Asian Review of Social Sciences ISSN: 2249-6319 Vol.7 No.3, 2018, pp.114-122 © The Research Publication, www.trp.org.in India to become a Global Power: Issues and Challenges Rameez Raja ICSSR Fellow, Ph.D. Student, Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India E-Mail: [email protected] Abstract - Numerous models have played an outstanding role in Karnad. Mearsheimer (2014) argues that military capability understanding the success of many states across the globe. alone cannot transform a state into a great power. Nuclear Additionally, various reform movements as well as the and conventional weapons are the tools of military power revolutions have helped the developed states to improve or rather than the elements of great power status. He states that change their political and economic institutions that eventually a robust economy is a primary factor for achieving a global terminated into political stability, economic prosperity and finally achieved the global power status. These revolutions power status. Also, Mearsheimer (2014) argues that helped other states too to adopt democratic principles in order achieving a great power status, states should avoid wars and to achieve economic prosperity. However, despite India having focus on economic development. French strategists, Andre adopted the democratic principles in 1947, implementation of Beaufre and Pierre Marie Gallois argue that due to the the LPG model in 1991, and going nuclear in May 1998, it tremendous destructive power of nukes, there is no need to lacks a global power status due to varied reasons. The poverty, match the adversary bomb-for-bomb and unlike unemployment, weak industrial sector, poor economic and conventional weapons, numerical ratios are immaterial education policies, border disputes, and inability to tackle the (Salik, 2016, 86). Thus, India should avoid nuclear arms insurgency are other factors that thwarted India to gain a race and divert the rich resources for economic prosperity. global power status. Simultaneously, this paper will display the importance of inclusive political and economic institutions for Additionally, the renowned Princeton University economist, achieving a global power status. Dr Atif Mian argues that it is 'exports' that might help Keywords: India, Democracy, Global Power, Poverty developing or poor states to develop economically. The „export or die‟ was the key mantra that East Asian states I. INTRODUCTION approved, signifying the powerful equation of trade with national survival (Paul, 2014, 22). A lot of scholarly work has been conducted on the developed as well as on the underdeveloped states across Parama Sinha Palit (2017) in her piece Analysing China’s the globe. The most important work Why Nations Fail is Soft Power Strategy and Comparative Indian Initiatives jointly contributed by two economists, Daron Acemoglu argues that cultural and public diplomacy are one of the and James Anderson. These authors have rejected the most developed and structured elements of soft power cultural hypothesis, the geography hypothesis, and the strategy that is currently progressive in China. Palit (2017, ignorance hypothesis for the economic prosperity of the xx) argues that China is ahead of India in delivering better states. They argued that extractive political and economic qualities of lives to its citizens. No Indian newspaper has yet institutions are the primary factors that eventually stepped overseas unlike China Daily and the China Central culminated into the failure of the states. Also, Acemoglu Television (CCTV) have firm footprints in almost all parts and Anderson argue that inclusive political and economic of the world (Palit 2017: 299). As far as higher education institutions are the main factors that helped states to gain institutions are concerned, China‟s universities are rapidly economic prosperity and political stability of the many marching upward in global education rankings. Palit (2017, states which are currently the developed states of the world. 298) argues that India appears to be falling way behind In the Indian context, Bharat Karnad in his piece Why India China in this regard, particularly in its failure to is not a Great Power argued that despite India have internationalise. Although Indians have proficiency in achieved an emerging power status due to soft power English that could have attracted Western educational determinism, India‟s weak hard power capability including institutions, the Indian education system has failed to attract the absence of political vision and will have restricted India the overseas students as well as the foreign faculty due to its from achieving the global/great power status. Bharat Karnad extractive educational institutions. in his new piece Staggering Forward: Narendra Modi and India’s Global Ambitions criticized the foreign and security Along with the economic power, military capability is also policies of Modi government. Karnad argues that in case considered to be the most significant element of superpower Modi will return to power in next parliamentary elections, it or global power. Both India and Pakistan including China would be a setback for India to achieve a global power are busy in the arms race in South Asia to match or status due to Modi‟s flawed foreign and security policies dominate each other, however, unresolved disputes are a over the last four years. great source of alarm in the region. India and Pakistan Political scientist, John Mearsheimer in his book The fought many wars on Kashmir that resulted in the Tragedy of Great Power Politics argues in contrast with destruction of lives and rich resources. The book ARSS Vol.7 No.3 October-December 2018 114 India to become a Global Power: Issues and Challenges International Relations Theory and South Asia: Security, was recently appointed as the Chief Economist of Political Economy, Domestic politics, Identity, and Images International Monitory Fund (IMF). Earlier in 2016, her edited by E. Sridharan talks about the resolution of conflicts appointment as financial advisor to Chief Minister of in South Asia. The authors provided many perspectives for Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayanhad created discrepancy because the conflict resolution, for instance, Sridharan (2015) some communist leaders questioned the CPM-led state mentioned the „common project school‟ outlined by Mircea government for roping in a person who was more into the Malitza. The book concludes that conflict resolution is market economy and liberal policies (The Times of India, feasible through economic ties rather than by military 2018). The liberalization, privatization and globalization means. However, in the context of India and Pakistan, (LPG) model is a landmark factor for capitalists/democrats economic ties failed to resolve the disputes, too. Kanti P. for economic prosperity while communists prefer the Bajpai and Harsh V. Pant‟s edited book India’s National socialist pattern of economic policies where state control all Security: A Reader displayed how to curb the insurgency the financial institutions. India has endorsed the LPG model and militancy. In this book, Rajesh Rajagopalan (2013) in 1990s that resulted in the free flow of market in the shape argues that India lacks expertise in counterinsurgency of Multi-National Corporations (MNCs). However, the gap operations and military means is not a solution for curbing between the haves and have-nots in India has increased insurgency and militancy, the solution per se is political. although India has adopted the LPG model since 1991. Several studies highlighted the problems related to India‟s This study explains why India is not a global power and economic system that widened the gap between the haves what India should do to uplift its economy? Also, this study and have-nots in India. analysed the problems faced by India in resolving the conflicts with Pakistan and China. This study understands The recent study by researchers at Brookings Institution has that India should focus on peace research rather than predicted that „India is perhaps no longer home to the strategic studies for resolving the conflicts. Finally, this highest number of people living in extreme poverty‟. study finds that inclusive political and economic institutions However, the study has compared India (73 million) with might help India to achieve a global power status. This Nigeria (87 million) people living in extreme poverty in study tested the above-mentioned hypotheses with the help May 2018. According to the World Bank, if a person is of studies by political scientists, strategists, deterrence living on less than 1.90 international dollars a day is optimists, proliferation pessimists, ex-military officials, declared extremely poor. economists, journalists, and peace activists. Poverty and unemployment are the main issues in India. II. ECONOMIC FACTOR India‟s neighbour China has managed to help the extremely poor people due to the shifting of jobs in the formal It is assumed that India might become a global power in enterprise, investments in human capital, relatively equal case it succeeded to implement the inclusive democratic and land ownership in rural areas and targeted interventions. liberal economic principles. It is largely believed by However, India is struggling to create job creation in rural economists that politics is crucial for explaining world areas where people are mostly struggling with poverty and inequality (Acemoglu and Robinson, 2013, 68). The weak unemployment. and corrupt