Will India become a hyperpower, i.e. a country as strong or stronger than the US?

No, India will remain as she is hovering somewhere between poverty and lower middle class.

She has a great population base to man the military, but very limited on natural resources.

Limitations on raw materials will keep her down, I don't think India produces enough food to feed herself annually, so thats a problem.

I think that area of the world will be a nuclear or toxic wasteland in the future from a wmd strike from Pakistan or from the depletion of the country itself from over population.

Originally posted by SIRR1
No, India will remain as she is hovering somewhere between poverty and lower middle class.

She has a great population base to man the military, but very limited on natural resources.

Limitations on raw materials will keep her down, I don't think India produces enough food to feed herself annually, so thats a problem.

These are mostly very good points, and I agree. India will forever remain either a third-world - or hovering close to it - nation.

[edit on 31/7/06 by Bripe Klmun]

Originally posted by SIRR1
I think that area of the world will be a nuclear or toxic wasteland in the future from a wmd strike from Pakistan or from the depletion of the country itself from over population.

If my plan is put into action Pakistan and India would be on the same side and the British partition would be undone. The people would be educated on the history of the Indian subcontinent and how each side was seduced into fighting one another.

Originally posted by Bridge Klmun
These are mostly very good points, and I agree. India will forever remain either a third-world - or hovering close to it - nation.

Take a look at the number of professionals (Doctors, Engineers, Scientists) India produces each year. You seem to think of India as the same country it was in 1970. They are no longer third world nation and you seem to still think of them that way. They have a booming high tech segment and are already a regional power.

They have a long way to become a superpower as I have stated, but if they really put their minds to it or had to for national security, I am pretty sure they could achieve that status as could China. It's just that there is no impetus for them to go down that long hard road to superpower status. It's is in their interest to become economic powers first before they become full blown superpowers.

Originally posted by Bripe Klmun

Originally posted by SIRR1
No, India will remain as she is hovering somewhere between poverty and lower middle class.

She has a great population base to man the military, but very limited on natural resources.

Limitations on raw materials will keep her down, I don't think India produces enough food to feed herself annually, so thats a problem.

These are mostly very good points, and I agree. India will forever remain either a third-world - or hovering close to it - nation.

[edit on 31/7/06 by Bripe Klmun]

I'm with you on the same line. India is the AIDS capital of the world and more than 400 million of it's civilians are living in poverty line. They will never be as strong as China and I'm happey were giving them oil so it can benefit for their people of all their losses.

well first off im glad to see what people are writing is going back to the topic at hand (look at the top half of 1st page, its useful info on the subject and the rest is rebuts about Russia as a military impotent) any way IMO the only way India could ever emerge as a world power is if they used all their nukes to blow all other countries below the poverty line to their small level of welath.

There are two things I must address here. Number 1, India is not the Aids capital of the world. Only .9% of the population in India has Aids compared to over 37% of the population that has Aids in Botswana.

Number 2, India doesn't need to nuke anyone, nor should India nuke anyone to achieve Super Power status. The key is with an alliance with China and other Asian countries including Pakistan as I have already mentioned.

lol i suppose sum people need clarification i do not suggest India attempt nuclear strikes on any nation. what I did say is that nuclear halocaust could be the only way they emerge as a world power.

BTW...there is a hint of sarcasm in the nuke strike comments lol

[edit on 31-7-2006 by hOmEmAde_MoLoTaV]

Originally posted by hOmEmAde_MoLoTaV what I did say is that nuclear halocaust could be the only way they emerge as a world power.

BTW...there is a hint of sarcasm in the nuke strike comments lol

[edit on 31-7-2006 by hOmEmAde_MoLoTaV]

Well, it's hard to sift out sarcasm. I do believe India can emerge as a super power, and it won't be via a nuclear holocaust.

Originally posted by JimmyCarterIsNotSmarter
How do you think, will India become a hyperpower, i.e. a country as strong or stronger than the US? It has a population of 1.031 billion, in 2050 it'll become the world's most populous country, it has nukes, but how do you think will it become a hyperpower comparable to the US?

This kind of thing is usually determined by economic power, not military. If India can make a big push toward modernization at the same time the U.S. splits up into four or five geographically defined countries, they could have a chance at being more powerful than the U.S.

Although really, these days a "country" is nothing much more than the designation of a labor pool available for exploitation at a certain rate by a global conglomerate.

Originally posted by JimmyCarterIsNotSmarter
How do you think, will India become a hyperpower, i.e. a country as strong or stronger than the US? It has a population of 1.031 billion, in 2050 it'll become the world's most populous country, it has nukes, but how do you think will it become a hyperpower comparable to the US?

The U.S. will ultimately have to take a back seat to either China or India. We as a nation are spending too much money on the war on terror abroad and nation building. Why? Because we've taken almost the entire task on ourselves. we are weakening both financially and politically within the global landscape while China and India grow stronger. Conventional wisdom and common sense favor the new superpower coming out of the east.

Originally posted by nightbreid
[Conventional wisdom and common sense favor the new superpower coming out of the east.

Now imagine if they merge.

Arguments on both sides are very strong obviously, but the real question should not be will India become stronger yes or no? it should be how will they become stronger.

However I do find it hard that India would become Equal or greater in power to the U.S given its current state and Americas current state. because even if India were to start growing Economically it would also have to catch up and surpass the constantly fluctuating American Economy.

Given that this is only suspected in the next 20-40 years I will admit a lot could happen but also seeing as where India is located in such a volatile part of the world and the history of violence in the area between hindus and muslims I see it as being highly unlikely...

Although the potential for either India or China to rise as a super power certainly exists there are several major impediments that may derail them in simply economic terms.

India: Although India doesn't have the same geopolitical tensions with the US that China does they do have a significant portion of the population that is xenophobic. Not just of americans but all foreigners. They are highly critical of increased foreign presence in their markets and are notoriously conservative when it comes to loosening regulations. This is a big issue for India because they have one of the most inefficient beaurocracies in the world coupled with arcane regulations on their economy & foreign investment. This has kept India's economy from experiencing the red hot growth that China experiences; despite the fact that US investors see it as a more 'secure' destination for their capital. As such India's economy would take decades, if not longer, to catch up to the US economy. Without economic growth there is no way that the Indian government could build either the hard power ( Military ) or soft power ( Diplomatic / Economic ) to be a major player outside their own region.

Other issues include massive stratification between urban centers and rural areas with most of the wealth centered in large cities. This magnifies tension between conservative rural populations ( Anti-foreign interference / free trade ) and urban populations who tend to be more progressive.

This is not to say that India could never become a superpower just that it would require great political and economic reform that will be difficult for an entrenched beaurocracy.

China: No one can disagree that China's economic growth over the last twenty has been anything but incredible. With 8-10% GDP growth per year that's one hell of a trend. What some people don't realize however is that growth of this type is not always sustainable and not always healthy in the long term for an economy.

First of all ( As mentioned earlier ) 60% of China's GDP does consist of it's exports and Foreign Direct Investment. This has contributed significantly to the US current account deficit as Americans hungrilly consume cheap Chinese manufactured goods and invest in their red hot economy. Because of this low end manufacturing has shifted in droves to China contributing to the rustbelting of the US. As such American companies now produce higher end goods for which there is currently no great market in China. This is because although Chinas GDP is rather large so is it's population so most people cannot yet afford higher priced American luxury consumer goods. The resulting imbalance is not sustainable.

Now normally as China's economy grew a domestic market and a middle class would rise to start buying American products and over time redress the balance. And, certainly, that is starting to happen as companies like Wal Mart and Microsoft develop 'China' strategies. The problem here is that, unlike in America where there was a period of 'Fordism' during which unions were created and social programs put in place that basically created the American consumer, China does not have that. Americans spend something like 100.6% of their income each year the chinese spend 40%. Unless the Chinese government puts these sort of programs in place and convinces it's people to spend no domestic consumer will ever arise.

Another problem created by the lack of a domestic consumer is that of over production. Most of the investment in China is going towards expanding manufacturing capacity. The problem is that the markets for cheap manufactured goods are already saturated. Surplus production drives prices for manufactured goods down whilst driving raw material prices up; shrinking profit margins. Unless new markets are found for these goods (domestic markets) the economy will be forced to contract.

There are other issues but i've run out of characters.

All of our countries do indeed have quite a lot of problems to deal with internally.

India IMO is the most likely contender. Even more likely than China. Why? Demographics pure and simple. Despite China being a developing nation they have a population scew more like a first world developed nation. China is going to get old before it becomes wealthy. In terms of overall GDP China will probably surpass the US around the 2020-2025 time period. However their GDP per capita will be considerably lower.

India on the other hand started its free market reform over a decade after China. And while possessing a viable high technology sector as well as developing other industries such as aerospace the economic boom hasn't had the widespread economic effects that have been seen in China.

So at the earliest India achieves superpower status 2050-2060 at the earliest.

So everybody get used to America being the reigning superpower/hyperpower and as far as Europe taking over the role.





Explain to the French why the have to work a 40hr week so the EU can remove some evil dictator in the mid east. I guess you could tell the French your going to implement the final solution that might get the French to go along.

Originally posted by JimmyCarterIsNotSmarter

Originally posted by Duby78
yes, there is Russia

Incorrect. Russia's military is weak. Its military equipment is crappy. Its tanks are easy to destroy, its subs sink even if not attacked by an enemy and their fighters couldn't shoot down even one Israeli fighter during the Israeli-Syrian war in 1982.

what you still live in a cave

its quite possable india is coming up fast in science. If the U.S. dosent get its ass in gear india could pass us up in that and then move on to other stuff.

Originally posted by Huangjiaweishi
India is not the Aids capital of the world. Only .9% of the population in India has Aids compared to over 37% of the population that has Aids in Botswana.

That is prevalence rate you are talking.India has the largest pop of AIDS est 5.5+million according to a recent UN AIDS survey surpassing south africa.

just like every thing must end the US will some time lose power but that won't be for a while. i mean egypt was a super power for many hunderds of years. i see the US as the egypt of the moder world. i think with all the chaos going on the right now i bet some one just might push that "launch" botton. the world isn't big enough for all of the superpowers. i think WW3 is right around the corner. the US needs to start kicking some ass again. we are always being blamed on for stuff that we didn't even do, no one helps us when we have desaster, he help out a country that had an abusive iron hand around their neck, and what do we get... nothing but rocks thrown at us. i would like to see the world try to work with out the US.