India: Global Power or Regional Behemoth

23 Maio 2018, 16:00 • Shiv Kumar Singh

Jose Pires began his presentation on India: Global Power or Regional Behemoth with an overview of India’s relations with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. He said that India’s demographic profile would bring about higher growth compared to China. India’s democracy, soft power and secularism are strengths. However, India requires huge energy imports, faced food and water shortages, and had infrastructure bottlenecks. Although in economic and military indicators India is a global power, these challenges hold it back. Thus, India is a regional power. It needs strong leadership.

 

In the discussion, Maria Beatriz Couto Lopes agreed with Jose Pires, noting that the P- 5 countries accused India of human rights violations. Jose Pires responded that there are human rights violations in China and Russia, but India does not comment on it because China and Russia are powerful (implying that being less powerful, India, unlike China or Russia, faces criticism for human rights violations).

 

To this, Megi Jalagonia added that human rights are linked to poverty. Being poor, India is not a great power. To this, Jose Pires pointed out that there is poverty in China and Russia also. The instructor said that, raising “human rights” is more the furtherance of national interests, than promotion of human rights.

 

Agreeing with Jose Pires that India is not a great power, Simona Juskaite said that India is a regional bully. In military power, it is the equal of the P- 5, but if one considers poverty, education and infrastructure, it is a regional power. India is part of the Global South. Andrea Kovacevic agreed with Simona Juskaite.

 

Moving to culture, Nino Machaidze said that, in soft power attributes, India is a superpower. Maria Beatriz Couto Lopes observed that western culture is negative and pessimistic. Comparing the West with India, Andrea Kovacevic said that Europeans see India’s poverty in a way that makes them feel “better.” To this, Maria Beatriz Couto Lopes responded that Indians are happy even while being poor. Agreeing, Nino Machaidze said that Indians feel happiness in small things. Jose Pires agreed, noting that even the poor in the West are happy. It was assessed that there could be no generalisations on happiness.

 

Revisiting an earlier point made by Simona Juskaite, Jose Pires said that India couldn’t be faulted for developing military strength. The P- 5 had become the P- 5 by developing military strength. India could follow a similar path. Megi Jalagonia said that, even with nuclear weapons, India is not a global power. India was “forced” to become a nuclear power.

 

Andrea Kovacevic said that the strength of the India diaspora made India a great power. Indian Americans influence U.S. elections, an example of India’s soft power attributes.

 

In summation, Maria Beatriz Couto Lopes said, “India was a great power, regionally,” and a “great power of paradoxes.” Nino Machaidze said that poverty and poor education indicators hold India back. The instructor concluded that, in some respects India is a great power, and in some respects it isn’t.