Can the world be a family in an age of power Politics? Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and the future of multipolar geopolitics

Abstract

The contemporary international system is marked by intensifying great-power rivalry, strategic fragmentation, and the reassertion of hard power politics, even as global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, forced migration, and technological disruption demand cooperative responses. In this context, the question of whether the world can be imagined as a moral community rather than merely a competitive arena of states acquires renewed significance. This paper interrogates the relevance of the Indian civilizational concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the idea that “the world is one family”, for rethinking geopolitics in an emerging multipolar order.

Drawing upon Indian Knowledge Systems, particularly the ethical and relational worldview articulated in the Maha Upanishad, the study situates Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as a normative framework that challenges the dominance of realist assumptions in International Relations. Unlike liberal universalism or Western cosmopolitanism, this concept emphasizes relational ethics, mutual responsibility, and coexistence amidst diversity, offering an alternative moral imagination of global order. The paper engages with Global International Relations (Global IR) and post-Western theoretical debates to argue that non-Western Knowledge traditions can contribute meaningfully to the reconstitution of international theory and practice.

The analysis compares Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam with the ideas of power politics, the balance of power, and strategic competition that are part of today’s multipolarity in Global International Relations. This comparison is important for Global International Relations. The paper looks at how India uses the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in talks with countries and in international meetings. This idea is about treating the world like one family. India brings up this idea when discussing issues of helping people in need and working with other countries in the same region. It contributes to ongoing debates on normative geopolitics by demonstrating how Indian Knowledge Systems can inform a more plural, inclusive, and ethically grounded understanding of world politics. Ultimately, the study suggests that in an age of multipolarity and persistent conflict, reimagining the world as a moral community is not merely aspirational but increasingly necessary for the sustainability of global order. Through a conceptual and interpretive methodology, the paper examines how India has invoked this civilizational ethic in diplomatic discourse and multilateral engagements, particularly in the context of global governance, humanitarian assistance, and South-South cooperation. It contributes to ongoing debates on normative geopolitics by demonstrating how Indian Knowledge Systems can inform a more plural, inclusive, and ethically grounded understanding of world politics. Ultimately, the study suggests that in an age of multipolarityand persistent conflict, reimagining the world as a moral community is not merely aspirational but increasingly necessary for the sustainability of global order.