At a time when the global order appears increasingly fragile, The New World: 21st-Century Global Order and India by Shri Ram Madhav emerges as a prescient and powerful contribution to our understanding of where the world is headed—and what role India must play in shaping that future.
At the launch event, held in the presence of distinguished dignitaries and thought leaders, Shri Suresh Prabhu brought a stirring reflection on the book’s core themes, describing it as “one of the finest contributions to the discourse on how we, as a nation and as a global community, should respond to the rapidly changing world around us.”
Shri Prabhu, a former Union Minister and respected policymaker, praised Shri Ram Madhav as a rare blend of thinker, public intellectual, and activist who “continues to engage with national and global challenges—not just as a political thinker, but as a key force behind the India Foundation.” The fact that he manages to produce a work of such scope despite his many responsibilities, Prabhu observed, is a testament to his dedication and clarity of purpose.
The book, he noted, does not merely document the crisis of our times; it attempts to chart a path forward. “The New World is not just a book—it is a deeply reflective, rigorously argued, and intellectually compelling intervention in the midst of global disorder.” Shri Prabhu highlighted how the author articulates a sobering reality: “Anarchy is becoming the new normal.” With multilateralism weakening and global norms fraying, the international order is facing a profound legitimacy crisis.
In mapping this disorder, Ram Madhav lays out the key shifts reshaping the world. The decline of the United States as a dominant force, the retreat of liberalism, and the rise of conservatism are all indicative of a deeper structural transition. As Shri Prabhu quoted, the U.S.-led world is giving way to something far more unpredictable. In this vacuum, the ascent of China—with its manufacturing prowess, financial reserves, military modernisation, and technological ambition—presents a formidable new axis of power. However, Madhav cautions that multipolarity is not a given; it must be built.
This leads to a critical question the author poses about the future of groupings like BRICS. Shri Prabhu recalled a metaphor that resonated with the audience: “You can build a house with bricks, but what is the glue that holds them together?” The challenge, he emphasised, lies not just in forming alliances but in anchoring them in shared values and purpose.
Among the book’s most compelling sections is its deep dive into technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence and digital sovereignty. Shri Prabhu, who has long been involved in shaping India’s technological policy, wholeheartedly endorsed the author’s concern that disruptive tech is redefining the state itself. “Even a nation’s autonomy,” he said, “can be compromised by digital dependence.”
But even as we contend with these new realities, The New World reminds us not to lose sight of enduring global challenges—chief among them, climate change. In the chapter titled The Changing Earth, Madhav connects environmental degradation to deeper philosophical questions, urging global action informed by India’s civilisational ethos. Shri Prabhu praised this treatment, noting that “each chapter in his book could, in fact, be expanded into an entire volume—such is the richness of his analysis.”
Yet the book does not stop at diagnosis. Its second half presents a vision for India’s role in shaping the new global order. Should India imitate the West, or offer a new model rooted in its own traditions? For Madhav, the answer is clear: the latter. He invokes Chiti—India’s inner civilisational spirit—as the cornerstone of any future roadmap. Citing the example of Virat, the collective soul of a people awakened during India’s freedom struggle, he reminds readers that great transformations begin with spiritual self-realisation.
As Shri Prabhu recounted, Madhav shares a powerful anecdote involving T. Prakasam and Lala Lajpat Rai, who once debated how to counter British imperial dominance. Mahatma Gandhi’s response was simple but profound: awaken the soul of the people. That awakening, Madhav argues, was the real engine behind India’s independence—and remains the key to India’s future leadership in the world.
This moral foundation is central to the vision Ram Madhav sets forth. Quoting philosopher Will Durant, he writes, “The spirit of India lives more in religion than in science.” Shri Prabhu clarified that this is not a call to reject modernity, but to ensure that ethics and values are never divorced from innovation and governance.
In perhaps the most thought-provoking section of the book, Madhav introduces the concept of Dharmacracy. As Shri Prabhu explained, “It is not mere democracy in the procedural sense, but a higher form of governance rooted in dharma—the righteous path.” The author observes, “Follow dharma, and even if you retreat for a while, you will ultimately win.” This conviction, rooted in Indian civilisational philosophy, is what sets the book apart in the contemporary strategic literature.
Madhav also draws on the wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi, who once declared, “I would rather live with religion, for it is an integral part of my self.” In a world racing toward hyper-modernity, these reminders of India’s ethical core are more urgent than ever.
In closing, Shri Prabhu echoed one of the book’s most vital insights: that the future world order must be value-based. This, he said, is the essence of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the timeless Indian belief that the world is one family. “This book,” he concluded, “offers us both a roadmap and a mirror—showing us what the world is becoming and what we, as a nation, must strive to be.”
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