Amitav Acharya

Like you can have some benefits by having that kind of a balanced relationship.

But that policy would work as long as the United States say that, okay, it's either you're with us or you're against us.

So only under the second Trump II that the US started, you have to choose.

Yeah, mostly about energy.

But I think there is also, even under the Biden administration, there was a kind of thing that India was playing both ways.

There was always the feeling of unease about this Indian voting in the United Nations against the United States, India's position in things like Ukraine, where India abstained.

I have always argued in some of my writings that you cannot sustain this for too long.

At some point, there will be a tension, and then you have to choose, or you will get into problems.

And that's exactly what has happened.

But at the same time, the European Union is a relatively new thing.

So moving so close to the European Union as a group, this is a very rules-bound and very conservative beast.

And they also have human rights.

They have democracy.

You know, I can tell you this.

I work with some NGOs in India, and many of them get grants from the European Union-based, like German foundations.

And the rules are now so strict that everything has to be linked to human rights and democracy.

And some of the foundations have closed their offices in India, moved to Nepal and other places.

Wow.

So I think the Indians don't like that.

But I think it's a smart deal.