Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron’s visit was first. Then came President Obama, whose visit was right after the “shellacking” that he and the Democratic Party suffered at the midterm elections. The Americans had barely left the country when the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, arrived with a huge delegation that included seven of his ministers and more than sixty business leaders. Finally, December ended with state visits by China’s Wen Jiabao and Russia’s President, Dmitry Medvedev.
As one might imagine, the visits were to strengthen the economic ties, in contrast to the geopolitical calculations of the past decades in the Cold War’s shadow. Prime Minister Wen made this clear when he publicly expressed his displeasure at the Indian media that constantly questioned him about the political differences between the two countries, when he was focused on the rapidly growing trade relationship. By the way, yes, China runs a trade surplus with India, as it does with America too.
The impression is that the French were the big winners—the sum total of the Indo-French civil and military deals is estimated to be more than double the agreements that America negotiated with India.
Russia and China have another mutual economic relationship with India, and Brazil—these countries are collectively referred to as BRIC, and their third summit meeting will be in China next year. This could soon take on a plural form, BRICS, with the inclusion of South Africa, which has been invited as an observer to the forthcoming meeting. As one reported phrased it, BRIC is “emerging as a symbol of gradual transfer of economic power from the West to emerging economies.”
As an American expatriate, I feel the urgency to stand up and paraphrase Mark Twain’s comment that reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. But, there is no point in bemoaning the premature declarations of America’s and the West’s demise because of the enormous sense of economic confidence that is prevalent in India.
The rhetorical “yes, we can” that has become a distant and faded memory in America is fully alive and well in a vibrant India. An analysis in “Business India” noted that unlike the past when “Indians as a community were low on the confidence quotient” now things are different—“the overall growth in this decade has increased the confidence of all Indians.”
Such attitudes are reflected even at casual conversations when I am the American representative. For instance, by chance I met a retired physician, who wasted no time to ask me “how come America is in so much trouble while India is flourishing?” Her husband, who is now retired after a career as an executive with an Indian multinational company, commented that perhaps only university teaching and the medical professions were safe in America. These were certainly not the kind of questions and comments I faced even until two years ago!
Economic collaborations are happening even in areas that I normally would not have expected. The headline of a newspaper item was one such shocker—“China gives green light to first ‘Made in China’ Bollywood film.” China’s official film production company is backing a $10 million movie that will be set in India and China, and will star a few of India’s leading actors too.
While not intended as a statement on the current economic climate, the title of this Chinese-Indian Bollywood movie is absolutely appropriate—“Gold Struck.” With a combined population of nearly two and a half billion people, “Chindia” has a large and growing movie market, and if “Gold Struck” succeeds and is followed by more, one can imagine the implications for one of America’s famous and valuable brands ever—Hollywood!
It is depressing that we in the US seem to be oblivious to such rapidly transforming economic realities in other parts of the world. And even more worrisome is the appearance that we are fixated on trivialities from “Jersey Shore” to the President’s birth certificate. I suppose I have a tougher job ahead in my classes when I discuss global issues with students!
Now that I am getting back to my regular schedule of reading and writing, I find it interesting that there are two cover articles in two different publications, and both are about the American decline.- At Foreign Policy, the article's headline is that this time the decline is for real, and
- Over at The New Republic, Paul Kennedy questions whether America is really in decline.
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