India is the Linchpin of Global Peace in the Future

For our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, India will be the key nation for the United States to partner with to ensure peace and prosperity for the world. India is the largest democracy in the world and in a few short decades, it will be the most populous nation in the world by some margin. It is a country of great internal contrasts but it already produces world-class scientists, information technology experts, and businessmen and women. Anyone who has visited knows their comfort level with Western ways that merge seamlessly with their national culture. 

Why will this happen? 

For much of my adult life, the Cold War, largely seen as a superpower rivalry between America and the Soviet Union, dominated the internal strategy of most every nation in the world. A nation’s perceived survival and actual quality of life rested on whose side you were on. Early after World War II, the Soviet Union had the assets to help those countries who wanted to fall under the Communist philosophy. Likewise, America had comparatively massive resources that allowed us to help rebuild the free world after the destruction caused by that devastating war. This competition led to additional, derivative wars such as Korea and Vietnam for the United States while Russia also defended its ideological turf.

Now, Russia is fading. If they were smart when Putin leaves the scene, they would issue a global mea culpa and initiate economic cooperation with the West and her allies. I doubt they would do this. If they did, their economy would skyrocket. If not, they will be doomed to becoming a large, failing Communist country with declining influence. 

Today, China is the “enemy” that most of the Western nations are trying to accommodate. China has skillfully rebuilt itself over the last forty-five years, using a Communist central government combined with borrowed capitalist economics. They brought hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty, created a labor market that Western manufacturers craved, built up a large military, developed the rare earth minerals processing market so that almost all nations are strategically dependent on them for the ongoing transportation evolution, and so on. They have been busy. So much so that Western nations may be too dependent on them for their own standard of living. That said, I believe in trading with our potential enemies. I think it makes for a more peaceful world as both sides have something to lose if conflict occurs.       

China will be the strategic competitor for the next twenty to thirty years and we should be vigilant and cautious to not stumble into an unwanted war. However, with their declining population and Communist government, China’s influence will wane within a few decades. 

India is the future. It is already the largest democracy in the world, values education, and its government and most of its population is comfortable with capitalism. If the United States can help India maintain its Western democratic leanings while helping to build their economy and their military, then the combination of North America, Europe, India, Japan, and South Korea will be a powerful economic and diplomatic force in the future. If India decides to lean toward Communist nations or takes an independent authoritarian posture, then the world will look and act differently thirty years out. Unfortunately, they are somewhat aligned with Russia and China through BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) while still maintaining solid relations with America. America must help India’s future leadership remain a democracy with a capitalist economic system. Our trade should be robust. Helping with infrastructure and agriculture may be necessary. Our universities and other research institutions should collaborate and our mutual diplomacy should be obvious to the rest of the world. Otherwise, the soon-to-be most populous nation, with superior talent already in place, could be a danger to the West and future global peace.            

As mayor, I created a sister city with Hyderabad, India, twice visiting the country. I wanted my city and state tied to India’s already robust but still burgeoning economy. Indeed, a few years after the Indianapolis and Hyderabad relationship began, a large Indian IT company placed their U.S. headquarters in Indy. My administration began India Day in Indianapolis, I was the initial chair of the Indiana-India Business Council and am still close to the local Indian community.        

My affection for India is real and I want them to prosper along with America to ensure a secure, peaceful world. Our grandchildren and great grandchildren will benefit.