From 2003, President Lula heralded a new dawn in Brazil’s expanding African relations. Brazil was claimed to be unlike other exploitative powers because of its cultural, geographic and historic connections; Africa’s true brother. Despite the passing of two decades and a number of scandals, this narrative of exceptionalism remains. Studies on Brazil–Africa relations tend to focus on the Brazilian state as the key, essentially benign agent. Our analysis uses the case studies of Angola and Tanzania to debunk the idea of Brazilian exceptionalism. We demonstrate the significant, overlooked agency of corporations in shaping and implementing Lula’s Africa Policy, and determining its developmentally dubious outcomes. Additionally, the paper shows how political elites in Africa directed Brazilian government and companies into their political and business norms. Thus, Brazil–Africa relations replicated much of the typical economic patterns of the continent’s trade, with oft-controversial and corrupt investment in commodity extraction and infrastructure.

Our first monthly pick for February is the #OpenAccess article, "Debunking Brazilian Exceptionalism in its Africa Relations: Evidence from Angola and Tanzania" by @barnabyjdye.bsky.social (Kings College London) and Mathias Alencastro. Be sure to give it a read!

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

A Tale of Two Visits to India The trips to New Delhi by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak of the success of forging closer ties between Europea and India. But further eff...

New from @barnabyjdye.bsky.social: The recent trips to New Delhi by Friedrich Merz and Ursula von der Leyen speak of the success of forging closer ties between Europe and India. But further efforts are needed.

ip-quarterly.com/en/tale-two-...

A Tale of Two Visits to India The trips to New Delhi by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak of the success of forging closer ties between Europea and India. But further eff...

My take on the recent visits to India by Merz and EU for @ipq.bsky.social We might look back at January 2026 as the foundation for a major EU-India relationship - a moment combining substance and symbolism, that generated trust on both sides through 'word and deed' ip-quarterly.com/en/tale-two-...

@afahimi.bsky.social @tbenner.bsky.social @tobischolz.bsky.social @manishareuter.bsky.social

For Delhi, forging equal partnerships that take Inidan actors seriously, as providors of technology and policy innocation, or in joint ventures,will matters when judging if this will be a success

So the ingredients for a EU-India are there, but much depends on implementation, the corporate sector making it work, whether a strategic and defence relationship takes off and whether India and Europe can work together on the global stage.

Chancellor Merz's visit lacked a major annoucement but with the EU trade deal, the symbolism of choosing India over China as a first visit, the large trade delegation bought along and a raft of MoUs - Merz underlined Germany's the seriousness of Germany's push to India.

For India- the deal builds trust through its demonstration of spending political capital on the accelerated timeline and respect for sensativities. Ratification and implementation would build even more trust.

The EU-India trade deal -bombastically called 'mother of all deals'- matters with economic winners but its shallow - negotiated in <1 year. The real win is political demonstrating both sides are serious, able to navigate sensativities. Legally-bindind deals like this built trust in the EU

A Tale of Two Visits to India The trips to New Delhi by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak of the success of forging closer ties between Europea and India. But further eff...

My take on the recent visits to India by Merz and EU for @ipq.bsky.social We might look back at January 2026 as the foundation for a major EU-India relationship - a moment combining substance and symbolism, that generated trust on both sides through 'word and deed' ip-quarterly.com/en/tale-two-...

The EU-India mega-deal – European Council on Foreign Relations Mark Leonard welcomes James Crabtree to unpack the landmark EU-India trade deal

🎙️ The “mother of all deals”, nearly 20 years in the making, has been signed this week. @markhleonard discusses with @Jamescrabtree the long-awaited EU-India trade deal.
@ecfr

🏦AIIB positions itself as "lean, clean, and green", but what are the #political dynamics shaping its #sustainability agenda?

Matteo Cianforlini (University of Bologna) discusses, chaired by Lau China Institute's Dr Jan Knoerich.

📍9 Dec, 6:30pm, KCL Strand.

👉Register: kcl.ac.uk/events/asian...

Seize the Moment to ­Deepen the Energy Partnership with India While Delhi currently prioritizes patching up ties with the Trump administration, Berlin should continue to cultivate initiatives across numerous fields. Given the current focus on energy, a deal on g...

First @dgap.org Memo with @afahimi.bsky.social
We outline what the next phase of German-Indian Green technology efforts could be, moving from German support for India's green technology to mutual collaboration that also enables Germany's transition and de-risks from China.

dgap.org/de/node/42937

Such initiative will be challenged by the Indian government's current attempts to patch up relations with the Trump administration. However, with mutual strategic interest in creating alternatives to Chinese green technology, India could be a useful partner for Germany and the EU more widely.

Such efforts are timely. US-India relations have sharply deteriorated. After imposing punishing tariffs on Indian exports, Trump is using tariffs and sanctions to force India to stop Russian oil imports. With India & Germany wanting diplomatic alternatives, acting now could bring outsized rewards.

Seize the Moment to ­Deepen the Energy Partnership with India While Delhi currently prioritizes patching up ties with the Trump administration, Berlin should continue to cultivate initiatives across numerous fields. Given the current focus on energy, a deal on g...

First @dgap.org Memo with @afahimi.bsky.social
We outline what the next phase of German-Indian Green technology efforts could be, moving from German support for India's green technology to mutual collaboration that also enables Germany's transition and de-risks from China.

dgap.org/de/node/42937

I argue that success depends on understanding what the US meant for India, in practical terms, but also in DC's calculation that India would pay-off in the long term, rather than short-term gains, something which generated trust and enabled bilateral challenges to be overcome

The US-India Breakdown Creates an Opening for Europe Germany’s relationship with India is slowly improving, and so is Europe’s at large. President Donald Trump’s torpedoing of US-India ties offers an opportunity to enhance this relationship even further...

1st @ipq.bsky.social article!
New Delhi and Europe are seeking alternatives, given a loss of trust in DC. With a trade deal in the works, a significant opportunity beckons. But will Germany/EU capitalise?
ip-quarterly.com/en/us-india-...

The US-India Breakdown Creates an Opening for Europe Germany’s relationship with India is slowly improving, and so is Europe’s at large. President Donald Trump’s torpedoing of US-India ties offers an opportunity to enhance this relationship even further...

NEW from @barnabyjdye.bsky.social: Germany’s relationship with India is slowly improving, and so is Europe’s at large. President Donald Trump’s torpedoing of US-India ties offers an opportunity to enhance this relationship even further.

ip-quarterly.com/en/us-india-...

Ultimately, reforms do not erase dam-building trade-offs.

Although often presented as a singular monolith, our analysis of dam reforms demonstrates the World Bank to be a dynamic institution with internal intellectual contestation creating fluctuating, contrasting, policy practices
5/

This article was written with Dr Udisha Saklani and draws on a recent book chapter tracing the World Bank’s dam policies www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/b...
Dams were emblematic of the World Bank’s approach to development for many decades ...
2/

Dams for development? Unpacking tensions in the World Bank’s hydropower policies After a hiatus, the World Bank returned to dam building, but has anything changed?

New Article.
The World Bank withdrew from dams in the 1990s but the technology returned over the last 20 years. This begs the question: does the World Bank approach dams differently today? Did past protests and policy reforms have a longer-lasting effect? theconversation.com/dams-for-dev...
1/

@thegj.bsky.social @globaldamwatch.bsky.social @kings-sga.bsky.social @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social @policyatkings.bsky.social @devcomms.bsky.social @cgdev.org @lucy

Ultimately, reforms do not erase dam-building trade-offs.

Although often presented as a singular monolith, our analysis of dam reforms demonstrates the World Bank to be a dynamic institution with internal intellectual contestation creating fluctuating, contrasting, policy practices
5/

Reforms have improved planning, impact assessment and mitigation, reducing negative socio-environmental effects. But these reforms happen in layers, adding but not fully replacing older practices. Many negative impacts continue to be overlooked, and compensation schemes are often inadequate.
4/

with big infrastructure central to its strategy for economic growth and poverty reduction in the 1960s and 1970s. But the controversial social, economic and environmental impacts of dams sparked widespread criticism.
We find that the balance of trade-offs has shifted positively.
3/

This article was written with Dr Udisha Saklani and draws on a recent book chapter tracing the World Bank’s dam policies www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/b...
Dams were emblematic of the World Bank’s approach to development for many decades ...
2/

Dams for development? Unpacking tensions in the World Bank’s hydropower policies After a hiatus, the World Bank returned to dam building, but has anything changed?

New Article.
The World Bank withdrew from dams in the 1990s but the technology returned over the last 20 years. This begs the question: does the World Bank approach dams differently today? Did past protests and policy reforms have a longer-lasting effect? theconversation.com/dams-for-dev...
1/

Moral geographies: Indian exceptionalism, Africa, and the politics of South–South cooperation This article seeks to understand the evolution of India’s political relations and development cooperation with Africa, in the context of India’s ambitions of playing a leading role in the Third Wor...

In a new article w/ @danbanik.bsky.social , I analyse the evolution of India's political relations and development cooperation w/Africa
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Pre-orders available. wwnorton.com/books/978132...