UI Brief: EU and India as Partners for Security in Africa
The EU and India could look at a shared neighbourhood – Africa – where they would make an important contribution by supporting African capacity together, the new UI Brief suggests. In the areas of peace support operations, security on and off the coasts, and cyber security, both the EU and India have capabilities that if combined could make a difference.
The EU and India have reignited their strategic partnership in recent years, and have agreed to promote global peace and security. With the rise of China and increased geopolitical tension, there is a strong underlying logic behind why these two actors should work closely together with this goal in mind. In practice, however, the EU and India are not really cooperating on peace and security. If they want their partnership to matter, they need to walk the talk.
”The EU-India partnership has enjoyed a political momentum in recent years, but on the ground, in terms of security cooperation, not much is happening. Africa is a region where they could make an important contribution together, especially by supporting African capacity. That could mean training peacekeepers and coast guards, or sharing know-how to deal with cyber security issues” says Emil Lidén, associate fellow at UI and author of the report.
This publication is made possible by the South Asia Initiative (SAI), a platform for research, analysis and outreach on the countries of South Asia, and the relationship between the region and the wider world. The Initiative is co-hosted by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) and the Swedish South Asian Studies Network (SASNET), at Lund University.