The 10th edition of India’s flagship conference “Raisina Dialogue,” on geopolitics and geoeconomics concluded in New Delhi on March 19, 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the event which began on March 17th with Prime Minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luxon as the Chief Guest.
The annual dialogue brings global leaders, policymakers, domain experts and thought leaders of different disciplines to look at the issues shaping the world. This year’s edition was on the theme “Kalachakra – People Peace Planet” hosted by the Observer Research Foundation and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India with discussions in a large plenary hall, several parallel and breakout sessions. The conversations covered a wide spectrum of issues and emerging challenges the world is facing.
The event witnessed participants engaging in conversations in various formats, over six thematic pillars: a) Politics Interrupted: Shifting Sands and Rising Tides; (b) Resolving the Green Trilemma: Who, Where, & How; (c) Digital Planet: Agents, Agencies and Absences; (d) Militant Mercantilism: Trade, Supply Chains and the Exchange e Rate Addiction; (e) The Tiger’s Tale: Rewriting Development with a New Plan; and (f) Investing in Peace: Drivers, Institutions, and Leadership. Over 3,000 participants from around 125 countries joined the event in person.
The stage for the discussion was off to start with PM Luxon articulating his assessment of India having a significant role in the Indo-Pacific both on account of its size and strategic heft in a multi-polar world. New Zealand is an important island nation in the Pacific and has deep interest in the Indo-Pacific region, amid global concerns of China flexing its muscle in the region.
Devoting a major portion of his address to political and economic aspects of the Indo-Pacific, the Prime Minister Luxon asserted his country lives in the heart of the world’s most exciting and dynamic region and looking forward to protecting and advance its interest there. It is in this context, he said New Zealand could do so alongside partners like India playing an significant role.
Raisina Dialogue has emerged as a major global platform for countries emerging global powers and the established to sit down for a serious conversation on critical issues. This year’s event provided an early opportunity for the new Republican administration in the United States to ensure that President Donald Trump’s “America First’ policy should not be misunderstood to be ‘America Alone.’”
Seeking to dispel the apprehensions the new administration approach would lead to US isolation, Director of U.S. National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard said President Trump’s commitment to America First was to put the security and freedom of Americans at the forefront of his policies. Indo-Pacific, which acquired strength during President Trump’s first term, came under focus with the DNI describing it as the geopolitical centre of gravity in the current century and its challenge to be met collectively.
The Dialogue allows India to showcase how the country has become a key voice on the international stage with its ability to add its perspective on regional security, global cooperation and economic issues. At the event, the External Affairs Minister was candid in observing that the Western countries were selective in applying global rules.
In the context of Pakistan’s illegal occupation of a part of Jammu and Kashmir since 1948, the Minister pointed out issues relating to sovereignty and territorial integrity were not applied uniformly in the world order stating when India took the issue to the United Nations, invasion was turned into a dispute. With the much-awaited United Nations reforms, the Minister backed the world body to be strong and fair and advocated a strong global order with some basic consistency.
The multilateral Raisina Dialogue also offers India an opportunity to strengthen its relations across the regions through conversations on issues that affect the region and the world, including sustainable development, climate change, cybersecurity, terrorism, and an inclusive world order.
For instance, in one of the discussions, India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan emphasised that while the role of technology was growing in the sector, it was at best an enabler. In the end, military boots on the ground could not be replaced. Taking part in a panel discussion on “Verse and wars: navigating hybrid theatres” he besides boots on the ground was that in shaping the combat zone, intelligence was an essential ingredient. The current global security environment, he felt is characterised by two factors -uncertainty and swift change.
On his part, former U.S General David Petraeus was of the view that back while its military had worked on future combat capabilities, these were yet to acquire full solidity. Adding his perspective, the Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation, Vivek Lall pointed to critical areas like constant surveillance, data-sharing, delivering mass numbers training human resource, real-time operational awareness, electromagnetic spectrum dominance, and logistic dominance.
Over the years, the Dialogue has emerged as an important platform for India to shape the global narrative on a geopolitical and geostrategic plane and assist in bringing clarity to complex challenges.
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