Sea sore: Europe’s dilemmas in the Indian Ocean
The best security guarantees for the EU’s sea lines of communication lie in the convergence between its interests and those of India and the United States
Experts & Staff
Frédéric Grare
Senior Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
India’s foreign policy, South Asia security issues, Indo-Pacific dynamics, maritime security
Languages
French, English
Biography
Dr. Frédéric Grare is a senior policy fellow with the Asia Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He previously worked at the Center for Analysis, Planning and Strategy (CAPS) of the French Ministry for Europe and External Affairs (MEAE), Paris, where he focused on Indo-Pacific dynamics and Indian Ocean security issues. Prior to joining the French MEAE, he served as the South Asia programme director at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC.
Grare holds a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and a Habilitation from the Paris Institute of Political Science (Science Po) in Paris. His dissertation focused on Pakistan’s policy in the Afghan conflict. He was a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Counselor at the French embassy in Islamabad and Director of the Center for Social Sciences and Humanities in New Delhi. Grare has published extensively on topics related to South Asian security, India’s Foreign Policy, Indo-Pacific dynamics and maritime security. His latest book The Indian Ocean as a New Political and Security Region was published in 2022.
Grare also served as head of the Asia bureau at the directorate for strategic affairs of France’s Ministry of Defence.
15 Feb
India-China Luncheon Lectures – The 2020 Galwan crisis and the future of India-China relations
Lt Gen SL Narasimhan will discuss how India can enhance its security and promote its national interest in an unbalanced strategic environment with China.
8 Feb
Japanese and EU Indo-Pacific policies after the German and Japanese elections
How will the new administrations in Germany and Japan impact the EU’s and Japanese Indo-Pacific strategy and China policy?
Corridor to nowhere: The Gwadar protests and the Pakistan-China relationship
The Gwadar protests are more than just a story of manipulation of the food insecurity and frustrations of the local population. They also illustrate the failure of an economic development strategy based on fallacies.
European trade and strategy in the Indo-Pacific: Why the EU should join the CPTPP
The EU’s strongest asset remains trade. If it makes the most of this, it could prove highly welcome to Indo-Pacific countries considering China’s application to join the regional CPTPP trade agreement.
14 Dec
Joining forces with the Indo-Pacific: Kick-starting Europe’s new approach to the region
Over the course of the day, we will discuss how Europe and Asia can redefine the Indo-Pacific in terms compatible with their mutual interests. The 3 sessions will look specifically at trade, connectivity, and the Green Transition.
18 Oct
India-China Luncheon Lectures – How China negotiates with India
How does Beijing manage its diplomatic differences with Delhi? The ECFR Asia Programme is delighted to invite you to our second webinar which is part of our virtual luncheon series dedicated to the future of India-China relations
21 Sep
India-China Luncheon Lectures – Where are India-China relations headed?
The ECFR Asia Programme is delighted to invite you to our online webinar which will be the launching session of a luncheon discussion series dedicated to the future of India-China relations
Trumpism by another name: What AUKUS tells us about US policy in the Indo-Pacific
The ultimate effect of AUKUS could be to force Europeans to conclude there is no point in engaging in the vital yet geographically distant issue of Indo-Pacific security
Moving closer: European views of the Indo-Pacific
It will take more than just strong support from France, Germany, and the Netherlands to ensure that the new EU strategy for the Indo-Pacific is effective in the long term
Publications
The battle for the Indian Ocean: How the EU and India can strengthen maritime security
China is becoming increasingly assertive in the Indian Ocean. The EU and India should work together to support the smaller states of the region
A question of balance: India and Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Europeans have found India’s position on the Ukraine war frustrating. But, although it is dependent on Russia for its arms, and has huge worries about China, India is actually moving inexorably closer to the West.
Fish and ships: Chinese fishing and Europe’s Indo-Pacific strategy
Beijing instrumentalises its fishing fleet for geopolitical gain, as evidenced by its policy on the South China Sea. Europe cannot be a bystander on the issue.
Articles
Here be dragons: India-China relations and their consequences for Europe
The border standoff between China and India illustrates the growing rivalry between the two countries – and the part that other major powers play in it
Ambitions and access: The new economic framework for the Indo-Pacific
The new US-led economic framework for the Indo-Pacific may have limited power to manage China’s ascendence. But the EU has good reasons to pay attention to the discussions around it.
Will and intent: The Paris ministerial forum on the Indo-Pacific
The recent Paris forum was the first step towards implementing the EU’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific. Given China and Russia’s alliance, Europe must ensure it continues to build up its influence in the region.
Russia’s escalation in Ukraine: Views from Asia
Asia’s three largest powers all have a stake in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. China hopes to change the global order, Japan aims to resist this effort, and India is eager not to alienate Russia or the West.
Sea sore: Europe’s dilemmas in the Indian Ocean
The best security guarantees for the EU’s sea lines of communication lie in the convergence between its interests and those of India and the United States
Corridor to nowhere: The Gwadar protests and the Pakistan-China relationship
The Gwadar protests are more than just a story of manipulation of the food insecurity and frustrations of the local population. They also illustrate the failure of an economic development strategy based on fallacies.
European trade and strategy in the Indo-Pacific: Why the EU should join the CPTPP
The EU’s strongest asset remains trade. If it makes the most of this, it could prove highly welcome to Indo-Pacific countries considering China’s application to join the regional CPTPP trade agreement.
Trumpism by another name: What AUKUS tells us about US policy in the Indo-Pacific
The ultimate effect of AUKUS could be to force Europeans to conclude there is no point in engaging in the vital yet geographically distant issue of Indo-Pacific security
Indo-specific: The potential of the EU-India Leaders’ Meeting
The EU’s and India’s willingness to fulfil the untapped economic potential of their relationship indicates that their positions might still quite far apart but, for geopolitical reasons, they want to reach a compromise
The EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy: A chance for a clear message to China and Europe’s allies
Friends and foes alike will pay careful attention to the contents of the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy. On the current reading, Europe’s friends in particular may be disappointed.
Specials
Moving closer: European views of the Indo-Pacific
It will take more than just strong support from France, Germany, and the Netherlands to ensure that the new EU strategy for the Indo-Pacific is effective in the long term
Podcasts
The prospects for EU-India relations ahead of the Leaders Summit
What are the prospects for a closer EU-India relationship following the upcoming EU-India Leaders Summit?
Events
21 Jun
India-China Luncheon Lectures – India and the new geopolitics of technology
In this session, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri will elaborate on India’s role in shaping the new geopolitics of technology
11 May
India-China Luncheon Lectures – Sino-Indian competition in the Indian Ocean
The ECFR Asia Programme is delighted to invite you to our online webinar which is part of our virtual luncheon series dedicated to the future of India-China relations. …
20 Apr
India-China Luncheon Lectures – Ukraine and India’s great power relations
In our sixth India-China Luncheon Lecture, Professor C. Raja Mohan will discuss the implications of Russia’s war in Ukraine on India’s relations with China, the US, and the EU.
23 Mar
India-China Luncheon Lectures – An Indian vision of China’s political trajectory under Xi Jinping
In the latest iteration of our India-China Luncheon Series, Jayadeva Ranade will shed light on the Indian perspective of China’s radical policy shift under Xi Jinping
15 Feb
India-China Luncheon Lectures – The 2020 Galwan crisis and the future of India-China relations
Lt Gen SL Narasimhan will discuss how India can enhance its security and promote its national interest in an unbalanced strategic environment with China.
8 Feb
Japanese and EU Indo-Pacific policies after the German and Japanese elections
How will the new administrations in Germany and Japan impact the EU’s and Japanese Indo-Pacific strategy and China policy?
14 Dec
Joining forces with the Indo-Pacific: Kick-starting Europe’s new approach to the region
Over the course of the day, we will discuss how Europe and Asia can redefine the Indo-Pacific in terms compatible with their mutual interests. The 3 sessions will look specifically at trade, connectivity, and the Green Transition.
18 Oct
India-China Luncheon Lectures – How China negotiates with India
How does Beijing manage its diplomatic differences with Delhi? The ECFR Asia Programme is delighted to invite you to our second webinar which is part of our virtual luncheon series dedicated to the future of India-China relations
21 Sep
India-China Luncheon Lectures – Where are India-China relations headed?
The ECFR Asia Programme is delighted to invite you to our online webinar which will be the launching session of a luncheon discussion series dedicated to the future of India-China relations
25 Mar
Towards a European Indo-Pacific strategy
The European Council on Foreign Relations is launching a new project on the Indo-Pacific, to foster a joint understanding of the region from a pan-European perspective
In the media
there is clearly a willingness on the Chinese side to discourage both Taiwan to resist as well as the U.S. to intervene by demonstrating a military superiority and the inevitability of China’s success
Frédéric Grare comments on the publication of a Chinese documentary showing the state of readiness of the Chinese army in the event of an attack on Taiwan
Manisha Reuter and Frédéric Grare on the tensions in the Indian Ocean
No foreign policy is made on the basis of values alone. This is not the first time there has been a tension between interests and values.
Frédéric Grare on the Indian Prime Minister’s participation in the Bastille Day celebrations on 14 July
The EU has developed maritime domain awareness through two lines of effort, said Frederic Grare
Frédéric Grare comments on the range of European forces in the Indo-Pacific
New Delhi and the European capitals may not like each other’s policies, but they need to find a quid pro quo based on their real, not symbolic, interests
In a column, Frédéric Grare comments on a new dynamic in EU-India relations triggered by the war on Ukraine