India is gearing up to be one of the superpowers in the years to come. Isn’t that something we have heard way too many times? How pragmatic is it? Should one be double sided while being introspective about the topic? It’s time to explore.
The upsurge in the economy and the robust military on account of a large part of the budget being spent on the latter are things that India can boast of. Also having being bestowed with the honor of handling the recession well is a sign of cognizance on part of the finance ministry. But, there are issues that need immediate attention followed by action.
The neighborhood of India is in a topsy-turvy condition and that could result in India’s growth clout being cowed down even before being able to exercise the superiority. Pakistan’s increasing hostility towards India resting on jihadi doctrines and the brazen statements from the Pak government that there cannot be a guarantee against another terrorist attack pose jeopardy to India. Border conflicts have become a day to day affair demonstrating India’s permeable and dubious geographical borders. China, surely ahead of India in many sectors, poses a greater threat to India in a different form. China’s infiltration audacity was already witnessed in the recent times. The fresher dangers rest on the fact that China is the largest exporter as of today and is only little time away from being the largest economy of the world.
Beijing’s towering military ability was put to display last year alerting other nations. China has also posed extreme cyber perils in recent times when confidential Indian details were accessed by means of hacking, proving China’s strong cyber powers and security. Bangladesh, which also cultivates Jihad philosophy, does not pose to be a threat as a whole but factions in that part of the world only add to the perilous intentions of the non-state radical groups from Pakistan. Sri Lanka’s presidential elections and the results reassert that the Indian Tamil immigrants there have not yet settled down, since Mahinda Rajapakse had in his favor only Lankan natives or Singhalese mostly. Also, India cannot claim to be a world power until and unless scores are settled within the nation itself.
With the rising Maoist insurgence, and inter-religious scuffles added with the innumerable home problems that India faces, India cannot stamp its authority in the subcontinent. There probably isn’t any nation, except for the third world nations, which has been unable to provide security to an artist (reference made to Maqbool Fida Hussain in case you don’t realize) which has resulted in himself denouncing the Indian citizenship.
To add to that, India cannot go about proclaiming its high GDP figures since that is not the indicator of prosperity always. In a nation where every third person lives below the poverty line, there must be a sense of balance where things at home ought to sorted out beforehand. If only internal quandaries are resolved, does India have a challenge to face with the likes of Pakistan, China, and others. America as of now is absorbed and worried with its own lot of problems, and bilateralism might not be the priority at the moment for them. Plus, the tendency of the developed countries to dump the Kyoto protocol during the Copenhagen summit demonstrated their self-interest. India sure cannot count on USA to combat China. Nonetheless, the international affairs strategies change with every passing moment and expert comments on that should be held in reserve. However, for India to realize the dream of becoming a world power in the days to come, a lot has to be done.
The writer is a correspondent of Youth Ki Awaaz