‘Ripple impact of what is taking place in Middle East still not clear’

New Delhi: The ripple impact of what is taking place in the Middle East right now is still not entirely clear, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday, against the backdrop of mounting global concern over the continuing Hamas-Israel conflict.

In an address at an event, Jaishankar, delving into various challenges facing the world, said any expectation that conflicts and terrorism can be contained in their impact is no longer tenable.

The external affairs minister said the consequences of various conflicts in a globalised world spread far beyond immediate geographies, while citing the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Jaishankar also highlighted the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and how the inequities of globalisation were starkly on display during the crisis.

“Vaccine apartheid was its most graphic manifestation, when some nations had eight times the stock of their population while others just next door waited for their first vial,” he said.

“A second contributor to volatility is conflict in a globalised world, where the consequences spread far beyond the immediate geography. We have already experienced this in Ukraine,” the external affairs minister noted.

“The ripple impact of what is now taking place in the Middle East is not entirely clear. These particular cases may be the headline news, but in different regions, there are smaller happenings whose impact is not inconsequential,” he said.

The external affairs minister also touched upon the challenge of terrorism and how it is being used as a tool of statecraft, in comments seen as an oblique reference to Pakistan’s support to various terror groups.

“In the domain of violence, there is also the less formal version that is very pervasive. I speak here of terrorism which has long been honed and practised as a tool of statecraft,” he said.

“The basic takeaway for all of us is that given the seamlessness of our existence, any expectation that conflicts and terrorism can be contained in their impact is not tenable. A big part of this is clearly economic,” Jaishankar said.

“But do not underestimate the danger of metastasis when it comes to radicalism and extremism. No danger is too distant anymore,” he added.

Listing various global challenges, the external affairs minister said the last few years have witnessed a rising debt, often resulting from a combination of imprudent choices, unbiased borrowings and opaque projects.

“The working of the global economy has itself added to the concerning side of the ledger. The last few years have witnessed a rising debt, often resulting from a combination of imprudent choices, unwise borrowings and opaque projects,” he said.

Jaishankar said market volatility has been difficult for smaller economies with a narrow trade basket to handle.