BRICS & Global South

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

स्वर्ण सिंह (Swaran Singh)

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

स्वर्ण सिंह

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

quoted in Outlook magazine story: “China’s dominance is a structural reality. It remains the largest economy in BRICS, with the highest levels of exports, imports and financial capacity,” says Swaran Singh of the School of International Studies, Jwaharlal Nehru University. “Naturally, this gives Beijing a disproportionately strong influence, and that imbalance is unlikely to change in the near future given the scale of China’s economy,” adds Singh. “Unlike institutions like the IMF [International Monetary Fund], where major reforms are difficult without Washington’s approval, BRICS has demonstrated greater flexibility in introducing alternative financial mechanisms and reforms,” says Singh. “In many ways, BRICS represents an evolving alternative template in global economic governance,” he adds.

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

quoted in Outlook report on BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting. According to Professor Swaran Singh, School of International Studies,JNU, “The Iran crisis had inevitably overshadowed the summit, but the absence of a joint statement is not surprising given that countries directly linked to the conflict, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are themselves part of BRICS. In addition, emerging strategic partnerships such as the India-UAE-Israel equation further complicate consensus-building within the bloc.”

on Trump-Xi summit, quoted in TRT World report saying Swaran Singh of Jawaharlal Nehru University told TRT World that India’s overriding interest – and by extension much of the wider region’s – is “rapid de-escalation rather than alignment with any bloc.” The emphasis, he noted, is on stability rather than strategic positioning. Swaran Singh’s framing of China-US ties as “tactical stabilisation between systemic rivals” captures the prevailing mood across much of Asia.

Swaran Singh

Prof. Swaran Singh of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of International Studies described India’s possible stake sale as “tactical pragmatism” rather than a long-term policy change. Speaking to Firstpost, Singh said that India’s engagement with Chabahar has always depended on temporary exemptions from US sanctions on Iran. With the waiver window now closed and chances of renewal appearing slim, India is left with limited choices. In such a situation, he argues, a stake sale is a calculated step to reduce risks rather than a signal of shifting strategic priorities. “Given the structural constraints and repeated exposure to US sanctions, including secondary sanctions, the move reflects risk minimisation, not a policy preference,” Singh said. More from India India explores stake sale in Chabahar as US waiver window closes India explores stake sale in Chabahar as US waiver window closes Gold overtakes US Treasuries: Why central banks are rewriting the rules of global finance Gold overtakes US Treasuries: Why central banks are rewriting the rules of global finance He pointed out that continued involvement in the project could expose Indian companies to legal, financial and reputational risks, especially in the absence of clear protection from sanctions. The Chabahar port has long been seen as a key strategic asset for India, offering direct access to Afghanistan and Central Asia while bypassing Pakistan. India has invested around $620 million in the project as of now. It is also linked to the International North-South Transport Corridor, which aims to connect India with Europe and Russia. However, experts note that geopolitical realities often force governments to balance long-term goals with immediate constraints. Singh’s assessment suggests that India’s current approach is shaped more by necessity than choice. As tensions in US-Iran relations persist, and with Washington maintaining strict sanctions on Tehran, New Delhi must carefully navigate its economic and diplomatic interests. The possibility of transferring India’s stake to a local Iranian entity, with a clause to reclaim it later, reflects this cautious strategy. It allows India to step back temporarily without completely abandoning the project, keeping the door open for future re-engagement if conditions improve.

Firstpost report (based on my inputs) by Kshitiz Bhardwaj on India’s exit from Iran’s Chabahar port projects

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

The Times of India report by Mahender Yadav on aforementioned report with my detailed inputs for this story that extensively quotes me.

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

quoted in Outlook Business on US action in Venezuela saying “US actions reflect an effort to shape the global energy market — not only by reviving stalled oil resources in countries such as Venezuela, but also by positioning the US as a viable exporter with greater influence over the availability and type of oil,” Dr. Swaran Singh, professor at School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University said. Singh also notes that Venezuela’s importance is further underscored by China’s long-standing involvement in its oil sector, making control over future production relevant not just to Russian sanctions but also to broader strategic competition involving Washington.

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

स्वर्ण सिंह (Swaran Singh)

Swaran Singh

Dr. Swaran Singh, Professor of International Relations with New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University feels that India should participate in the conference “Given ‘multi-alignment’ now being the defining feature of India’s foreign policy.” However, he cautions that this participation “should remain restricted to lower level officials or even non-official level as this summit does not meet the basic criterion of ensuring all stakeholders being present at these deliberations.” Pointing out that Russia has not been invited to the conference, he reasons that “. the most optimal outcome of this will be nothing but one more ultimatum to Moscow to comply with their fancies. China, Brazil,Pakistan have announced their non-participation. Indeed, as a major player with stakes in an early end of Ukraine crisis,”

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

स्वर्ण सिंह

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

reporter Ms. V. Nivedita

Interview to Onkar Poojari: Swaran Singh, a professor of diplomacy and disarmament at the Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University whose areas of expertise include India and China’s security issues, argues that reducing India’s motives to China competition “would be too simplistic and myopic,” adding that the G20 summit, if nothing else, is India’s “opportunity to showcase its diverse culture, its developmental projects, and its potential to thousands of visitors,” which will inevitably lead to more trade and foreign investment. “Irrespective of the outcomes of their 2023 summit, the fact that concerns of Global South have become center stage in all deliberations of over 200 meetings involving stakeholders representing multiple sectors ... surely carries an India imprint,” says Dr. Singh.

BBC हिंदी न्यूज़ के संवाददाता वात्सल्य राय के साथ मेरा साक्षात्कार

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Reporter Jan Yumul quoted me: Given the overwhelming interest shown by many countries in joining BRICS, the success in building consensus in inviting as many as six new members is a reflection of both the bloc's self-confidence in opening itself to new members just as it underlines its growing credibility, said Swaran Singh, professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. What is even more interesting is how all five national leaders indicated this to be only a beginning and that many more aspirant nations are likely to be added to the bloc in coming years, Singh said. This has implications for most of the conventional post-World War II global governance structures that have failed to accommodate these emerging economies, he said.

Swaran Singh (my interview)

Swaran Singh (in Panel)

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Quote in their report on G20 FMM failure, “It is important for G20 to stay focused on its original mandate of ensuring macroeconomic stability and focusing on the impending debt crisis, especially for developing countries. As for the Ukraine crisis, in the face of both Russia and the US remaining entrenched in escalating rather than mitigating or terminating violence, the onus lies now with middle powers," Swaran Singh, professor of international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi) and currently visiting professor at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), told the Global Times on Thursday. Singh also noted that a worse-case scenario of no consensus statement from the FMM will only further damage the G20 group's potential to remain the world's most powerful and most representative forum for global governance, which will also further undermine multilateralism, bringing dangerous global implications.

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh et.a. (co-edited)

Cyril Ip quote me in her report saying : 30 Nov 2022: my interview based report on China-Kazakhstan relations in South China Morning Post (Hongkong). Swaran Singh, an Asian affairs expert and visiting political science professor at the University of British Columbia, said that while Beijing and Astana have long remained friendly, many geopolitical factors have motivated Beijing to reinforce ties with its Central Asian neighbours. “With the Ukraine war, the world faces continuing shortages and price hikes in energy supplies which worries China, the world’s largest energy importing nation, [and] also its major suppliers,” Singh said, adding that Beijing’s commitments to carbon neutrality by 2060 and its planned shift towards renewable energy have also added pressure. Singh, who is also an adjunct fellow at the Charhar Institute, an independent international relations think tank in China, said that beyond its role as a key source of gas, oil and coal, Kazakhstan is “the most critical link” between China’s railways and those of Central Asia and Europe. “China’s 2,000km-long (1,243 miles) oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea, and two parallel gas pipelines … from Turkmenistan to Xinjiang, pass through Kazakhstan,” Singh said, adding that since Xinjiang is a “sensitive” region, Beijing is conscious about ensuring stability and good relations with its largest neighbour to the west.

Swaran Singh

स्वर्ण सिंह

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Quoted in China daily saying the Bretton Woods institutions – especially the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank that were set up to promote global economic cooperation after World War II – have a great deal to learn from the BRICS’ structures and processes.

स्वर्ण सिंह (मेरी साक्षात्कार पर आधारित लेख)

Xu Weiwei quote me saying “…the growing roles of institutions such as the New Development Bank and the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Moreover, he said, BRICS members are beginning to discuss expanding the bloc, which would further accelerate its development.”

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh et.al (co-author)

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh

Swaran Singh