‘Everything today is being leveraged, if not weaponised’: Jaishankar warns of shifting world order

"Everything today is being leveraged, if not actually weaponised." External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar issued this stark warning to the graduating class of IIM Raipur on April 4, 2026. Addressing the 15th Annual Convocation, Jaishankar identified a "structural turbulence" in the global order, driven by the triple shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic, ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, and accelerating climate change.The Minister explained that rapid advances in technology, energy, and connectivity have turned once-neutral tools into instruments of global competition, forcing nations into a new era of "de-risking" and "diversification." Despite these global anxieties, Jaishankar expressed high optimism for India’s youth, noting that the country’s resilience and "can-do" spirit have created a solid foundation for a Viksit Bharat. He urged the new managers to embrace the fusion of technology and tradition to build robust national capabilities.