Table Of ContentChanging Indian Images of the
European Union
Perception and Misperception
Edited by
Rajendra K. Jain
Changing Indian Images of the European Union
Rajendra K. Jain
Editor
Changing Indian
Images of the
European Union
Perception and Misperception
Editor
Rajendra K. Jain
School of International Studies
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi, Delhi, India
ISBN 978-981-13-8790-6 ISBN 978-981-13-8791-3 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8791-3
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P
reface
Images are a major factor that influence the behaviour and foreign policy
choices of actors. The ‘reputation, the reflection of the reality of power in
the mind of the observers can be as important as the reality of power itself.
What others think about us is as important as what we actually are’
(Morgenthau, 1965). The images states hold of one another can create ‘an
impression of incompatibility. Even though perceptions determine behav-
iour, perceptions in turn are also influenced by behavior’ (Sridharan
2001: 86–87).
Analysis of external images is useful in evaluating ‘whether gaps between
expectations and realities have affected the “reach” of EU influence’
(Rhodes 1998: 16). Images and perceptions of other nations provide ‘the
basic framework within which the conduct of international relations and
conflict resolution takes place’. International perceptions and attribution,
Movahedi points out, ‘operate post hoc as a justificatory mechanism for
the rationalization of many foreign policy decisions or actions taken in
favour of or against another nation’ (Movahedi 1985: 19).
In this context, the volume asks: How is the India’s image of the
European Union changing over the decades? What have been the major
narratives about the EU in India? Is the image of the EU changing in
India as the Union is acquiring a new personality in world politics? What
are the implications of a more volatile world and the rise of a more asser-
tive China for EU-India relations? How have changing narratives in India
influenced EU policy frameworks? What is the future of EU-India
relations?
v
vi PREFACE
The volume is divided into seven chapters. Just as much of Asia’s post-
war imaginary of Europe was influenced by European colonialism
(Clammer 2003), Indian initial images of the European Economic
Community (EEC) were conditioned by its colonial encounter. In Chap. 1,
‘Initial Indian Perceptions of the European Union: The 1940s to the Early
1960s’, Rajendra K. Jain examines Indian concerns, attitudes and percep-
tions towards European integration and the European Economic
Community (EEC) from the 1940s to the early 1960s. It examines Indian
perceptions of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European
Defence Community and the European Free Trade Area. Contrary to the
opinion of many contemporary scholars, this chapter argues that the
Government of India took keen interest in the formation of the European
Community. It discusses Indian reactions to the Treaty of Rome and its
role when it came up for consideration in the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade. It discusses the first direct contacts of the Government
of India with the European Commission to establish diplomatic relations.
It goes on to discuss Indian strategies in dealing with the implications of
Britain’s first application to join the European Community (1961) and the
reactions of the business community and political parties as well as debates
in the Indian Parliament on the Common Market. It evaluates the key ele-
ments which influenced New Delhi’s thinking and evaluates Indian
attempts to secure a viable trade arrangement with the Community during
the Nehru era.
In Chap. 2, ‘India and Europe: Perceptions and Misperceptions’,
Jyotindra N. Dixit argues that not only did Europe help India rediscover
itself, but European political thought and philosophies had considerably
influenced Indian intellectuals, thought processes and senior leaders of the
freedom movement. India was misperceived in the postwar era because of
its policy of non-alignment and its planned economy. The Europeans per-
ceived India from their strategic perspective and found India ‘inconve-
nient, objectionable and not necessary’. The consequence of these
misperceptions was that apart from the UK and the Commonwealth,
Indian interaction with the European Continent was limited. India’s
misperception was that it failed to realize the evolving regional identity of
the European Community and was subject to the negativism of the
Europeans. Most Europeans, he argues, did not adequately appreciate the
dichotomy and challenges that diverse India confronted in order to pre-
serve democracy. Things have improved in the post-Cold War era largely
because India is no longer subject to the pressures and influences of its
PREFACE vii
relationship with the Soviet Union, because the European Community no
longer looks at India through the lens of Cold War equations and because
India has become progressively economically more interesting. Dixit con-
cludes by a discussion of the elements of convergence on values and diver-
gence (on nuclear weaponization, missile weaponization and transfer to
dual-use technologies) and assesses future prospects.
In Chap. 3, ‘India and the European Union: Perceptions and
Misperceptions’, former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal highlights how
European thinking of India during the Cold War was dominated by India’s
policy of non-alignment, its proximity to the Soviet Union and influenced
by the unappealing/unattractiveness of the Indian economy. The author
seeks to raise and answer a number of questions. What does the rhetoric
behind the term ‘natural partners’ used to describe the India-EU relation-
ship really mean? Can India and the EU strengthen a value-based counter-
narrative to China? What role can Europe play in the Indian Ocean and
the Indo-Pacific? Why do European and Indian views tend to converge on
the Belt and Road Initiative? What are the prospects of the conclusion of
the India-EU Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement? He examines
the impact of the refugee crisis and the problem of terrorism on European
societies and polities. In conclusion, he looks at the differences between
Eastern and Western Europe, the tensions with Russia and the implica-
tions of its interventions in the Middle East. He discusses the image of
India in Europe and the rationale behind New Delhi’s preference for bilat-
eralism. He also looks at the concept of postmodern Europe and Indian
perceptions of EU-China relations as well as the role of civil society. In
conclusion, he argues that despite whatever doubts India may have about
Europe, one must not forget that Europe played a major role in world
history and that it continues to be a major player in any discussion on
global affairs.
Visibility in the print media, Shreya Pandey argues, has emerged as an
important parameter to gauge the intensity and importance of the
EU-India relationship. In Chap. 4, ‘The Visibility and Perceptions of the
EU in the Indian Print Media, 2009–2010’, she probes the perception,
representation and visibility of the EU in the Indian media. She focuses on
Indian perceptions of the European Union in three leading and largest
circulation dailies—the English Times of India, the Hindi (national) lan-
guage Dainik Jagran and the business newspaper The Economic Times
over one year (1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010). She makes an elaborate
quantitative and qualitative analysis of the news items mentioning the
viii PREFACE
European Union through which the identification of major areas of
engagement, issues of concern, the visibility of the EU in the Indian press
as well as an assessment of the dimensions and aspects of the relationship
can be examined.
In Chap. 5, ‘Public Attitudes and Images of the EU in India’, Rajendra
K. Jain and Shreya Pandey discuss the Union’s efforts to promote its visi-
bility in India since the mid-1990s and provide an overview of the Indian
literati’s perceptions of contemporary Europe. The chapter goes on to
examine the perception, representation and visibility of the EU in the
Indian media, among business, civil society and media ‘elite’ and in public
opinion. It explores whether the Union’s self-proclaimed representation
as a global actor, a normative power and a leader in environmental nego-
tiations conforms to how it is actually perceived in an emerging country
like India. It evaluates whether more than a decade of summitry has led to
greater visibility of the EU in the Indian media. The chapter concludes by
making a comparison of EU imagery in media, elite and public opinion
discourses.
In Chap. 6, ‘Towards Stronger Political Ties? The EU’s Shifting Image
in the Indian Media During the EU-India Summit of October 2017’,
Nora Babalova and Idesbald Goddeeris argue that although India and the
European Union have been called ‘natural allies’, this rhetoric has not
been translated into any substantial improvement of trade relations.
Despite the rather unclear India’s perception of the EU—especially the
image of the EU as a single political entity and the vague state of the free
trade negotiation talks—India’s perceptions remain substantially under-
studied. The knowledge about the media’s coverage of the EU provides
ample opportunity to assess how the EU is perceived in India, as images
presented in the media are claimed not only to influence attitudes among
the general public but also to impact foreign policy making. This chapter
assesses the degree and depth of awareness that major Indian newsmakers
have of the EU by analysing Indian online media coverage of the EU. In
order to see how discourse influencers in India frame the EU, the study
examines whether the EU is presented as an economic, political, norma-
tive, or environmental actor.
In Chap. 7, ‘Indian Perceptions of Poland’, Patryk Kugiel argues that
smaller European countries that share few historical links with India tend
to be even more marginalized since Europe does not rank high in Indian
foreign policy priorities. He examines the contemporary image of Poland
in India in official documents and statements on foreign policy, the views
PREFACE ix
of elites as well as images in the media. The chapter is based partly on a
content analysis of three of India’s leading English language newspapers—
The Hindu, Times of India and The Economic Times—over a period of
three years (January 2010 to December 2012) as well as interviews with
14 New Delhi-based elites and available public opinion polls. Kugiel con-
cludes that both the presence and overall knowledge of Poland in the
Indian discourse on international affairs seem to be rather limited. Despite
positive and sympathetic perceptions, Poland’s importance and attractive-
ness as the sixth largest EU Member State continues to be underestimated
in India. This, in turn, becomes a key impediment to a more intensive
economic and political cooperation. There is, he says, greater interest in
Poland in recent years across major stakeholders, but much more still
needs to be done to create greater awareness about Poland in India.
I hope that this book would prove to be of interest to political scien-
tists, diplomats, students and researchers of EU foreign policy, EU-Asia
relations, public diplomacy and Indian foreign policy and give the reader
a sense of evolving Indian images of the European Union over the past
six decades.
New Delhi, India Rajendra K. Jain
references
Clammer, John (2003), ‘Europe in Asia’s Imaginary: Disciplinary Knowledges
and the (Mis)Representation of Cultures,’ in Stephanie Lawson, ed., Europe
and the Asia-Pacific: Culture Identity and Representation of Region, London;
Routledge, pp. 17–31.
Morgenthau, H.J. (1965), ‘Vietnam: Shadow and Substance’, New York Review of
Books, 16 September.
Rhodes, C. (ed.) (1998), The European Union in the World Community, Boulder
and London: Lynne Rienner.
Sridharan, K. (2001), ‘Regional Perceptions of India’, in F. Grare and A. Matto,
eds., India and ASEAN: The Politics of India’s Look East Policy, New Delhi:
Manohar, pp. 67–90.
c
ontents
1 Initial Indian Perceptions of the European Union: The
1940s to the Early 1960s 1
Rajendra K. Jain
2 India and Europe: Perceptions and Misperceptions 47
Jyotindra N. Dixit
3 India and the European Union: Perceptions and
Misperceptions 61
Kanwal Sibal
4 The Visibility and Perceptions of the EU in the Indian
Print Media, 2009–2010 79
Shreya Pandey
5 Public Attitudes and Images of the EU in India 93
Rajendra K. Jain and Shreya Pandey
6 Towards Stronger Political Ties? The EU’s Shifting Image
in the Indian Media During the EU-India Summit of
October 2017 113
Nora Babalova and Idesbald Goddeeris
xi
