UN General Assembly
1998

constitutional system has been unwavering. Today, when I come to this rostrum as Prime Minister, I come on behalf of another coalition. India has demonstrated that democracy can take root in a developing country. I am confident that the Indian experience will prove that democracy can also provide the basis for stable, long-term economic growth in developing societies. That is the path that the people of India have chosen, and I stand before the Assembly today as the symbol of this new resurgent India. 16 The world of the 1970s has receded into history. The shackling constraints of the cold war are gone. The distinguishing feature of the last two decades has been the spread of democracy worldwide. By force of example, we have been one of the authors of the triumph of democracy. From this flows our desire to see the democratization of the United Nations itself. An international body that does not reflect, and change with, changing international realities will inevitably face a credibility deficit. We therefore support a revitalized and more effective United Nations,