tion:On the surface, Europe and India could not be more dissimilar: culturally, historically, demographically. Identifying common strategic interests is challenging partly DUE to an absence of geographic proximity, partly due to the contraction of Europe’s own capabilities. But India and Europe are not so different. Both have had to rethink their place in the WORLD as a result of China’s changed role on the GLOBAL stage. This has also FORCED them to re-examine their relationships with global players like the United States, Russia, and Japan.A recent articlei in The Economist described politics in India as “big and messy: hundreds of millions of voters, from vastly different backgrounds, are bound to hold widely divergent views. Concerns at local and state level often trump national ones, and national affairs can appear as an amalgam of assorted local rivalries.” Such a description could EASILY be used for Europe’s own situation where 27 member states vie to get their competing national interests onto Brussels’ agenda of priorities.