OPINION Vol.1, No.1 June 2013 - National Defence University

India has neither been able to produce a locally made tank or a field gun and a similar fate has
befallen the efforts to produce an indigenous aircraft for the fast expanding air force which has been
shopping around the world to seek higher quality merchandise. India cannot hope to win universal
recognition for what some people call its ‘quantum leap’ to progress as long as it has ‘imperial urge’ but is
not able to produce at home the arms and equipment it requires to sustain its military build-up.
Media
India has stirred the world imagination more because of its exotic and esoteric qualities than
because of its power and influence as a state 39 .The ‘charm- offensive’ of soft power through vibrant media
and diplomacy hide deeper social issues that plague Indian society including human rights violations,
abject poverty as well as larger issues like nuclear proliferation. Instead an organized publicity campaign is
ushered to project the Rising India in a falsified manner. Case in point is the impressive yet falsified
figures of leading Indian Diaspora in US, which were picked up from the hoax internet blogs by the Indian
Minister of State for Human Resource Development, and presented in the Indian Parliament claiming 38
per cent of doctors in US are Indians, as are 36 per cent of NASA scientists and 34 per cent of Microsoft
employees 40 .Fact remains that there was no survey that established these numbers, Spam has finally found
its way into the Indian parliament dressed up as fact and propagated by entire Indian Media.
Conclusions
India is trying hard to become a permanent member of United Nation’s Security Council which in
turn would certify Indian status as a major power. Paramount requirement to march towards the
status of great power is to achieve stability on the domestic front. India’s internal security situation
is a recipe for disaster. 41 India is a stable democracy though may not be an all inclusive arrangement,
yet her visionary leadership has dared the challenges of globalization.
South Asia is characterized by endemic instability; unresolved territorial issues and rivalries limit
India’s ability to take a more active global role. Without establishing good working relations with all
its neighbours especially China and Pakistan, status of a great power seems a distant reality for
India. India confronts a delicate balance to either compete or contest with China, while leveraging
the attractive US linchpin pivot status; either way India will not accept any leverage on her projected
Strategic Autonomy.
India is determined to carry on with the strategic alliance with USA. The Indian-Russian relationship
is not as intimate as before, however, relationship has survived and reflects common interests. China
and India are having increasingly complex and intertwined relations. India is tempted to keep Iran
engaged, however, much will depend on US-Iran relations. Indian stable political institutions with
strong democratic processes in vogue give a cushion to absorb economic and social shocks.
India is developing its military machine including the nuclear capability to implement the political
policies while being effective across the entire spectrum of all possible conflicts in the region. India
will continue to strengthen / modernize armed forces and missiles / nuclear capabilities under the
pretext of the Chinese threat. Indian defence spending are by and large pegged around 2 to 2.5% of
her total GDP, which is not in commensuration with her ambitious goals. Immediate Indian
modernization drive is primarily directed to gain the South Asian hegemony, projecting her as a
regional power, while contemplating a global role in near future. Mega scale induction plans scaling
up to US$ 150 billion in next decade provide additional diplomatic leverage to India in pursuing her
relations with Western power centres.
Indian rise has been economic centric, sustained growth rate over 7% in last one decade is a
promising potential while projected growth of 8-10 percent does not seem a reality at least in short
to mid-term. Indian soft power backed by influential Diaspora and proactive media galvanize
increased international interests and foreign direct investment opportunities in India. However,
Indian goals set as part of Vision 2020 does not seem plausible and attainable in the given
timeframe. Though demographic sweet spot is in sight, yet demography can be a threat to stability if
job creation does not keep pace with the population growth. India requires 10-13 Million jobs
annually in next two decades as more people are entering into the sweet spot. As long as India
suffers from the malaise of mass poverty and unemployment, its economic growth will remain a
dubious indicator of progress and development.
India’s economic growth has not been comprehensive, but rather uneven and lopsided due to
following:-
OPINION Vol.1 No.1 39 June 2013