This piece of news is hard to imagine for the world who has always considered India as a third world country. This same country has been declared the third most powerful in a recent official report of the US. India comes after US and China in terms of Global Governance. And it comes fourth as the powerful blocks where European Union is ranked the second, as far as the data of 2010 is concerned.
The report, Global Governance 2025 was issued jointly by the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) and the European Union’s Institute for Security Studies (EUISS). It showcased the list of most powerful countries/blocks. Experts from Brazil, Russia, India and China, among others and some fictionalized scenarios illustrated what would happen over the next 25 years in terms of Global Governance.
According to the report the United States remains the world’s most powerful country in 2010, accounting for nearly 22% of the global power. It is followed by China (12%), and India (8%). Japan, Russia and Brazil follow with less than 5% each. Taken as a block, European Union comes second with 16% of global power.
Talking down the line, this ‘International Futures Model’ also mentions where these countries/blocks will be in 2025. It measures GDP, defense, spending, population and technology for individual states. It predicts the power of the US, EU, Japan and Russia would decline while that of China, India and Brazil would increase, even though there would be no change in this listing. US would be 18%, China 16%, EU will be 14% while India 10%.
The 82-page report is a product of immense research and dialogues among experts from various countries. The report says that apart from addressing threats such as ethnic conflicts, infectious diseases, and terrorism, new global challenges include climate change, energy security, food and water scarcity, international migration flows and new technologies. It concludes that three effects of rapid globalization are driving demands for more effective global governance – economic interdependence, the interconnected nature of the challenges on the international agenda, and interwoven domestic and foreign challenges.
About India, the report concedes that it is not well positioned to help develop regional institutions for Asia given China’s superior role in the region. ”The Indians thought existing international organizations are ‘grossly inadequate’ to deal with mounting challenges. Many hoped the United States would continue to be very much part of the Asian region as a political, economic, and military power,” the report observes.
Also an Indian interlocutor has quoted in the report “It would be a pity if the West does not hang together to influence the future.”
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Aditi Rindani 