a bridge of AI and technology... AI will only benefit the world when it is shared," he said, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for equitable and shared AI benefits.

The Finnish leader acknowledged changes in the global order, asserting that "the era of a Western-dominated world is over", and calling for humility and learning from diverse civilisational perspectives.

"Instead of preaching and teaching, it's time for us to learn from others, and India would be a good starting point," he said.

Calling for a "New Delhi Moment", Stubb proposed an international dialogue hosted by India that would focus on post-war reconstruction and future world order frameworks.

"In other words, India gathers world leaders here in Delhi and begins the process of looking at what happens after wars... Let's combine Finnish happiness and Indian optimism in constructing a fairer and more stable new world order," he said.

Quoting India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Stubb observed: "Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems," stressing that conflicts such as those in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Sudan are shared global challenges requiring collective solutions.

"I wholeheartedly agree with you, Dr Jaishankar. What we need to recognise is that all three examples that I mentioned, Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan, and many other wars and conflicts are all our problems. We need to work together to solve them," he added.

President Stubb also predicted that the Global South will play a decisive role in shaping the next world order, with India at the forefront of determining whether the future will veer toward "cooperative, fair and representative multilateralism" or remain trapped in conflictual multipolarity.

"I believe that the global South will decide what the next world order will look like, and India, as a major power, will be a major, if not the, force in deciding whether the world will tilt towards conflictual multipolarity characterised by deals, transactions and spheres of interest or whether the world will tilt towards a new cooperative, fair and representative multilateral world order based on international institutions, rules and norms," the Finnish President concluded.

Stubb made these remarks during his keynote address at the 11th Raisina Dialogue, where he was the Chief Guest as part of his state visit to India.

- ANI