d*******a
发帖数: 454 | 1 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/world/asia/05iht-letter.html?ref=china
A Model of Development Worth Building
By AKASH KAPUR
PONDICHERRY, INDIA President Barack Obama arrives in India this weekend,
accompanied by a retinue that occupies two jumbo jets.
His visit coincides with Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, and his
meetings will no doubt have a bright, upbeat tone. But his trip is unlikely
to ease a nagging sense in India that ties between the two countries have
suffered something of a downgrade under his administration.
The anxiety stems not from any overt hostility toward India, but rather from
a perception that Mr. Obama抯 much-vaunted pragmatism, combined with a
litany of woes in the United States, leave little room for the type of
strategic relationship the countries seemed to be building under President
George W. Bush. As the Indian columnist Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar
recently wrote, 揙bama is focusing on urgent short-term issues and not on
the strategic long term
The short-term focus is perhaps understandable. But a relationship with
India based too purely on pragmatism on immediate, tangible returns in the
battle against terrorism, for example, or in bolstering trade does not do
justice to what is potentially India抯 most valuable contribution to the
United States. It overlooks the fact that the United Statestrue strategic
opportunity comes not from what might be called India抯 overt power its
military might and economic clout but rather its symbolic power: the
possibility it holds to serve as a model for developing nations around the
world.
In recent years, there has been growing talk about an Indian model of
development and governance what Lawrence H. Summers, the director of the
White House National Economic Council, recently referred to as the Mumbai
Consensus. He positioned this as an alternative to an ascendant Beijing
Consensus, which emphasizes the role of the state, plays down the importance
of democracy and human rights, and has been embraced by authoritarian
regimes around the world, particularly in Africa.
This Mumbai Consensus is far less established than its Beijing counterpart.
Still, with India抯 economic success now receiving general and sometimes
exaggerated international recognition, and with a growing number of Indian
companies embarking on acquisitions around the world, the outlines of an
Indian model that could light a path toward development for other countries
are starting to become clear.
Economically, the Indian model is marked by a reliance on domestic
consumption rather than exports, services rather than manufacturing, and
private enterprise rather than state-led companies and investments.
In all these ways, and particularly in its reliance on the private sector,
it represents a striking contrast to the Chinese model. Ashutosh Varshney, a
political scientist, points out that, while 揑ndia is producing world-class
private companies, China is not
Indeed, in contrast to many Chinese companies, which have benefited from
state support, Indian companies have often succeeded, as Gurcharan Das, an
author and businessman, puts it, 揹espite the state
The big difference between the two countries, of course, is in their
political systems. Mr. Summers contrasted Indian democracy and Chinese
autocracy, praising the former as 損eople-centeredand characterizing the
latter as being based on 搃deas of authoritarian capitalism that ultimately
will prove not to be enduringly successful
To an extent, this distinction seems to revisit the Asian Values debates of
the past, when many observers attributed Southeast Asia抯 rapid growth to
authoritarian governments. But the rise of India and China over the last few
decades has recast this debate. The question is no longer whether economic
growth stems from autocracy or democracy, but rather about the character of
that growth. What does India tell us about the kind of prosperity that
accompanies democracy?
India抯 vibrant private sector may be one of the chief benefits of its
democracy. Mr. Das suggests that democracies inherently allow greater room
for entrepreneurial activity. 揊reedom of enterprise is a function of
democracy,he says, arguing that Indian businesses have more room for
innovation than those in China.
Political freedom doesn抰 just breed more adept capitalists. It can also
contribute to what the author and academic Sunil Khilnani calls 揼rowth with
legitimacy敆 a path to development that is less unequal and more sensitive
to human rights. Although India is certainly struggling with tremendous
problems of exclusion, its democratic processes arguably curb the worst
excesses of capitalism.
India抯 robust private sector and its democratic pattern of development
could also mean that the Indian model will ultimately prove more viable than
the Chinese one. India抯 critics often point to the nation抯 inefficiencies
to argue that democracy is inimical to growth. But these are not failures
of democracy; they are failures of governance.
If in the coming decades India can reform its governance a big if,
admittedly then its model of democratic growth might ultimately prove more
flexible, and therefore more resilient, than China抯 top-down, state-
centric approach. For the United States, what抯 most striking about the
Indian model is the extent to which it embodies values free enterprise,
democracy, equal opportunity traditionally associated with the United
States. This confluence of values represents the true foundation of Indian-U
.S. ties.
It also represents something of an opportunity for the United States. If the
Indian model gains widespread currency, if it starts being adopted by other
nations as a viable path to development, then that could ultimately enhance
the United Statesown influence and soft power around the world.
Washington抯 true strategic interest doesn抰 just lie in forging closer
security or trade links with India. It lies in India抯 potential to spread
American values. | i*******e
发帖数: 436 | 2 so annoyed by A3's "China this, India that" comparison.....sick to my
stomach.... | i*******e
发帖数: 436 | 3 so annoyed by A3's "China this, India that" comparison.....sick to my
stomach.... | m**********n
发帖数: 27535 | | l******e
发帖数: 12192 | 5 老将骨子里其实是民运黑，叫表轮内黑
【在 m**********n 的大作中提到】
: 老将好好学习学习，不要老说民主印度不配和中国比
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