Against all dire predictions and odds, right until the day the G20 Summit started on 9 September, India was able to produce a 100 per cent consensus on the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration on the first day of the Summit itself. Agreement among all the participating countries was achieved not only on the substantive issues of development and growth, which are the primary remit of the G20, but also on the highly divisive subject of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Coming as it did, so suddenly and unexpectedly, the Leaders’ Declaration gave a huge boost to India’s standing and prestige in...