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This report of a conference, hosted by the NFG Research Group "Asian Perceptions of the European Union" at ORF and JNU on September 26-27, 2013, provides a summary of the key themes which emerged from the conference.

The return of a socialist President in France since Mitterand's victory in 1981 confirms a trend in Europe which, instead of lifting the mist, is adding to the fog. The other day, David Cameron, who has never quite found his feet, had egg all over his face.

Stringent new capital requirements will choke off financing that’s urgently required to build infrastructure in the developing world.

Whether France can be a trusted partner in managing China is a question that many have asked after the fiasco of Macron’s visit.

The shift began with the election of Trump who refused to go by conventional thinking on Russia.

Even if Donald Trump does not win the presidency, it is unlikely that enthusiasm for supporting Ukraine would be high in the US’s political ranks

The Ukraine war has confronted the EU with global realities like the end of a Eurocentric world agenda

The Visegrad Four (V4) countries—Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary—are examples of communist states that have transitioned to liberal and democratic governance systems. In recent years, their visibility in the European Union (EU) has surged due to their contrarian positions on certain critical issues facing the Union, such as mass migration and, since 2022, the conflict in Ukraine. This paper analyses the impact of these trend

Far-right parties are on the march in Europe as identity issues become complicated and traditional values are seen as under attack

Prime Minister Modi’s outreach to Europe has injected pragmatism in a relationship which was adrift for some time. Now the proverbial ball is in Europe’s court.

Unrealised convergences between India and Central Europe can be pivotal in instituting a rare dynamic based on identified complementarities, and not towards exacting competitive leverages

The new Indo-Pacific strategy by the European Union (EU) follows previous measures to increase engagement with the region in the economic, security and connectivity domains. The plan indicates a clear intent to position the EU in the emerging global and regional governance structures, focusing on strategic autonomy, inclusivity, the rules-based order, and common public goods. Implementing the action plan based on the strategy is likely to face nu

Observer Research Foundation and Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung recently organised the Asian-European Policy Dialogue 2013. The theme of the dialogue was local level politics, related policy areas and the role of the state.

Europe’s relationship with China has transformed in recent years, with Chinese behaviour and actions now increasingly at odds with European values and interests. As Europe adjusts to new global realities amid a full-fledged war, the European Union (EU) and its member states are recalibrating their strategies and relationships with China. This paper aims to decipher these evolutions by assessing the EU approach and those of certain key European

The European Union (EU) had been lurching from one crisis to the next even before a majority of British voters expressed their desire to leave it. While staying away from the Brexit debate itself, its implications for UK and EU, and the politics and motivations in the run-up to the vote, this paper argues that at the very least the referendum is a wake-up call for Europe to begin to address some of its structural and operational shortcomings in a

In the last few years, the European Union has been developing alternative ways of digital governance. This 'European way' could represent a shared model for new players worldwide, or else, herald the beginning of the fragmentation of the World Wide Web. These developmentsfrom rulings of the European Court of Justice on 'the right to be forgotten' and on safe harbour, to record-breaking sanctions for violations of competition law, to standard�

The elections in Sweden are maybe a last reminder that the EU needs to renew its foundational narrative.

Can good sense prevail in Washington once again? Military action in Libya will generate anti Americanism, which will swell the ranks of Al Qaeda and cause the "Arab Youth" bulge to find a frightening outlet.

Over the last five years, Brexit, the victory of Donald Trump in the US and the assumption of power by Xi Jinping in China, the seizure of Crimea and the Ukrainian crisis, the South China Sea disputes, and the emerging Iran crisis, have all helped upend the world order. Amidst these crises, the surge of Chinese acquisitions and investments in Europe did not draw much attention. The acrimony, however, between China and the US on trade and industri

China wants to move its manufacturing up the value chain to become a producer and exporter of high-value goods, for which Europe can be the best market.

During the 2017 winter session of parliament, PM Modi stated that India’s foreign policy stood on its own independent merit, and if it wanted to purchase oil from Iran, it would do so.

The US-India strategic partnership is rooted in the Indo-Pacific region. Nonetheless, developments in Europe, such as the war in Ukraine, have implications for US-India cooperation. The Ukraine conflict could distract the US, diverting its attention to Europe, and impeding its efforts to build Indian strategic capacity. Differing responses to the war can also create tensions between the two countries, as the US seeks to punish Russia, and

A political neophyte who has never held any elected office before, Emmanuel Macron at 39 years is the youngest President in French history.

In today’s digital economy, the United States (US) remains a market leader in many digital technologies; meanwhile, China is fast catching up. In Europe, foreign technology companies have a strong presence, often creating dependencies that can undermine digital sovereignty. Digitisation, therefore, is high on the European Union’s (EU) political agenda. This paper analyses recent key policy responses by the EU, and finds that the union

Growth is too weak in Europe today to support the necessary fiscal consolidation of the Member States. And without growth, there will be no budgetary and fiscal consolidation, says Pierre Sellal underlining the need for a growth pact.

It’s a fact that countries of the Global South, while not supportive of Russia’s war against Ukraine, also blame NATO and the West for its global impact. Europe needs to change its approach.

EU and UK are waking up to the Chinese threat, even as the convergence with India is growing

Elections across Europe will need to produce a new generation of leaders if its remapping is to be prevented.

The political landscape of Europe is steadily changing, and the sheen of Right-wing populism seems here to stay.

While India cannot match China's economic heft which is luring sections of the European political elite, it can entice Europe with the values which it espouses.

Drawing a parallel with the SAARC, Dr. G. Sundaram, former Indian Representative to the EU, said the EU has overcome many issues of the kind of SAARC, and managed them better.

This report presents an initial stocktaking of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) announced in 2023 following a meeting in New Delhi between the leaders of India, the US, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Italy, France, Germany, and the European Commission. Given that the participating economies contribute to almost half of the global GDP, there are many opportunities and challenges associated with the economic corridor.

A cross-analysis of the three regions indicates multiple complementarities between India and Europe vis-à-vis Africa — and that there are good reasons to initiate triangular cooperation in certain sectors.

Contemporary seabed warfare in Europe should be viewed as a warning for Indian Ocean littoral states, especially sophisticated regional maritime powers such as India and Australia. The Ukraine–Russia conflict has brought seabed warfare to the fore, as seabed critical infrastructure is once again the target of international conflict. This brief surveys European seabed warfare developments since 2021, how various European actors are responding, a

Will Samuel P Huntington be proved wrong on The Clash of Civilizations if and when Islamic Turkey joins European Union (E U)? And will that enable the E U to put an end to the decades old ethno- territorial feud in Cyprus?

In defining the term 'quality of life', there is no better way to give it a concrete shape than trekking in the woods of an alien land, traversing the streets and bylanes of its cities and staying with people whom you would otherwise never meet in your life.

The increase in the Muslim population since the last census has prompted alarmist coverage in some sections of the media.

The current refugee crisis in Europe is unlikely to end soon as one third of Syria's 20 million population are potential migrants, if the situation in the country itself will not change, says Jakob von Weizsaecker, Member of the European Parliament.