Alice Lyman Miller defines a superpower as "a country that can project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time, and so may plausibly attain the status of global hegemony". In other words, a superpower is a dominating country rather than just a powerful country. A country which is economically, culturally, socially and military dominant can be referred to as a superpower. At present, there is only one country which fits in best, the United States.
United States of America - the real global superpower
Military:
With 2.1 million Military Personnel, the US has the third-highest number of army personnel. Still, its army is the most powerful in the world, competing with Russia & China. The 13,398 aircraft helps the US to rule the skies without much effort and it gains the strength on land with the help of 6,287 combat tanks, 39,223 armoured fighting vehicles and various other deadly artillery weapons. On the water, the US has 415 total Naval assets, with 24 Aircraft carriers. Besides this, there Are Military Bases in at Least 74 Countries. The total number of military bases around the world is around 800, which is probably more than any country or empire has had in all of history.
Alliances:
The US is among one of the five permanent members to have a seat in the UN Security Council, which is responsible for peacekeeping operations and to develop friendly relations among nations around the globe. Apart from this, the US plays a crucial role in NATO and a mission without the participation of the US is quite unimaginable.
Economy:
The US has a remarking GDP of $21 trillion amounting for a quarter of the global economy and it is holding its position of being the world's largest economy since 1871. The US economy is backed up by abundant resources, advanced infrastructure and cutting-edge technology. The GDP per capita in the US is around $62k.
Culture:
The US is by far the most successful country in expanding its culture globally using its ace known by the name, Hollywood. Hollywood movies are globally known by their high standards which everyone craves for and it sure makes us think that American people are offered more freedom than us.
The above details point out why the US is a global superpower and why it will retain this position over the coming years.
Now, let us have a glance at our country, India. After gathering enough resistance, the Indians pushed the Britishers out in 1947 and since then Indians are living on their free will. Though it has just been 70 years since Independence, India has gained a lot of power and has made itself globally visible.
Significant feats achieved since the last 70 years:
-India entered the trillion-dollar club in the global economy.
-After the Green Revolution, India saw a major rise in crop production and since then it is one of the major exporters of Rice & Sugar.
-Infrastructure has developed significantly after the establishment of well-connected roads and the generation of more electricity.
-With the implementation of Right to Education, Indian students are passing out with sharp skills.
-The life expectancy was 37 years in 1951 and now it is more than double with the help of improvement in healthcare facilities.
-India has carried out several space missions successfully in the past years, along with successfully testing its nuclear weapons.
The factors which weigh equal to superpower:
Military:
India stands at the 4'th position on the Military Strength Ranking, just after the US, Russia & China. With 4.2 million people serving in the Indian Army, India has the highest number of Military Personnel in the world. Under the shadow of 2,082 aircraft, India is safe from air attacks from the neighbouring countries and the land is ruled by 4,184 combat tanks and India has a total of 295 naval assets, including 1 aircraft carrier. There is still room for development in the Indian Military, as its air force is weaker than the other countries and our soldiers have no access to advanced equipment.
Alliances:
India has fostered relationships with countries including the Russian Federation, Israel, Afghanistan, France, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the United States, but it still fails to be a part of any major military alliance. Even after having good relations with several countries, India has failed subsequently to be a member of the United Nations Security Council.
Economy:
India's economy has risen substantially post-independence and after 2014 there is a 5-7% rise in India's GDP every year. After surpassing countries like the United Kingdom and France, India now sits at the 5'th position with an economy worth 3 trillion USD. Though the economy of India has touched some remarking feats, still, considering the population of India, the GDP per capita is just somewhere around 1,900 USD, which is far away from that of the United States(59,000 USD).
Where does India lag behind other countries?
Post-independence India has been battling with problems related to the all valuable human resources specifically poverty, overpopulation, illiteracy, lack of healthcare, limited access to resources, pollution, child labour, casteism, unemployment, communalism and corruption which have been the reason to pull down India from climbing the ladder to become a superpower. Unfortunately, even after 70 years of Independence, these problems still rattle our democracy. We are still growing and we have battles to fight which also pulls us down, but we sure are making some progress. The path to becoming a superpower requires something which we are missing at this point in time, so the road is still obscured at this point in time.
Conclusion
Amartya Sen once said, “India is the only country trying to become a global economic power with an uneducated and unhealthy labour force.”
This statement holds true in every sense. To become a global superpower, the first step we need to take is to manage our human resource better. We need to tackle the problems that have been shaking our country for a very long time now. Only after we overcome problems that India faces at the grassroots level, we can truly embark on the journey of becoming a global superpower.
- Sachin Kumar
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