Amitav Acharya

I think you're absolutely right that India's path toward economic development, even strategic role, is slower to evolve.

But let's not forget history.

India was actually a major power, and India actually had a much bigger imprint on, at least on Asian international relations in the 1940s and 50s, where China was just...

getting settled into its communist government.

But then India and China almost went parallel in terms of development, but then China took off.

So there is always this India-China story, narrative, comparing these two.

And economically, China has done very well, reduced poverty a lot more than India, but India hasn't done that badly.

The last few years, actually, the growth rates are higher than China, but it started on a lower base.

And India has maintained its open political system, democracy, despite some hiccups and problems.

The main problem with India has been generating employment, and this is a challenge for the current government.

But I think if the Indians are taking advantage of the trade agreements, for example, having more access to the European market, which they never had before, and reconciling with the United States and having a fairly good trade deal for India, I think that India can overcome the crisis of the global economy and also in some ways become a little more self-reliant.

I think that that would be the best-case scenario.

Because China, of course, now is paying the price of a very strict and a one-child policy.

India never had the one-child policy.

So India has more young populism coming up.

But that can be a mixed blessing because you have to find jobs for these people, satisfy these people.

India has to improve its educational infrastructure and employment possibility.

That's not a given.

But India is more open to integration into the global markets now.

So nobody would have thought that's possible.