The path to becoming a “super-power”
I recently came across this excellent article by Capt Bharat Verma on How India can acquire great power status. Unfortunately, knowing the way our politicians thinks and our system works, this analysis is likely to pass un-noticed and ignored by the powers that be.
This inability (or unwillingness) to think strategically is one of our leadership’s biggest weaknesses - and we are paying for it - dearly.
Excerpts below (emphasis mine):
“Due to New Delhi’s slavish use of ‘carrot’ since Independence, without any equilibrium with the ’stick’, the great power potential of India lies in tatters.
…Between Naxals in the Red Corridor, border states particularly Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, New Delhi’s writ barely runs in fifty per cent of its territory.
…This lopsided use of ‘carrot’ has emboldened neighboring countries like China, Nepal (Maoists), Pakistan, and Bangladesh to execute a sly rollback of the Indian Union on its borders through ingress, territorial claims, occupation of Indian territory, infiltration, export of Islamic terrorism and demographic assault.
Simultaneous shrinking of influence without and within is sowing seeds of disintegration of the Union.
…India has clear potential of achieving great power status. Unlike the negative demographic young profile in its neighbourhood, it boasts of a highly skilled young population. Its geographical location and the size lend it the advantages of both, a continental as well as maritime power which, make it possible for New Delhi to impact and influence West Asia, Southeast Asia and the Central Asia.
However, this is only possible if instead of being an inward looking nation, New Delhi’s footprints extend outwards. Inward looking entities tend to wither away as their influence shrinks. This in particular is true of India that faces a 14,000 km wall (on its land frontiers) of fundamentalist/ authoritarian regimes.
Despite India’s geographical location and human resources bestowing on it all the advantages…it continues to waste its potential of achieving a great power status due to skewed policy making, indecision and inconsistency.
To be a great power, Indian aim should be to establish its preponderance over Asia.
Broadly, this requires three decisive steps.
First, set its house in order.
Second, develop political, economic, military, and technological dominance in the vicinity.
Third, create international alliances without forming a formal block, based on the age-old principal of ‘enemy’s enemy is a friend’. (E.g. see this post: The “Raja-Mandala” approach to containing Pakistan)
