On Day 2 of the ORF Raisina Dialogue, a session titled “Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations” was organized. The major agenda of the discussion was how to effectively protect the agency of domestic decision-making from external influence operations and where to draw the line between the protection of sovereignty and the restriction of political expression.
The discussion was attended by eminent panellists, including Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister of Sweden; Dominique Hasler, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education, and Sport, Liechtenstein; Juraj Blanár, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Slovak Republic; Dubai Abulhoul, Founder of Fiker Institute, UAE; and Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India. The session was moderated by Ashok Malik, Partner and Chair of the India Practice at The Asia Group, India.
Important statements were made by Foreign Minister Jaishankar, who vehemently criticized the existing world order, calling it hypocritical. He stated that when Western countries invade other nations, they justify it under the pretext of democracy and freedom, but when other countries take similar actions against the West, it is labelled as an invasion. Minister Jaishankar further criticized the Western-led world order for equating aggressors and victims. He also targeted the United Nations for calling the Kashmir issue a disputed matter, asserting that it is one of the biggest instances of illegal occupation post-World War II.
Juraj Blanár from the Slovak Republic stated that no peace mediation on Ukraine can be conducted without the participation of the European Union. He also affirmed that the European Union is ready to support Ukraine.
Carl Bildt commented on President Trump’s approach towards Europe, saying that Trump’s claims over Greenland are unrealistic. He further stated that Greenland has more in common with Denmark than California does with the United States. Dubai Abulhoul highlighted the pragmatic foreign policy approach of the United Arab Emirates, emphasizing how the UAE is evolving a foreign policy that is more diverse, rational, and interest-based.
The panel collectively agreed that the existing world order lacks fair representation from non-Western nations. They echoed the sentiment that a few dominant powers should not define the global order for the entire world.
Aayush Pal is a freelance writer on contemporary geopolitical developments. The views expressed in his work are entirely his own.
Abhinav Sharma 
Sakshi Yadav 
Balaji Subramanian