India, March 1 -- Retired Indian diplomat and former foreign secretary of India Nirupama Rao said the current global landscape is marked by uncertainty, with the first principles of politics and economics being questioned and the certainties of the post-Cold War world order no longer standing unchallenged.

Speaking at the valedictory session of the Asia Economic Dialogue (AED) 2026 chaired by Vijay Kelkar, vice-president, Pune International Centre (PIC), on Saturday, Rao underlined India's role in shaping the emerging global order.

"Trade has become a form of strategic leverage, technology is now sovereign territory, finance serves as an instrument of coercion, and supply chains have emerged as potential battlegrounds," she said, termin...