If China has given up on multipolarity because it is seeking its unipolar dream, it is up to India and the EU – including Germany – to work in ways that ensure that the world remains multipolar.
The India–France relationship has gained significant strategic salience in the recent past.
As countries debate an emerging security architecture in the Indo-Pacific, a key area is missing from the discussion: the role of islands. Much as they did in the past, islands will come to play a critical role in shaping the new order in the Indian Ocean region.
Ending India’s amnesia about the two World Wars must now be followed by a more purposeful engagement with Europe in reordering the security architecture of Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific.
It’s time for India, France, and Australia to join forces. This innovative security triangle is no flight of think tank fancy, but an ambition now being considered at the highest levels of policy.
The India–France partnership could form the model for burden-sharing between India and its Western friends.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron are well-placed to turn India and France into long-term partners in shaping the geopolitics of Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific.
Faced with growing geopolitical turbulence and more aggressive maritime maneuvering, India and France are eager to expand their strategic engagement in the Indo-Pacific.
Looking beyond the traditional areas of high-technology and defence cooperation, and the more recent focus on global mitigation of climate change, New Delhi and Paris appear ready to lend a strong regional dimension to their strategic partnership.
India today has a serious chance to transform its navy from a reactive to a proactive one.
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