November heralds global leadership changes that may portend both political and economic directions for the coming years. US presidential poll and the hand-over of power in China — two different systems, but in a strange coincidence that can impact the world in a big way. The economy, food, energy, social justice, human rights, fundamentalism, global peace, climate and many more important matters will be affected by the change in leadership. The changes happening in Beijing and Washington have both domestic and global implications since both are economic super-powers. India must prepare itself to effectively deal with these changes.
Perhaps, it was no coincidence that the discovery of modern America had an Indian connection — a gold-rush to the richest land on earth. While Chinese travelers and students flocked to India for centuries in quest for knowledge and spirituality.
India and China are oldest continuous civilizations. Both nations have love for loyalty to authority and loyalty to the royal families, which is replaced by the party and party-elders. India had early forms of democracies, even before Greece, which somehow escaped China. America, too, decided to go for democracy shortly after the birth of the nation. With many limitations of democracy – it has been the best form of governance for modern society. All three countries are fighting terror and religious fundamentalism, yet China has its blood-stained hands in Tibet, Tiananmen Square and more. All three have faith in capitalism and both China and India are slowly moving away from their socialistic pasts. American Right feels that Obama is bringing socialistic ideas to the country.
India and China suffers from massive corruption and the masses are ruled by the rich and the powerful. The US justice system is one of the best in the world. Even a highest level political leader or rich won’t escape the rule of law if found guilty.
How best we can learn from each other and live together in a cooperative world without imposing one particular world-view on the others is crucial – this applies in the sphere of economics, culture, religion and geo-politics.
Time has nigh, where no single super-power can rule the world. The power of information, science and technology is removing all barriers, all centralization of powers. Each nation should look at their strengths and weaknesses and work with others for their own as well as the future of the world. However, old human traits of greed, dominating, controlling and manipulating of weak by strong, poor by rich is not going to even reduce, until an Indian concept of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one large family) is adopted. And, India must uplift the masses from utter poverty, illiteracy and poor health conditions.
Since the US has re-elected Barack Obama for a second term and Chinese leadership comes from the same ideological group, there is a great sense of continuity in the works, much to India’s advantage. Can India now negotiate with America and deal with China as equals for its own benefit? That will be the greatest service to a billion plus people of India and the world at large since much of the world look up to India as a role model: a developing democratic nation with vast population and the most complex pluralistic society in terms of religions, languages and even local customs in every part of the country.
On the occasion of the festival of Deepavali, the festival of light, one can only hope for the best for India and the world, proving that the end of Mayan calendar this December is not meant for end of our civilization, but a new beginning.
