India must build from within to protect itself in a fractured world

Can we function if the world unplugs us digitally? This is the litmus test of our sovereignty today

- LLOYD MATHIAS

Not too long ago, China instructed its government offices to stop using Microsoft Word and switch to a domestically built word processor.

On the surface, it looked like a routine tech decision. But the subtext was far more significant. This was not about better features or local preferences. It was about asserting control. The message was clear: even digital ink must now come from home.

However, this idea that essential infrastructure must be owned and operated domestically is no longer unique to China. Across continents, governments are turning inward. The once-shared belief that global progress depends on collaboration is steadily being replaced by a more guarded instinct: self-preservation. And this shift is not arriving with loud declarations. It is creeping in through quiet changes such as new regulations, tweaks in procurement rules and subtle shifts in funding priorities.

The trend is fuelled by sentiments of nationalism and populism. From Capitol Hill to European parliaments, leaders have the same refrain: protect what's ours. Local jobs, local industries, local identity. The result is a protectionist reflex that prizes domestic reassurance over international resilience.