The India Issue

Whether or not you believe the United States is in relative decline, one thing is clear—the rest of the world is already acting as if that’s the case. Yes, the White House still controls the world’s most powerful military and presides over its biggest economy, but a growing number of so-called middle powers are looking to see how they can take advantage of an evolving global order.

Exhibit A could be India. New Delhi is increasingly assertive on the world stage, building defense and technological ties with Washington even as it dramatically increases its supply of sanctioned Russian oil. No one is even trying to stop it; everyone seems to want the world’s fastest-growing major economy on its side.

Ahead of India’s elections this year—so big they will be spread out over more than six weeks of voting from April to June—this is an opportune moment to understand what animates this country of 1.4 billion people.

India was always an unlikely democracy. In 1947, its founding fathers stitched together a patchwork of states, many with different languages, cultures, and cuisines, into a union. This new country was meant to be a secular, democratic republic. At its creation, the idea of India—its unifying vision—prioritized liberal democracy over any one culture or religion. As I write in this issue’s lead essay, this is now changing. India may still be democratic, but under two-time Prime Minister Narendra Modi, culture and religion are gaining salience over secularism. India is becoming a Hindu-first country. This much is well documented by now. But while the world often sees this as a top-down change led by a charismatic individual, I wanted to advance two provocations: first, that Modi is in fact fulfilling a vision of India that has existed for a century, and second, that the success of this project may be driven by demand as much as it is by supply. If Modi wins a third term, an illiberal India might not be a blip but the norm.

None of this would be possible without an expanding economy. Arvind Subramanian, Modi’s former chief economic advisor, argues that there are good reasons to be bullish about India’s fiscal prospects. But even he finds reasons to be wary. Writing alongside Josh Felman, a former India-based official for the International Monetary Fund, the two show how New Delhi still needs to conduct significant reforms before it can emulate anything like the sustained growth China undertook for four decades.

Cheap Russian oil certainly helps. But for that to work, you need a skilled operator in charge of Modi’s foreign policy. Look no further than S. Jaishankar, India’s suave, silver-tongued top diplomat who hobnobs with leaders from Beijing to Brussels. FP’s Rishi Iyengar has penned a memorable profile of India’s omnipresent foreign minister.

No analysis of India can be complete without a look at its youth. Nearly half of the country’s population is under the age of 25. Are they pleased with India’s trajectory? Do they believe they have promising prospects? Snigdha Poonam is an astute chronicler of India’s young people, and she spent the last five years traveling the country taking their pulse. Together with the photographer Prarthna Singh, the two compile a portrait of a hopeful generation.

Finally, do you remember when you first realized a sense of nationhood? It might have been a moment of collective joy or sorrow; perhaps it was a time you had to leave home, compelling you to contemplate your sense of belonging. The novelist Amitava Kumar has thought about this subject deeply and shares with us his recollections of when he began to define himself as Indian—and when the country’s identity diverged from that of his own.

I hope you enjoy these essays. It has been a while since we devoted an issue to a single country, but we felt the world’s biggest election warranted it. Head to our website to see how we cover all these topics in audio and video in addition to text.

Your subscriptions allow us to do what we do. We are so grateful for your support.

As ever,

Ravi Agrawal

Join FP Live for a discussion about the magazine’s India issue on Tuesday, April 16, at 11 a.m. EDT. Subscriber questions are encouraged. Register here.

Read More

The New Idea of India

Narendra Modi’s reign is producing a less liberal but more assured nation.

Essay

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Ravi Agrawal

Modi’s Messenger to the World

How the diplomat-turned-politician S. Jaishankar became the chief executor of India’s assertive foreign policy.

Profile

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Rishi Iyengar

Is India Really the Next China?

The case for its economic ascent is strong, but government policies still stand in the way.

Analysis

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Josh Felman, Arvind Subramanian