The world is a stage, and while China and the U.S. are charismatic performers that dominate the stage, India is the lighting technician. All right, maybe that was a poor analogy, but it conveys India’s current position: important but vastly under-appreciated. Maybe not for long though.
With
a major part of the population that continues to live in squalor, India has
always—at least subconsciously—been classified as a sub-developed country. Yet,
in recent years, it has surged ahead and may lie poised at the brink of
becoming one of the world’s leading powers.
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India's rapid expansion could lead to benefits for its people, many of whom live in squalor |
First
comes money. With $4.463 trillion in purchasing power in GDP, India is fourth
total in the world and with an annual growth of about .3 trillion, looks to
continue its rise through the ranks. Second come guns. While still outpaced by
global counterparts Russia, China, and the United States, India continues to
heavily prioritize its military industry, funding it with 24.88 billion dollars
annually by 2010 which incorporates 1.33 million in active-duty military, 4,117
tanks, 16 submarines and 691 combat aircraft. Not only this, but it is one of
the few countries that has developed nuclear weaponry, and just a few weeks
ago, proved that it has the ballistic capabilities to use it, through the
successful launch of the Agni-V missile.
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The Agni-V missile showed India's capability to hit China with a nuclear missile |
Looking
at all this, it’s easy to see potential, but where is the follow through if
they have been in such a position for several decades? But several factors may
contribute to India’s ability to surpass Russia, China and the United States in
these areas. Its first important to note a shift in the balance of India and
the U.S. For the past several decades, the continuous “brain drain” has drawn
the brightest of India’s economic and business circles to pursue education in
America, and then remain in the States and contribute to our economy. However
as the United States lays entrenched in the recession, prices rise in college,
and India develops more viable secondary education options, India may be able
to retain its think tank. Additionally, the continuous outsourcing of positions
to India leads to their adaptation and improvement on our products, effectively
allowing another country to “inherent our technology and know how” says Fareed
Zakaria in his Worldview on U.S. Manufacturing. Additionally, China’s extensive
growth may prove to be just as detrimental. With such rapid expansion,
economists have explained it as trying to fit centuries worth of growth into
three decades, a strategy that provides no viable foundation and is susceptible
to collapse. Finally, Russia’s recent political scene demonstrates that it is
in no position to progress economically before it resolves itself politically.
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Many fear that outsourcing production may benefit other countries more than the United States |
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