Why India cannot be an Asian power like China

[Brisingr]

Power and influence are not given. They are taken. China knows how to take it, India [ Images ] does not, says strategic expert B Raman.

A few observations on the eve of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh [ Images ] visit to the United States from November 23 to 26.

No thinking has been ever done in India as to what it expects out of a long-term strategic relationship with the US. It is always the US which decides what it will give to India and it is New Delhi [ Images ] which accepts.

It was so with the nuclear deal which was offered by then US President George W Bush [ Images ] in July 2005. Manmohan Singh was pleasantly surprised when Bush offered it and then we followed it up. India's expectations from the US in the past were limited to US pressure on Pakistan to stop using terrorism against India, removal of restrictions on the supply of modern dual-use technology to India and US support for India's permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

They remain the same. Any strategic relationship has to be a quid pro quo relationship. Since the US has hardly any dependence on India in any matter, there is no scope for any quid pro quo.

India visualises itself as an Asian power on par with China. Beijing [ Images ] does not see it this way. China views India as a sub-regional Asian power and wants to keep its influence restricted to its immediate neighbourhood. US president Barack Obama's [ Images ] visit to China has uncomfortably brought out to India that there is a convergence of perceptions between China and the Obama Administration on the limited regional role of India.

China's pre-eminence has been recognised by Obama. Obama has re-hyphenated India-Pakistan relations and quietly relegated India to the role of a sub-regional power whose aspirations of having a status on par with China are unrealistic.

In geopolitical matters, there is no futuristic thinking in India. The quality of Indian thinking and analysis -- strategic and tactical -- is poor. What passes for analysis in India is just wishful-thinking.

Nobody in India has realised and brought out that for the first time the US, Japan [ Images ] and Australia [ Images ] have a leadership which does not rate highly India's potential as an emerging power. There is less and less talk of Chindia. Even today, many in India are not aware that the new Japanese government is not as enthusiastic about India as the previous government was. There has been no exercise in India to analyse future scenarios in US-Japan relationship.

Someone once said that power and influence are not given. They are taken. China has shown how to take it. India does not have the political will and courage to fight for it and take it. It is hoping that the US will give it. Bush and Condoleezza Rice [ Images ] seemed inclined to bestow on India the status of an Asian power on par with China. The Obama Administration does not seem to be so inclined.

Why India cannot be an Asian power like China: Rediff.com India News

 

[gogbot]

Rubbish is the word i have, to describe that article.

Yes, let all those countries mentions focus on India, whilst they themselves are in the middle of an economic crisis.

Whilst they are busy talking with their main trading partners which does include China. And managing the Hell that has become their Economic planning.

I am sure they can find time to Dode out on India, so as to satisfy the Insecurities of who ever wrote this article.

Lets not forget it was just last year that we got our way in the Nuclear arena.

Stuff like that didn't happen overnight.
And certainly taking advantage of the opportunity we had gained Has remained a High priority for the government. Which has spent the Year Negotiating many nuclear treaties. So as to meet its energy needs.
Free trade agreement with ASEAN.

And as the world as large is trying to get to grips with Much more pressing concern of Climate change. which has by the way Acknowledged India as one of the key industrial nations to accept carbon cuts. Which in effect acknoeledgs India's rise.
I am sure we need to focus more on the Nuances of power politics.

It is a different world from last year.
A lot of things have gone wrong since last year.

To say that India has no long tern planning is completly false.
We know, we want a partner ship with America.
Have a greater say in world matters, to that end we have lobbiedextensively for a seat on the security council.

we have been making our foot print all over the globe,

Things are happening, India is doing things it has never done before.

to put it frankly we are still at the early stages of what is a very long road. and we are overshadowed by China, just as they were by Japan.
Now we have taken the back seat to economic crisis
and the environmental crisis.

 

[praveen]

we aren't one but we are on the path to be one .
1)Amend the labour laws
2)Give the enterpreneurs a free reign and we will suceed

 

[praveen]

we aren't one but we are on the path to be one.10-15 years from now we will be one
1)Amend the labour laws
2)Give the enterpreneurs a free reign and we will suceed

 

[bigmoneymaker]

good sign that now you begin to reflect on your mistakes and what effective path and strategy to be taken is totally another different thing to do...and look at your fellow indians; denial to these defection but praises on those fattering merits given by others , speechless already

 

[praveen]

good sign that now you begin to reflect on your mistakes and what effective path and strategy to be taken is totally another different thing to do...and look at your fellow indians; denial to these defection but praises on those fattering merits given by others , speechless already

what for?

 

[hindesi]

We can't be in the short run for the following reasons:

1) They opened up their economy 20 years ahead of us. they did it in late 70s we did it in early 90s.

2) They're efficient and there is homogeneity in China (which helps!!)

3) They don't have neighbor like ours which seems to take pride in owning the worlds largest "export terrorism worldwide private limited"

4) Their leaders care for their people.. which sadly in sub-continent none of the politicians seem to do.. look at the swiss bank accounts and the amount of black money accumulated by Indians there.

5) Indians are culturally individualistically "free" with personal freedom comes a responsibility which we tend to neglect and at times abuse

In the long term though when a generation of Indians decide that enough is enough our leaders then would have to give in and work for the good of the people and that day would be the day when we truly are a nation on the path of being a superpower... till then we have to be content with being the second best in Asia and a force to "recon" with in the world.

Sad but True!! \m/

 

[applesauce]

We can't be in the short run for the following reasons:

1) They opened up their economy 20 years ahead of us. they did it in late 70s we did it in early 90s.

2) They're efficient and there is homogeneity in China (which helps!!)

3) They don't have neighbor like ours which seems to take pride in owning the worlds largest "export terrorism worldwide private limited"

4) Their leaders care for their people.. which sadly in sub-continent none of the politicians seem to do.. look at the swiss bank accounts and the amount of black money accumulated by Indians there.

5) Indians are culturally individualistically "free" with personal freedom comes a responsibility which we tend to neglect and at times abuse

In the long term though when a generation of Indians decide that enough is enough our leaders then would have to give in and work for the good of the people and that day would be the day when we truly are a nation on the path of being a superpower... till then we have to be content with being the second best in Asia and a force to "recon" with in the world.

Sad but True!! \m/

i feel like what india really needs just 2 things
1. less red tape, not saying you should give up ur precious democracy but the bureaucracy and in-fighting there is hindering development
2. infrastructure, this is desperately needed i dont think i need to say why.

with those money would start to pour in with that influence will grow.

 

[gogbot]

i feel like what india really needs just 2 things
1. less red tape, not saying you should give up ur precious democracy but the bureaucracy and in-fighting there is hindering development
2. infrastructure, this is desperately needed i dont think i need to say why.

with those money would start to pour in with that influence will grow.

That's a very Indian view you have there applesauce.

Regarding your first point.
Many people saw that as India's biggest barrier for growth.
Mainly because economic reforms and sweeping changes were not possible in weak coalition governments. Which the Indian governments usually are.

But since the last election Congress has almost complete majority.
and is the strongest Indian government in over 25 years.
You may think

so whats the big deal

Well here is what an analyst from the BBC said about the Indian elections, just one month before they happened.

What we do know in advance is that the government that comes to power in the summer of 2009 will be a coalition, a weak coalition. This is not a happy augury for the interval between these elections and the next.

Having many parties in power at the centre is in one respect a reflection of democracy's deepening, a product of the representation of groups and regions previously excluded from government.

At the same time, the satisfaction of so many different interests leads to short-term rent-seeking rather than to rational policy. Smaller parties covet the most lucrative ministries, and the larger parties, simply to stay in power, are obliged to concede these to them.

Not a very positive out look and a reason why your furst point is so valid.
But the Elections didn't happen anything like the way they were predicted.

India's voters have defied the pollsters and pundits again.

The latter predicted a neck-and-neck race between the Congress- and BJP-led coalitions. They said that the Third Front of regional and caste-based parties would play a pivotal role in forming the government.

The Communists even spoke about Congress being forced to support such a government.

Then there were the traditional woes of the ruling party - the three previous prime ministers had lost elections after one term.

But Congress bucked every trend and has emerged triumphant in a victory analyst Mahesh Rangarajan calls a "historic moment" in India's democracy.

The victory is emphatic and with the caste-based regional parties suffering setbacks in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India's political landscape suddenly does not look so deeply fractured.

for once we have a strong government that can make the Though and unpopular choices.
A government that has slashed subsides freeing up vast amounts of the country budget.
A government as strong in the states as they are in the center.
A government that is poised to see at least 10 more years being power as long as they do what need to be done.
And a government that does not have to worry about oppostion parties, overruling everything they try to do for the sake fo political points.
A government lead by a man who wrote India's economic reforms.

Hopefully this is the start of what everyone hopes it will be.

To your second point.
Yes Infrastructure needs to be drastically improved but given the scale of what need to happen, it will be a long process over the nest 25 years.

 

[arihant]

Next time, congress comes without need of any other allies + more than 50 seats. This will help congress to cut down demands of other parties + removing corrupted politician. Sometime dictator ship work, but that party should not be corrupted. This is why I like CPC.

 

[hindesi]

Next time, congress comes without need of any other allies + more than 50 seats. This will help congress to cut down demands of other parties + removing corrupted politician. Sometime dictator ship work, but that party should not be corrupted. This is why I like CPC.

We do need a strong opposition as well, if not then same thing would be repeated which happened during the first 50 years of independence... shady defence deals.. dalalgiri.. and swiss bank accounts would keep growing... btw what happened to the MMS statement on getting the money back to India from Swiss banks.. was he given boot from the swiss again?

 

[rajeev]

i feel like what india really needs just 2 things
1. less red tape, not saying you should give up ur precious democracy but the bureaucracy and in-fighting there is hindering development
2. infrastructure, this is desperately needed i dont think i need to say why.

with those money would start to pour in with that influence will grow.

Yes, applesauce, I also agree!

There are lot of things India have to learn from China like creating SDZ's. Unfortunately due to socialist mindset prevalent among some governing leaders especially ones from West Bengal this task had lot of problems.

Now with that support not needed, I believe Congress govt can do some meaningful steps when the world economy recovers.

 

[Atheist]

worlds largest "export terrorism worldwide private limited"

Sad but True!! \m/

Agreed....

 

[hembo]

We can't be in the short run for the following reasons:

1) They opened up their economy 20 years ahead of us. they did it in late 70s we did it in early 90s.

2) They're efficient and there is homogeneity in China (which helps!!)

3) They don't have neighbor like ours which seems to take pride in owning the worlds largest "export terrorism worldwide private limited"

4) Their leaders care for their people.. which sadly in sub-continent none of the politicians seem to do.. look at the swiss bank accounts and the amount of black money accumulated by Indians there.

5) Indians are culturally individualistically "free" with personal freedom comes a responsibility which we tend to neglect and at times abuse

In the long term though when a generation of Indians decide that enough is enough our leaders then would have to give in and work for the good of the people and that day would be the day when we truly are a nation on the path of being a superpower... till then we have to be content with being the second best in Asia and a force to "recon" with in the world.

Sad but True!! \m/

Could not have been said any better. However, like applesauce said, we need to focus on the future instead of ruing our inability like the OP does. The OP does have some valid points like Indian politicians refusal to think futuristically on geo-politic and other matters. Also we should not be focussing to compete with China (or anyone else for that matter) to become a regional/ super power etc etc. Instead we should be looking to improve our infrastructure, lessening red tappism, improving our people's quality of life, becoming more and more transparent and improving relationship with neighbours and non-neighbours.

If we can achieve all of these, other things will chase us automatically, no need to crave at being a super power. Personally, I would be much more happier with top position at Human Development Index rather then highest defence budget in the world.

 

[gpit]

Don't understand why people ask why.

It is simple about two different things: different people, different system, different culture, different mentality, different behavior...

One find ways to work hard, the other find excuses to feel better.

That is why.