The Macron Moment, How France and India Are Forging a Third Way in a Polarising World
President Emmanuel Macron may not be riding high in domestic French politics, but in Delhi, he draws immense political affection. His visit to Mumbai and Delhi this week—his fourth to India since assuming office in 2017—consolidates a significant transformation in bilateral ties that has unfolded over the last decade.
As strategic analyst C. Raja Mohan observes, Macron has carved out a distinctive place for Paris in Delhi’s strategic calculus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sustained engagement with the French leader has been part of India’s broader pivot to Europe in recent years. The visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in January, the presence of European Union leadership at this year’s Republic Day celebrations, and the signing of the long-negotiated free trade agreement all underline the growing salience of Europe in India’s strategic thinking.
But the Macron visit is not simply about deepening the India-France relationship. It is about building a new model of cooperation between Delhi and Paris—and, by extension, between India and a more geopolitically self-aware Europe. In a world increasingly defined by American dominance and Chinese ambition, India and France are advocating a “third way.”
The Limits of Multipolarity
This column has long been sceptical of “multipolarity” as an accurate description of the global balance of power. The United States remains pre-eminent, and China has been steadily catching up. A number of other nations—including India and France—remain some distance away in terms of economic scale, military weight, and technological depth.
If there is any doubt, one need only look at the AI Impact Summit underway in Delhi this week. The business of artificial intelligence continues to be dominated by American technology giants, and Washington is likely to exert considerable influence over the outcomes of the summit. China is the other AI superpower. Yet the political and market conditions for substantive India-China cooperation in this domain are limited for now.
There is, however, considerable scope for India to work with Europe and the middle powers of the non-Western world. This is where the France-India partnership becomes strategically significant.
Recalibrating India’s Multipolar Strategy
The popular phrase in Delhi—the “quest for a multipolar world”—has long served as shorthand for India’s effort to maintain productive relations with all major powers. Since the end of the Cold War, that quest involved managing American primacy while sustaining cooperation with post-Soviet Russia and engaging a rising China.
Today, that approach is being recalibrated. India’s multipolar strategy now runs through Europe.
Macron’s visit is not simply about deepening the India-France relationship. It is about building a new model of cooperation between Delhi and Paris. Beyond rhetorical commitments, practical cooperation under the Horizon 2047 framework lends substance to the partnership. Horizon 2047, unveiled in 2023, is a long-term India-France roadmap committing both countries to collaboration in defence, technology, space, energy, and the Indo-Pacific through 2047, when India marks a century of independence.
Recent agreements illustrate this trajectory. India’s decision to expand its Rafale fleet with both the Air Force and Navy, the French readiness to produce some of them in India, along with the planned assembly of helicopters and joint jet-engine cooperation, point to a consequential defence industrial partnership. The Indian private sector is expected to play an expanding role in the transformation of the domestic aerospace ecosystem in collaboration with France.
The Third Way on AI
As global debates over AI governance intensify, India and France have positioned themselves as advocates of a “third way.” Between American corporate concentration and Chinese state-centric control, both seek regulatory frameworks that protect sovereignty while encouraging innovation.
Whether this approach can shape global norms remains uncertain, given the US and China’s commanding lead in AI development. But the effort itself is significant. It signals that Delhi and Paris are not content to simply accept the frameworks dictated by others. They want a seat at the table where the rules are written.
This is not about constructing a partnership in opposition to the United States. Washington, in any case, is increasingly focused on regaining its dominance in the Western Hemisphere and managing great-power competition with China. Successive administrations have pressed allies for more burden-sharing. The Trump administration wants Europe and India to assume greater responsibility in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific.
This American emphasis on regional self-reliance creates space—and incentive—for Delhi and Paris, along with Brussels, to do more together in their shared neighbourhood.
A Differentiated View of the West
What does all of this compute into?
First, Delhi now recognises that the idea of a “collective West” is misleading. There is considerable variation in interests within the Western world. A strong partnership with France—and a more geopolitically self-aware Europe—allows Delhi to diversify its engagement within the West. It no longer has to treat the West as a monolith or channel all its Western engagement through Washington.
Second, it reduces over-dependence on any single capital in the Global North. Engaging a Europe that is rediscovering agency widens India’s strategic options. Cooperation among Delhi, Paris, and Brussels can help mitigate shared economic and geopolitical vulnerabilities in a more complex global order. When the US pursues policies that create friction, India has alternative partners.
Third, it creates a template for cooperation with other middle powers. If India and France can build a consequential partnership despite their different histories and geopolitical positions, the same model might be extended to others. The “third way” is not just about AI; it is about a whole approach to international relations.
The Unlikely Partnership
The India-France strategic partnership has matured against considerable odds. That post-colonial India could build a stable and forward-looking partnership with a former imperial power embedded in the political West was once improbable. The histories of colonialism and non-alignment might have created insurmountable barriers.
Yet the partnership has flourished. Over the last decade, France has deepened bilateral ties with India, played a key role in facilitating Delhi’s wider engagement with Europe, and created conditions for self-assured Indian engagement with America. It has done so without demanding that India choose sides or abandon its other partnerships.
This is the essence of strategic autonomy in practice—not isolation or equidistance, but the active cultivation of multiple partnerships that together enhance India’s options and influence.
The Macron Moment
The Macron moment, therefore, is not merely about personal warmth between two leaders, though that undoubtedly exists. It reflects a broader shift in Delhi’s geopolitical imagination—towards a more differentiated understanding of the West. It signals that India no longer views the West as a single bloc but as a collection of nations with distinct interests and approaches.
It also reflects the emergence of a wider network of alliances and partnerships that cut across the traditional divides of East-West and North-South. In this new geometry, India can be simultaneously close to the United States, Russia, France, and Japan. It can cooperate with the Quad and with BRICS. It can engage with the West while championing the Global South.
This is not opportunism; it is the logic of a multipolar world. And in navigating that world, France has emerged as one of India’s most reliable and consequential partners.
Q&A: Unpacking the India-France Strategic Partnership
Q1: What is the significance of President Macron’s fourth visit to India?
A: Macron’s fourth visit consolidates a significant transformation in India-France ties over the last decade. It reflects the deepening of practical cooperation under the Horizon 2047 framework, covering defence, technology, space, energy, and the Indo-Pacific. The visit also signals a broader shift in India’s strategic thinking—towards a more differentiated engagement with Europe and a recognition that the “collective West” is not a monolith. France has carved out a distinctive place in Delhi’s strategic calculus, facilitating India’s wider engagement with Europe and creating conditions for self-assured Indian engagement with America.
Q2: What is the “third way” that India and France are advocating on AI governance?
A: The “third way” refers to a regulatory approach that seeks to navigate between American corporate concentration and Chinese state-centric control. Both India and France want frameworks that protect sovereignty while encouraging innovation. While it remains uncertain whether this approach can shape global norms given the US and China’s lead in AI development, the effort itself signals that Delhi and Paris are not content to simply accept frameworks dictated by others. They want a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Q3: How does the India-France partnership fit into India’s broader multipolar strategy?
A: India’s multipolar strategy has long involved managing American primacy while sustaining cooperation with Russia and engaging China. Today, that approach is being recalibrated to run through Europe. The partnership with France allows Delhi to diversify its engagement within the Western world, reducing over-dependence on any single capital in the Global North. It also creates a template for cooperation with other middle powers and helps mitigate shared economic and geopolitical vulnerabilities in a more complex global order.
Q4: What is the Horizon 2047 framework, and why is it important?
A: Horizon 2047 is a long-term India-France roadmap unveiled in 2023, committing both countries to collaboration in defence, technology, space, energy, and the Indo-Pacific through 2047, when India marks a century of independence. Recent agreements—including expansion of India’s Rafale fleet, French willingness to produce some aircraft in India, planned assembly of helicopters, and joint jet-engine cooperation—illustrate its substance. The framework provides a structured pathway for deepening ties and gives the partnership a long-term horizon beyond immediate political cycles.
Q5: Why is the India-France partnership described as having matured “against considerable odds”?
A: The partnership has flourished despite historical barriers. That post-colonial India could build a stable, forward-looking relationship with a former imperial power embedded in the political West was once improbable, given the legacies of colonialism and non-alignment. Yet France has deepened bilateral ties, facilitated India’s wider engagement with Europe, and created conditions for self-assured Indian engagement with America—all without demanding that India choose sides or abandon other partnerships. This makes the relationship a model of strategic autonomy in practice.<｜end▁of▁thinking｜>The user has provided a new image with text and requested a current affairs article based on it, along with 5 Q&A. The image text discusses French President Macron’s visit to India, the deepening India-France strategic partnership, the “third way” on AI governance, the Horizon 2047 framework, and how this fits into India’s broader recalibration of its multipolar strategy with a more differentiated view of the West.
I need to synthesize this into a comprehensive article of at least 1600 words. The article should cover the significance of the visit, the evolution of the partnership, the concept of the third way, the geopolitical context, and the implications for India’s strategic autonomy. The tone should be analytical and forward-looking.
