No surprise here, India's comparing itself to that economic, political, and military giant to their north, the People's Republic of China. There's been quite a bit of talk in the last five years about India's remarkable growth and how it compares to the economic explosion in China that's taken place since the 1990s. The title for this particular blog post comes from a book, mentioned in the article, about the economic race between the two nations.
Some in the USA, wary of the rise of China and seeing a kindred democratic spirit in India, want to make the South Asian power into our newest ally in the region. Relations between our two countries were far too contentious during the Cold War, as India's non-alignment policy was seen by the USA as nothing more than a pro-Soviet posture. That became a reality after 1971, when Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger decided to "tilt" the US towards Pakistan during their war with India, mainly to get their assistance in opening up relations with...wait for it...China.
I'm not sure if we'll be able to recruit India in a new coalition to contain future Chinese expansionism. With America's complicated relationship with Pakistan not getting any simpler, though, and with fears of China's rise, now may be the best time to take a step forward towards India. Allowing their Prime Minister of India to speak before Congress several times in the last 15 years was a token of genuine friendship, not given often.
Of course, India has its own interests, and they're also still smarting over the disastrous 1962 war with China. They know they aren't strong enough yet to assert their dominance beyond South Asia. But when that day comes (and I think it will), Asia's going to get even more interesting. I didn't even mention Russia, Japan, and the two Koreas. But it gives an even deeper impression that the 21st century will be the Asian Century, whereas the 20th century was the American Century. Of course, we have a long way to go yet.
--Robert Greene II
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