Great changes are coming to the East. With newly-elected prime minister Narendra Modi set to hold firm control of the Indian government for years to come, the focal point of Asian politics will shift from China to India.
During 15 years as governor of Gujarat, Modi managed to sustain 12-14 percent growth per year, an astounding feat. Now, he promises to bring this to all of India. This shift from the long-time socialist-oriented patchwork coalition of governments to a more classically liberal and traditionally Hindu-minded government marks a huge change in the country's mentality.
Modi has mobilized a country which has long had the unfair stereotype of being poor and backwards and is now successfully paving a path toward prosperity. He started his office in a stampeding fashion by planning and implementing new and continued projects at all levels to improve the quality of life and opportunities of Indians. The list is an impressive one.
First, his economic policies have promised to revamp the nation with Make In India, a project which will attempt to open up the Indian economy to manufacturing ranging from high-level research and development to low-skilled manufacturing; this measure could employ up to 200 million Indians. He is also planning to simplify a dauntingly burdensome tax code, making it simpler for both Indians and international corporations to do business. Modi is advancing the infrastructure at all levels of Indian society while updating archaic property laws to further development.
By opening several hundred new Indian universities — some in conjunction with American universities — he is ensuring India's place as a competitor in the global knowledge-based economy.
Additionally, Modi is working to ensure the nation's poor remain fed via subsidies in what is an agriculturally abundant country despite rumblings from the World Trade Organization.
He is also being tough on those who pose threats to his nation. Modi is quelling the large-scale black money profits within India by instituting monitoring controls as India's resources begin to shift away from services. With Modi's backing, the Chief Justice of India has been successfully pressuring Swiss banks to release names of corrupt people within the Indian government along with their business cronies to recover what might be more than $1 trillion in stolen and embezzled money.
On top of all of this, Modi has actually helped unify the country's Hindu and Muslim populations despite western media's claims that he is polarizing the country with constant use of buzz phrases such as "Hindu supremacist." A notable example of this occurred during a campaign speech in which terrorist attacks took place, and he stood upon a stage under which a bomb set to kill him malfunctioned. As countless millions watched the speech live on television, Modi calmed the crowd and made a public plea that none act irrationally or violently in response to the terrorist attack. Despite holding a firm position toward Pakistan by clearing out dozens of government-backed terrorist camps and fortifying the border of India's Kashmir with Pakistan, he makes his position clear that Muslim Indians are still Indians.
Whether you make the claim that he is excessively Hindu nationalistic, Modi has helped to paint a future of India so bright that only at blind man could argue.
All these advancements mean that India, due to the large shift in mentality and the firmly mandated government, is on track to overtake China as Asia's powerhouse. China has been built via the aid of international corporations and is thereby dependent upon the international economy to sustain itself, whereas India is working to build a sustainable future, even in the case that international interests shy away.
China has been built upon a stack of foreign business cards whereas India is laboring to build itself up brick by brick, fighting to pull people out of poverty rather than keep them there. This positive mentality is shown in the protections it gives for local and small industries by denying access to companies such as Wal-Mart, which if allowed to enter India, would threaten the livelihood of countless domestic companies and vendors.
In terms of hard conflict, India is no longer entirely focused upon Pakistan but instead focused on China. India's military has created 12 new battalions and has begun plans to expand its navy to ensure no Chinese encroachment upon Indian territory is possible. If the Chinese military encroaches by land, the Indian military has a construction crew not far behind to attempt to make claims upon territory. Luckily, despite the reality that India will be looking to make ties with southeast Asia to push back the attempts of Chinese expansion, — particularly into the oil rich South China Sea — Modi has excellent ties with Chinese officials and has been given awards of merit by four Chinese leaders.
Projections show that by 2028, India will have the third largest GDP in the world with China and the U.S. coming in 1st and 2nd. However, the rule of 72 may suggest otherwise; if India as a whole can manage the wonders pushed by Modi within his home province of over 10 percent growth per annum or to keep up the projected 8.5 percent growth, then it would have the potential to be the top GDP consumer by around 2040 to 2060.
The elephant has awoken from slumber, and it has begun a charge which has the potential to change the world as we know it. The seeds have already been sown with the creation of the BRICS bank and even more so with talks of increasing the U.N. permanent security council, of which India would undoubtedly become a part.
I predict this coming century is the century of Indian growth and eventual dominance, not only in Asia by overtaking China, but potentially of the world in terms of soft power. This election not only marks the induction of a great leader but also a huge shift in mentality of over a billion people which will assuredly bring amazing things.
Reach the columnist abbooth1@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @AndrewBuckBooth
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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