Indias Missed Opportunity

This title was first published in 2001. An important analysis of the links between the Indian Diaspora and the state and how this Diaspora can influence economic and foreign policy making in their country of origin. M.C. Lall focuses on India, presenting an unusual case whereby the Indian government in post- independence years ostracized its Diaspora despite the need for outside help with India’s economic development. This in-depth study of the failure of the Indian government to make good use of its Diaspora looks at the reasons why India did not cultivate a relationship after independence; why there was still no change even in light of its economic liberalization and what have been the consequences of this missing relationship.

"This title was first published in 2001. An important analysis of the links between the Indian Diaspora and the state and how this Diaspora can influence economic and foreign policy making in their country of origin. M.C. Lall focuses on India, presenting an unusual case whereby the Indian government in post- independence years ostracized its Diaspora despite the need for outside help with India's economic development. This in-depth study of the failure of the Indian government to make good use of its Diaspora looks at the reasons why India did not cultivate a relationship after independence; why there was still no change even in light of its economic liberalization and what have been the consequences of this missing relationship."--Provided by publisher.

Northeast India has been beset with insurgencies for more than fifty years. The Nagas rebelled in the early 1950s, and since then, insurgency in some form or the other has spread to all the states of the northeast, popularly known as the Seven Sisters. This book takes a critical look at the many insurgencies in this strategic region and reviews their genesis, motivations, and characteristics. Why have these persisted despite interventions by the state and civil society? Over the years, the insurgencies have developed external linkages, which have only complicated matters. The book also critically examines the government's response and traces the development of counter-insurgency strategies, from finding a military solution to winning the hearts and minds of the populace. It is a fascinating but sad story of missed opportunities.

This thesis argues that American relations with India declined significantly during the Second World War. This decline in relations between the two countries was the direct result of a failed India policy led by President Roosevelt and his State Department. This thesis focuses considerable attention on Roosevelt's relationship with the Indian National Congress. During World War II, America encountered nationalism in Asia and did not respond correctly to it. How to handle Indian nationalism became a pressing foreign policy concern for the Roosevelt Administration. As America grappled with its new foreign policy challenge in India, it began to reconsider some basic assumptions regarding the British Empire. Prior to the Second World War, the British Empire was viewed by American policymakers as a positive force for global stability. This thesis shows how this assumption was challenged during World War II by certain figures in the State Department. Roosevelt, however, did not respond adequately to advice regarding how to deal with Indian nationalism. Roosevelt's policy, as well as many in his State Department, was to avoid antagonizing Winston Churchill over the issue of Indian independence. William Phillips emerged as a key policymaker who urged Roosevelt to take a new foreign policy approach toward Britain, one that involved putting pressure on the British to offer more self-government to India. The broader implications of this thesis show that America began to alter its foreign policy approach in the East as a result of its coming to terms with the sweeping changes that were occurring there.

The decade from the 2008 global financial crisis to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic has seen a real transformation of the world order. The very nature of international relations and its rules are changing before our eyes. For India, this means optimal relationships with all the major powers to best advance its goals. It also requires a bolder and non-reciprocal approach to its neighbourhood. A global footprint is now in the making that leverages India's greater capability and relevance, as well as its unique diaspora. This era of global upheaval entails greater expectations from India, putting it on the path to becoming a leading power. In The India Way, S. Jaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs, analyses these challenges and spells out possible policy responses. He places this thinking in the context of history and tradition, appropriate for a civilizational power that seeks to reclaim its place on the world stage.

The Paradox of EU-India Relations: Missed Opportunities in Politics, Economics, Development Cooperation, and Culture, by Shazia Aziz WYlbers, successfully identifies problems and prospects in the relationship between two great entities. It is a comprehensive empirical study which, after addressing economics, politics, technology, and social interactions, ultimately indicates that the Indian worldview is undeniably different from the European Union worldview. This difference could therefore be the important cause for problematic divergences in foreign policy trends.

As India enters its seventy-fifth year of independence, conventional policy is unlikely to combat the breadth of its economic challenges. Across a range of areas-human capital, technology, agriculture, finance, trade, public service delivery and more-new ideas must now be on the table. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only cost India many lives and livelihoods, it has also exposed major structural weaknesses in the economy. A huge farm and jobs crisis, rising and massive inequalities, tepid investment growth, and chronic banking sector challenges have plagued the economy, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also exposed the limitations of the Indian state, which tries to control too much-and ends up stifling the economy and the inherent energies of its young population. Climate change is no longer a distant threat, while disruptive technology has huge implications for India's demographic dividend. In addition, the dangerous lurch towards majoritarianism will cast its shadow on India's pursuit of prosperity for all. Unshackling India examines the question: Can India use the next twenty-five years, when it will reach the hundredth year of independence, to restructure not only its economy but rejuvenate its democratic energy and unshackle its potential-to become a genuinely developed economy by 2047? The book argues that India can foster a prosperous and inclusive economy if it sets its mind to it, acknowledges the hard truths, and lays out the clear choices and new ideas India must adopt towards that end.