Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
international balance of powers needs a strong relationship between India and the
European Union'.
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One month later, Defense Minister Alain Richard visited India. In his key
speech, he choose to comment not on the running reform of French forces, but
rather on the 'emergence of a new political player', the European Union, and her
Common Foreign and Security Policy. CFSP, he clarified, aims at crisis
prevention, crisis management, peacekeeping in Europe and in its margins, for
'regional issues are regionally dealt with' (draw the conclusion for Kashmir).
Richard clarified the rationale of the Kosovo war so strongly criticized in
India:'we put out fire in (our) own backyard'. He underlined the evolving
relationship between the European forces, still made up of national armies, and
NATO, which is no more entitled to 'exclusiveness for defense issues in Europe'.
This development, added the defense minister, 'is an essential contribution to the
stability of a really multipolar world, more balanced than the present one, with
the emergence in Asia and Europe of new key players'.
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MULTIPOLARITY AND THE INDO-FRENCH
DIALOGUE: BETWEEN PRINCIPLED VISIONS AND
REALPOLITIK
The Indo-French dialogue on multipolarity deserves attention for three reasons.
First, it offers a wide common ground between the two countries. It pleased
India to be acknowledged as one of the 'emerging new great powers in Asia'
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and as one of the future poles structuring a more balanced world order. However,
India was expecting more than statements on her 'vocation' to join the
permanent members of the Security Council. Finally, the French President said it
publicly in Paris to his Indian counterpart in April 2000: 'India is naturally
destined to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security
Council. France supports and will support your candidature.' New Delhi,
however, wanted more and got it when, on 1 November 2001, France backed
openly India candidature during the UN General Assembly debate on the
expansion of the Council.
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Second, the Indo-French dialogue on multipolarity addresses, by definition,
the question of emerging powers and global balance. We have noted the French
comments on the parallel assertiveness of Europe and India. In this regard, the
EU-India Business summit held in Lisbon in June 2000 appears as an
acknowledgement by India of the 'need to review India-EU relations', not just a
call for investment.
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What is at stake here are the Indian perceptions of what is
sometimes defined as Eurasia. New Delhi criticized NATO expansion to Eastern
Europe. The relationship with China is too uncertain for providing much credit to
the proposed Moscow-Beijing-New Delhi triangle once proposed by Yevgeny
