I think there is no alternative but for the west to tie itself closely to India if they want liberal democracy to prevail. India is deeply flawed, but has a deep and abiding affinity for democracy, and a polity that is sophisticated about things like strategic split-ticket voting to prevent too much power being concentrated in one political party. As such, it frustrates me that Western countries don't help us consolidate our position in international affairs, including by allowing us to officially be a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and supporting our bid to be on the UN Security Council.<p>If you're interested in how India's history informs our politics, economy, and foreign relations today, take a look at Today in Indian History, a newsletter which my brother and I recently launched. Four times a week, we lay out the context and consequences of an event in India's past that happened on that date. Link below:<p><a href="https://honestyisbest.com/today-in-indian-history/" rel="nofollow">https://honestyisbest.com/today-in-indian-history/</a>
I am taking a note of how some privileged individuals possibly from rich western countries or elite Indians conforming to a political ideology here are mocking and judging a country which has been looted, enslaved and intentionally left illiterate for centuries.<p>India is not perfect. But just to bring things into perspective, the cited "beacon" of liberal democracy, USA, didn't allow women to vote until as recent as a hundred years ago. The civil rights movement is not even a century old. Compared to that India has been independent for less than 72 years. Democracy takes time but results are permanent.<p>Now please take a note all the naysayers: Indians will strive and they will excel without any "great leaps" or "gulags" like they have in last 70 odd years. "Jantantra" or democracy is an integral part of India, and it will not falter in face of systemic racism by the west (and far east) or bullying by likes of China.
There was a time when a whole bunch of people thought that democracy will never work in India or even worse, India as country will not exist because of its extreme diversity. The British even believed Indians are incapable to "govern themselves". But fast forward to present - they all have been proved wrong.<p>Democracy is slow, but that is the only and the universally accepted way forward for a diverse country like India.
Demographics is not destiny, if it were true, Pakistan would be more powerful than Russia.<p>How you organize your society matters much more, Japan/SK has fraction of the global population, and somehow maintain their economic importance.<p>India has all the problems of a democracy without much of the benefit. It's more likely that India becomes a CCP style country than stays a democracy.<p>If India was so great it's smaller immediate neighbor wouldn't be so hostile towards it, and friendly to CCP.<p>CCP was able to organize G77, so they have the numbers on their side, it's just that poor people don't have a voice, China is providing hard power to the masses of humanity against the interests of G7.<p>It's a major shift in world power, whether G7 likes it or not.<p>I am no fan of CCP, nor is CCP a fan of how they do things ! but its the world we live in, where the state department can just overthrow the govt of a major country if it likes, you need the use of hard power to survive.
Speaking as an Indian<p>There is a presumption in that article that population numbers are all that matters.<p>There's a lot more that needs to be analyzed - for example the natural resources available and the productivity and availability of education and healthcare for the population.<p>To be clear, I believe there is plenty of opportunity as well as risk for India. The article seems to gloss over the risks<p>For example India's biggest threat might actually be its depleting ground water<p><a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/why-india-does-not-have-enough-water-to-drink-1557669-2019-06-28" rel="nofollow">https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/why-india-does-not-hav...</a><p><a href="https://gpm.nasa.gov/education/videos/indias-disappearing-water" rel="nofollow">https://gpm.nasa.gov/education/videos/indias-disappearing-wa...</a>
The population factor is a very interesting observation.
I think this is missing India's point of view of the situation. India has always been wary of being very close to the US or other Western powers because of history. During the Cold War India was closer to the Russians. If the US wants to improve relations with India, it needs to recognize that India will likely remain independent (another pole in a multi-polar world)
This is true in the case of manufacturing based economy, which world is currently now majored in.<p>But with knowledge driven economy coming into picture, Having a huge population has any advantage?<p>First world countries certainly have head start in this case, who are already attracting best brains from across world ( universities and companies)<p>So, India will retain the importance only if it can sustain current brain drain which means huge investment in younger generation.
India being "a counterweight to the rise of authoritarianism in the 21st century" while Modi and BJP are in power. This is so misguided its funny.
I find such broad sweeping projections about population growth, big population numbers = more power, “eclipsing USA” and further conclusions emanating from this kind of line of thinking making zero sense.<p>Nobody has a clue on how population growth is going to be in next 30 yrs for both China and India. Its too dynamic and impossible to forecast, let alone make broad sweeping action items to advocate for.
> If China rises to heights of power that eclipse the US completely, <i>only India may be strong enough to speak for liberal democracy.</i><p>With recent history in mind, I doubt the emphasized part. India is not actually a beacon of a liberal or a constitutional democracy, as has been shown in the last six years by the party in power in the central government. If anything, India is regressing and ignoring constitutional protections while also becoming more protectionist and closed to other countries. Mass surveillance, rights being curbed, an authoritarian state that requires citizens to submit to its orders (without legal backing) and other factors are serious concerns that shouldn’t be ignored by outsiders.
If someone recognized that they had some level of prejudice against persons from India, what would you advise they do.<p>To be clear, I have friends of Indian descent, and I value them, but I also work with people from India and I'm afraid I find them more annoying than not.
Having a huge population doesn't help much. I am from India and I can say that the current state of the country is not good. There are some good initiatives such as the Digital India initiative and some good advancements on the Fintech scene but the country is not in the best state right now. At least, not positioned for remarkable growth like China had in the past few decades.
Implying we need India to "defeat" China then going on to list all the reasons Chinese citizens are doing better than Indian citizens seems to completely invalidate your argument.
India is what one calls a paperweight superpower. They like to think they’re a superpower, meddle in regional affairs, yet get bullied by China and Pakistan on the regular.
Capitalism is driving the world, and it is setting the policies as per necessity, different ones in different countries. The west has stopped exporting democracy around the world since the cold war was won. Many countries have democratically elected government turned to autocratic/authoritarian regime.<p>Oh, "populism" is the new best friend of the rising powers.
>India currently punches below its weight on the world stage due to slow economic development: 30 years ago, its GDP per capita was similar to China’s, but is now 5x lower. However, if India were to enter a period of similarly high growth over the next 30 years as China has for the past 30, it would quickly become one of the most powerful countries in the world thanks to the scaling factor of its immense population.<p>And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bicycle.
India's been leaning right for a while from what I've seen, I'd rather the EU decouple itself from U.S. foreign policy and be an independent, serious counterbalance to China, India, Russia and the U.S.<p>But I suspect the possibility of that happening is rather slim, sadly.
"A country is not made of land; a country is made of its people" --Unknown <a href="https://archive.vn/bS2fL" rel="nofollow">https://archive.vn/bS2fL</a>
India is Feudalism masquerading as Democracy <a href="https://archive.vn/pOmij" rel="nofollow">https://archive.vn/pOmij</a> <a href="https://archive.vn/8HKHz" rel="nofollow">https://archive.vn/8HKHz</a>
> If China rises to heights of power that eclipse the US completely, only India may be strong enough to speak for liberal democracy<p>right, both countries are systemically killing, displacing and putting muslims in imprisonment camps
India is like a thousand different things heading in a thousand different directions. And those vectors change from day to day. There is no control in such a system. Only an illusion of control.<p>Its as good as looking at two hurricanes and saying well this hurricane is heading towards us, so we better "support" the other one and maybe cool shit will happen.<p>It makes an engaging story though.