Johannesburg, Jun 8 (PTI): India is a “valuable” partner for South Africa in navigating “turbulent times” toward a more inclusive multipolar world, the head of a leading South African research institution has said.
Phapano Phasha, the chairperson of The Centre for Alternative Political and Economic Thought, said this view is based on the role played by India within and beyond the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) comprising the US, Japan, Australia, and India.
The Quad, he said, is expected to work as a systemic stabiliser in today’s fractured world.
He said that India has emerged as a “quintessential bridge-builder and balancer in contemporary global affairs. It maintains strategic autonomy, a policy rooted in its Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) heritage, by engaging multiple platforms without formal alliances.” In an opinion piece in the Sunday Independent, the analyst said that this approach allows India to advance its national interests while positioning itself as a voice for the Global South and a reliable partner for the West.
He said that New Delhi’s “unique positioning” in the global economy enables it to act as a bridge between the North and the South.
“India has all the potential to reshape the weakening global order and steer it towards a fairer global governance,” Phasha said.
“India, since the NAM, has always nudged the global conversations towards global governance and the rule of law. In times when the international order is under a free fall, India has, yet again, a chance to play a key role through Quad (and beyond), in redesigning the global governance by acting as a bridge through restraint and economic resilience,” he added.
Phasha emphasised that India, through Quad, has an immense role to play as a stabiliser in the multipolar world via partnerships, constant manoeuvres for the rule of law, and balancing between the US-led systems, powers like Russia and China, the European powers, and the formidable force for the Global South.
“This bridging role is particularly significant for South Africa and the broader African continent, as it aligns with shared aspirations for a more equitable, multipolar order strengthened by platforms such as BRICS, where India assumed the chairmanship in 2026.
“India, as the largest democracy and a rising economic force, serves as a dynamic bridge between the Global North and South, leveraging its growing economy, strategic autonomy, and longstanding advocacy for equitable global governance.
“Pundits also argue that India’s balancing role is not fence-sitting but proactive multi-alignment: It deters threats (via Quad), builds coalitions for reform (via BRICS), and promotes a rules-based yet fairer order. For South Africa, this makes India a valuable partner in navigating turbulent times toward a more inclusive multipolar world guided by its own national interests,” Phasha said. PTI FH GRS GRS GRS GRS
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