Discussions and conclusions

Assess the Proposition That India Will Become the Next Superpower

“…Although India is currently a close strategic partner of the United States, it may not lie in the latter’s national interests to allow a country as large as India to become the next superpower contender. As Ng (2022: 255–256) observes, the United States’ close relationship with Japan did not prevent it from using foreign exchange manipulation to thwart Japan’s rise in the 1980s, when the East-Asian country’s booming economy was seen as a challenge to American hegemony. The scholar’s observation corroborates the assertion made by Karnad (2018: 171) that the long-term strategy of the US policy – somewhat similar to that applied on China – aims to ‘hamper India’s rise and shrink India’s reach, clout and influence’.…”

“…This scenario did not ultimately materialise. Due to a series of US-led foreign exchange interventions and an ageing national population, Japan’s economy lost steam and eventually became associated with deflation and stagnation (Ng, 2022; Yeung, 2020). Put more precisely, a superpower is a state characterised by its ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale.…”