India is often regarded to be the world?s largest democracy. The modern Indian middle class is educated and well versed in the English language and hence at a huge advantage in dealing with the Western world. With India?s attempts to assert itself in the Security Council, the potential of the nation turning into a ?super power? has become the talking point.
On the international stage, India is a nuclear power. India has developed its nuclear energy sector almost entirely by its own efforts. The Henry J.Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of December 2006 has cemented Indo-US bilateral relations and gradually led to a sizeable expansion in India?s capacity to generate nuclear energy.
Being a BRICS nation and a member of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the World Trade Organization, East Asia Summit and the G8+5, India is now universally accepted as one of the fastest growing economies of the world. However, like all other BRICS India too depicts high growth along low to average rates of development. Poverty in India declined to a record 22% in 2011-12, even though the determining rate of the poverty line is very low. Much of the Foreign
Direct Investment is used to feed the teeming millions in the country. India also faces many threats including jihadist terrorism and a persistent Maoist insurgency and is overshadowed by China in its ambition of assuming the leadership in South Asia. The caste system still denies the basic amenities to a lot of people in the countryside.
India?s political dealings with its neighbors have not been very successful. Terrorist attacks across the Pakistan-India border or via Kashmir are the main source of India?s concern in the west. A radical Islamic Pakistan would be more than a nightmare for India. Pakistan?s nuclear capabilities are a constant concern. Its arsenal of warheads, developed with Chinese assistance, is at least as large as India?s and probably larger. India?s overtures towards Nepal have not been very prudent. After the king dissolved the parliament, India stopped its support of Nepal ? including the delivery of weapons that were needed for the fight against Maoist terrorists. Bhutan acts as a buffer between India and China. It lies in India?s interest to safeguard the status quo. China is the most important neighbor of India. Both the nations have tried to forge amiable relations in BRICS summits although the common border tension still exits. There is concern that a ?corridor for terrorists? might be established from Nepal, through the northern part of India and Bangladesh. Relationship with Bangladesh considerably deteriorated after the recent disputes over the waters of the Teesta.
India?s global ambitions have grown remarkably over the past decade. However, questions are being raised about the capacity of its diplomatic corps to act as an effective catalyst in India?s transformation to a global power. The shortage of personnel in the Indian Foreign Service is being acutely felt now with India?s growing global footprint. There has been a visible decline in the quality of IFS recruits in recent years. With jobs in the corporate sector paying better and a career in domestic bureaucracies such as the IAS, IPS and IRS promising more power, the IFS has become a less attractive option.
?India exhibits a striking lack of what might be called a strategic culture?, as remarked once by the Economist. India?s ambitions of acquiring the status of a permanent United Nations Security Council membership has made it to work hard to ensure removal of all the obstacles. The recent Delhi Gang rape case has once again made the status quo realize how unsafe the country still is for women. The incident also shows slow progress in criminal prosecutions of traffickers, rapists, frauds and murderers. There still prevail massive examples of Gross violation of Human Rights. Corruption is a massive problem to the development of the Indian economy. India needs to handle the Kashmir issue with much care. The secession issue of the Gorkhaland needs to be tackled wisely as the region not being very far from Nepal and Bhutan and of course China, can turn to another Kashmir on being an autonomous entity. The ?Look East? policy India has pursued to woo the ASEAN countries, though has caused certain economic upliftment, but needs more focus and attention to states like Assam, where grinding poverty and lawlessness still prevail doubled with threats of insurgencies, terrorism and identity crisis of the natives.
An increase in the role of effective bureaucracy and worthy academicians is essential to institutionalize the time and energy of the executive which would ensure the correct proportion of ?containment and cooperation? with neighbors in addition to maintaining the rapport to be in the good books of the major powers. Indians have always emphasized their regional, caste and religious identities over the national identity and hence the quest for newer provinces renews itself like a phoenix. This is partially due to the Vote bank politics pursued by the government and uneven prioritizing of different groups and states. Separatism in politics can lead to several long-term effects like revolts or homegrown terrorism. The Government has full freedom to exercise its discretion on differentiating different subjects in accordance with demand and necessities of governance; however, such decisions should be rational, which can only be possible when the representative role of the people increases. There have been various provisions for the reduction of both the population and corruption in the nation. It is up to the status quo to put them into efficient use. The colossal population of the nation should be efficiently used as it ensures a huge pool of human resources, which can cause many developments to even capture international markets as China did.
If Indians can show such immense dedication and work together to do away with Polio and small pox by making vaccinations compulsory, they can also join hands to successfully do away with the biggest malady of corruption. India has attracted several donors for international trade and aids through tactful diplomacy, it is time these resources are organized and restricted from reaching the wrong hands.
?Abhismita Sen: A?postgraduate student of the Jadavpur University-Department of International Relations, Kolkata, West Bengal. Has interned with the Alexis Centre for Public Policy and International Relations on the project- media and (mis) representation of minority groups. Speaks German and French in addition to English, Hindi and Bengali. Won the Winter Spring Writing Competition organized by the Centre for International Relations, International Affairs Forum for authoring the essay ?China ? Getting Ahead or Losing Ground?? which was published in the summer 2012 issue of the same.
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