Now Reading: US deliberately became lonelier power, says Jaishankar at Munich meet
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US deliberately became lonelier power, says Jaishankar at Munich meet
US deliberately became lonelier power, says Jaishankar at Munich meet
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday, 4 October 2026, that the United States has 'deliberately become a lonelier power' as part of a chosen shift in its global posture, while the rise of China is reshaping the international order. Speaking at the 62nd Munich Security Conference in New Delhi, Jaishankar described the current landscape as marked by a 'radical repositioning' of Washington and 'very sharp competition' between the US and China, which he said has led to the 'weaponisation of any leverage that any country has' alongside deep interdependence.
Jaishankar said emerging and middle powers are responding by seeking greater self-reliance, diversification and flexible partnerships such as the Quad, BRICS, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. He argued that countries no longer need complete agreement on every issue to cooperate, and that through de-risking and hedging, a new global architecture is taking shape. On India's prospects, he said the country has 'decades of high growth' ahead and may not need to follow the traditional path of industrialisation. The two-day Munich Leaders Meeting continues on Monday, 5 October 2026.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All four outlets reported Jaishankar's core argument with identical factual content, but their framing choices differed subtly. India Today and ABP Live led with the 'lonelier power' remark and China's rise, foregrounding the strategic repositioning. Times of India added Jaishankar's comments on India's growth and demographics, giving the story a domestic-opportunity angle absent from the others. India TV focused on the 'weaponisation of leverage' and the definition of middle powers, emphasising the granular mechanics of the new order. The uniform factual reporting across the outlets makes the difference one of emphasis: India Today and ABP Live lead with the US-China rivalry as the headline, Times of India leads with India's potential, and India TV leads with the operational consequences for middle powers. No outlet was critical or pro-government, all were neutral-report on the minister's speech. The Munich Leaders Meeting ends on Monday, 5 October 2026.
Coverage: 4 sources, 4 neutral
Sources (4): indiatoday.in (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), abplive.com (neutral report), indiatvnews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 4 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
