The New Dynamic: Eurasia and Consequences for India

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The New Dynamic: Eurasia and Consequences for India

Japan is changing the relationship between Asia and Europe. During his visit through Europe two weeks ago, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s message was - the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is indivisible.

Kishida, writes C Raja Mohan  (Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Delhi and contributing editor on international affairs for The Indian Express) “is determined to build strong military partnerships with Europe. Japan is not alone in this endeavour. South Korea, which does not always see eye to eye with Japan, is also joining the party by raising its profile in Europe. Seoul, for example, is selling major weapons platforms in Poland. Australia, which has joined the US and UK in the AUKUS arrangement, is equally eager to bring Europe into the Indo-Pacific. Together Japan, South Korea and Australia are bridging the divide between Asia and Europe long seen as separate geopolitical theatres. This process has been accelerated by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the alliance between Moscow and Beijing.…..”

 

The emergence of Eurasia

For the first time, says Mohan “the NATO summit in Madrid in June invited key Asian partners to participate. The prime ministers of Australia, Japan and New Zealand as well as the president of South Korea joined the summit. This is the first time that Asian leaders joined NATO deliberations. This is certainly not a one-shot event. NATO’s engagement with Indo-Pacific issues and East Asia’s engagement with European security will continue to be new features of Eurasian geopolitics. In its National Security Strategy released late last year, the Biden Administration articulated the desire to see its allies and partners in Europe and Asia collaborate more with each other. Washington now recognises it can’t secure Europe and Asia on its own. It is eager to encourage its partners, including India, to build their capabilities and strengthen regional balances of power in Europe and Asia.”

 

Challenges as well as opportunities for India

This new dynamic, argues Mohan  “presents challenges as well as opportunities for India.

“For India, the rise of Eurasia is making it harder to ride on two boats at the same time. Until now, India could easily hunt with the maritime coalition — the Quad — in the Indo-Pacific and run at the same time with the continental coalitions led by Russia and China. This was possible so long as the maritime and continental powers were not at each other’s throats. But the conflict between the US, Europe, and Japan on the one hand and China and Russia on the other is now acute and shows no signs of immediate amelioration.

“On the downside, then, India’s mounting security challenges from China on the Himalayan frontier and the tightening embrace between Moscow and Beijing will mean the shadow over India’s continental strategy will become darker in the days ahead. On the upside, the possibilities for strengthening India’s strategic capabilities in partnership with the US and Europe as well as Japan, South Korea and Australia have never been stronger. It is up to Delhi now to seize the emerging possibilities.”

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