Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets with President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa inside the Madama Palace (Senate) as Italy hosts the Italy-Africa summit in Rome, Italy January 29, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli Courtesy: Reuters
8 February 2024

Italy reaches out to Africa

The Italy-Africa summit, held on January 28-29, followed Prime Minister Meloni’s Mattei Plan for greater engagement with Africa and the Global South. It gives Italy’s ongoing G7 presidency an edge and a means of addressing immediate concerns like energy and illegal migration. Italy must now follow through on its commitments by coordinating with partner countries, organisations and private sector.

c-vladivostok Courtesy: Sputnik India
8 February 2024

Reviving the Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor

Tensions in West Asia have disrupted global shipping and revived interest in the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor. Better freight and passenger connectivity between Southern India and Russia’s Far East will open new areas for bilateral cooperation such as the export of machinery, auto parts and engineering goods from India, and progressively integrate the economies of the two countries.

India France 2003 Courtesy: Tezbid
25 January 2024

India-France: the age of maturity

President Emmanuel Macron is the Chief Guest for India's Republic Day celebration. This comes six months after Prime Minister Modi went to Paris as the Chief Guest for France's Bastille Day. It marks a special continuum in the India-France bilateral, and the growing convergence of their respective visions which include a shared dedication to strategic autonomy, an understanding between friends, and the maturity of the bilateral.

7167432588_1a83db7e99_o-1024x616 Courtesy: South Asian Voices
25 January 2024

France, India and the Indo-Pacific

The proximity in the Indo-French relationship is reflected in the countries' increasing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. An ambitious joint Indo-Pacific roadmap is supported by the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative and the recently announced Indo-Pacific Triangular Development Cooperation Fund. Both partners must now devise timelines for the implementation of the proposals.

edf energy Courtesy: Reuters
25 January 2024

Delhi-Paris energy engagement

India and France are both large energy importers with a shared interest in stable prices and decarbonisation. They have much to offer each other. France is a leader in nuclear power and green hydrogen, and can help India with the technology it needs. India, with its large and growing market, can help bring down the cost of these technologies and mainstream them.

india eu japan Courtesy: Institute for Security & Development Policy
11 January 2024

Comparing Japan and EU in India

Japan and the EU have a stable and long engagement with India. As India grows in economic and geopolitical significance, both partners must change the lens they view India with. Japan has done better, especially with investment, and because of a common interest and activity in the Indo-Pacific. The EU is driven by Brussels still and needs must overcome that limitation to better leverage India.

20231118_TWLDD002 Courtesy: The Economist
4 January 2024

Reading the tea leaves for 2024

After a year affected by a sustained polycrisis, global geopolitics in 2024 remains a delicate dance between hope and realism. Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza cast uncertain shadows, while Taiwan and the South China Sea present potential flashpoints. Indian diplomacy will have to navigate old and new challenges, while promoting India’s expertise in digital technology, as also managing its own upcoming parliamentary elections.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a news conference in Brussels on July 15, 2020, after a virtual summit with the Indian Prime Minister. (Photo by YVES HERMAN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by YVES HERMAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Courtesy: CSIS
9 November 2023

Europe’s Challenges in the Indo-Pacific

Europe's increased focus on the Indo-Pacific and the deepening economic and technological collaboration with India offer mutual benefits. However, the EU's ambivalent approach towards China, and the desire of most European states to maintain neutrality in the U.S.-China rivalry might not be sustainable in the long run.

BRICS 2 website Courtesy: Fox News
31 August 2023

BRICS-XI, the new configuration

The decision to invite six countries — Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — to join BRICS as full members has opened the grouping to a new geopolitical era. India can now play a seminal but challenging role in this evolved dynamic, given its growing cooperation with the West on the one hand and its active pursuit of the interests of the Global South on the other.

14466760487_a0053006b6_k Courtesy: Lowy Institute
17 August 2023

BRICS Summit: Redefining international cooperation

The 15th BRICS summit is set to take place on August 22-24 in Johannesburg. Against a backdrop of escalating global tensions, the summit's agenda encompasses crucial topics including greater representation of the Global South, reform of MDBs, and geopolitical flashpoints like the Ukraine crisis. The summit's outcomes will extend beyond the grouping and redefine the landscape of international cooperation among emerging economies.