S. Jaishankar Says the US Has Become a 'Lonelier Power': Key Points and Exam Context

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Sunday, 4 October 2026, that the United States has "deliberately become a lonelier power". He linked this to what he called a "radical repositioning" of the US and the rise of China, and said emerging and middle powers are responding with diversification, de-risking and flexible partnerships. The remarks were reported on 4 October by Fortune India and on 5 October by GKToday. The event is complete as of 5 October 2026.

What happened and when

• Event date: 4 October 2026, a Sunday.
• Speaker: S. Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister.
• Forum: Fortune India says he spoke at the Munich Leaders Meeting in New Delhi.
• Source dates: Fortune India published its report at 19:04 IST on 4 October 2026. GKToday's page is dated 5 October 2026.

A source discrepancy to note

GKToday says the remarks were made at the "62nd Munich Security Conference in New Delhi" and at the Munich Leaders Meeting. Fortune India mentions only the Munich Leaders Meeting in New Delhi. The supplied evidence does not clarify how the two relate, so this page treats the Munich Leaders Meeting in New Delhi as the confirmed venue. Check the official programme before citing the exact event name in an answer.

What Jaishankar said

Two defining features of the current landscape

According to Fortune India, he named two main features of today's global landscape:

1. A "radical repositioning" of the United States, which he described as a "posture of choice" that has made it a lonelier power.
2. The rise of China, whose economic strength is increasingly turning into political influence.

Competition, leverage and interdependence

He described "very sharp competition" that is no longer limited to Washington and Beijing. In his words, it has led to a "weaponisation of any leverage that any country has". He added that this competition coexists with the "complexity of interdependence". GKToday explains weaponisation as the use of trade, technology, finance, energy or supply chains as instruments of state power.

How middle powers are responding

Jaishankar said emerging and middle powers, though differentiated, share a growing self-awareness of their interests and are becoming more self-reliant. He linked this to the Indian term "Atmanirbhar". He said many are diversifying and de-risking across their economies, security arrangements and supply chains. He described "agenda-based cooperation", in which countries need only "a reasonable degree of convergence" and enough touch points to work together, not full alignment on every issue. He said this process of "de-risking, diversifying, and hedging" is gradually creating a new global architecture.

The "Goldilocks scenario"

On the US-China rivalry, he said other countries want a "Goldilocks scenario", where relations are neither too hot nor too good but at "the right temperature". He said middle powers can cooperate among themselves and keep ties with both the US and China, as long as their interests do not directly clash.

Groupings he cited as examples

Why it matters for exam preparation

This is a statement by India's foreign minister on how the international order is changing, so it is useful background for international relations and current affairs. Learners can use it to practise explaining these terms in their own words:

• Middle powers: GKToday describes them as states with moderate military, economic and diplomatic capabilities that often pursue multilateral engagement.
• De-risking and diversification: approaches used to reduce dependence on a single partner or market.
• Weaponisation of leverage: using trade, technology, finance, energy or supply chains as tools of state power.
• Agenda-based cooperation: working together on specific issues without full alignment.

This page does not claim that any question on this topic will appear in an exam. Treat it as context for understanding India's stated view of global politics.

Evidence limits

• The direct quotations here come from Fortune India's report. GKToday gives a shorter summary that omits the word "deliberately".
• Fortune India's page carries a disclaimer that some supplementary features may be AI-generated or AI-assisted. The quoted passages in this article come from its main report text.
• GKToday adds background on the Indo-Pacific, India-US maritime cooperation and artificial intelligence. The supplied reporting does not show that Jaishankar discussed these in the remarks, so they are not attributed to him here.
• No official transcript or Ministry of External Affairs release was supplied. The wording above relies on media reports.

Quick answers

Did Jaishankar say the US is isolated?

Fortune India quotes him saying the US has "deliberately become a lonelier power" through a "posture of choice". The supplied reports do not quote him saying the US is isolated.

Is this a future event?

No. The remarks were made on 4 October 2026 and were reported the same day and the next, so the event is complete as of 5 October 2026.