Raja Mandala: Reaching out to Europe (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 2: Internationl Relation
Prelims level: G7
Mains level: New Delhi’s diplomacy and challenges emerged in this region

Context

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Biarritz on the Atlantic coast of France late last month to join the G-7 leaders as a special guest of President Emmanuel Macron and his travels to Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast for a meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin this week helps frame the growing importance of Eurasia for India’s changing geopolitics.
• The Modi government is unwilling to buy the proposition that the tension between the concepts of Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific is real.
• Russians and Chinese establishments see the “Indo-Pacific” as an effort to contain China.
• The Americans believe the promotion of “Eurasia” is about a Sino-Russian design to marginalise the US in the continental space.

Importance of India

• Located at the crossroads of Asia and at the heart of the Indian Ocean, India sees itself as a maritime power in the Indo-Pacific with big interests in continental Eurasia.
• Delhi may find Europe is the right partner in overcoming the presumed tension between the two concepts.
• In his bilateral talks with Macron last month, Modi highlighted the importance of India’s new alliance with France, by coining a characteristic acronym, IN-FRA, that might be critical for India in both the maritime and continental domains.

Challenges emerged in this region

• In deepening its partnership with Europe, Delhi can overcome some of the recent challenges that have emerged in the conduct of its foreign policy.
• First is the Russian question. If the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the integration of Russia into the global order opened up enormous geopolitical space for India after 1991, renewed tensions between Russia and the West have begun to shrink Delhi’s room for manoeuvre.
• Second, as it seeks to address the current contradictions in Eurasia, France is eager to work with India in developing new coalitions to stabilise the Indo-Pacific.
• France, a resident power in the Indo-Pacific, is eager work with India, Japan, Australia and other nations to prevent the littoral from becoming a hostage to the vagaries of US-China relations.
• Third is the problem of US-China tensions over trade that is affecting all major nations, including India. Delhi has good reasons to support the initiative by France, Japan and others to save the global trading system through much needed reforms to make it work for all nations. In the past, India’s preference was to forge coalitions like the G-77 that have long ceased to be effective. Working with Europe and Japan, however, might lend greater weight and credence to India’s trade diplomacy.
• Fourth, India has a strong interest in joining the so-called “Alliance for Multilateralism” — a German initiative backed by France — that calls for modernising international institutions, strengthening the rules-based order and promoting global, rather than national, solutions to global challenges.
• It does not include the US, Russia and China, but is drawing many middle powers like Japan and Canada in the developed world and South Africa in the developing world.
• Last, but not least, there is room for expansive cooperation between India and the Central European states.
• In sticking to its traditional method of engaging Europe through big powers, India has neglected the enormous possibilities for mutual enrichment with other European states as well as the European Union.
• Jaishankar’s visit to Brussels, hopefully, renews the momentum in the partnership with the EU.

Conclusion

• As the region’s weight grows within Europe, Eurasia and the world, Jaishankar’s visit has hopefully created the basis for a more productive engagement with the region.
• It could begin with an early summit meeting between the PM and the leaders of the Visegrad group the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With reference to Higgs Boson, consider the following statements:
1. The Higgs boson is an elementary particle produced by the quantum excitation of the Higgs field.
2. It was the last hold-out particle remaining hidden during the quest to check the accuracy of the Standard Model of Physics.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: C
Mains Questions:
Q.1) Critically evaluate the New Delhi’s diplomacy indicates its willingness for more productive engagement with Brussels.