Is India Important for America’s Freedom?

The Atlas Society - The Center for Objectivism ^ | 11/24/2009 | Edward Hudgins

[Ed Hudgins]

The visit to the U.S. of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will focus on important geo-political and economic issues. But this visit also should focus attention on the role India might play in an emerging global culture of freedom, helping both America and India. Friends of liberty should take note.

Unenlightened legacy

India seems an unlikely candidate to enhance the planet’s freedom. Its culture has been steeped in irrational religious beliefs, mostly unleavened by modern intellectual enlightenment. Religious violence between Hindus (80 percent of the population), Muslims (13 percent), and Sikhs (2 percent) goes back centuries. While tamped down, it still breaks out today. Particularly anathema to individualism is India’s caste system, which sets human worth based on accidents of birth rather than personal achievements. Couples are still murdered for marrying outside of their castes. Most marriages are still arranged.

In their century-and-a-half rule over India, the British contributed railroads and other infrastructure and they tried to ban some odious practices such as wife-burning. The Brits also offered educational opportunities for India’s small elite. Sadly, most of India’s post-independence leaders were not taught the free-market philosophy that made Britain the 19th century’s economic leader but, rather, the Fabian socialism that would contribute to Britain’s and India’s late-20th-century economic stagnation.

Central planning failed in India as it did in other socialist countries, and India was—and still is—burdened by ossified and corrupt government bureaucracies. Interestingly, India was so isolated from the global economy that it neither exported nor imported very much and thus, unlike Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, it did not rack up huge international debts in the 1980s. India had nowhere to go but up.

Asian rivals

Starting in the 1990s India began to adopt free-market reforms. The Index of Economic Freedom ranks it 54.2 percent free…

[himno hero]

If we had a american president, then an alignment with India makes sense for global stability. The Islamic thrust to get nuclear weapons is a huge problem and India suffers the same problem we do.

The only problem is we suffer a presidency with a nefarious mindset and all kinds of hidden agendas NOT at all consistent with mainstream America, its history, culture and identity.

America has been hijacked by a third world marxist muslim mindset.

All previous leaders recognized the need for a healthy India, thus the gift of advanced AEGIS hardware years ago.

[dog breath]

There is no doubt that we need India as a counterbalance to both the Chinese and the Muslim countries. The past is the past, they are currently more democratic then many other countries in this world.

[IndianChief]

All previous leaders recognized the need for a healthy India, thus the gift of advanced AEGIS hardware years ago

Huh?? Where did you get that from ? Still very few American systems in the Indian Armed forces.

The fire-finding radar ( ANTPQ-37 ??) a few years ago was the most sophisticated piece of American technology till a couple of years ago. So bad was the experience with America ( read : sanctions) that even equipment was bought from Europe only if it contained not a single American component.

Only under Bush did things start to change. The Russians are more than a little bit upset.

[Little Ray]

Like, YES!

If the US fails, we need somebody with the potential to carry on. “Old” Europe is decadent and can’t even be relied on to protect itself. “New” Europe is too close to the Sov, er, Russians to protect themselves - every time they try to do so its a “provocation.”
India is about the only hope left.

[onedoug]

Is India Important For America's Freedom

I would say that people like Dinesh D'Souza render this answer an unqualified YES.

[algernonpj]

Fourth, India has in fact become a location of choice of many American firms for service jobs in high-tech, publishing, and 1-800 help lines. These are not the low-skilled assembly-line jobs often associated with emerging economies. They are high-skilled jobs at enterprises set up by Indian entrepreneurs. Indians in these jobs frequently interact with American counterparts.

Some Americans complain about such outsourcing but, of course, both countries win in these relationships. And when individual Indians and Americans deal openly and directly with one another, it is a cultural as well as economic plus.

ROFL ... Tell that to all the unemployed Americans in high-tech, publishing, and 1-800 help lines who can't survive on $5,000 - $ 10,000 / year.

[Ed Hudgins]

Protectionists have complained for decades about losing non-cutting edge jobs to countries with lower labor costs, which lower costs to consumers here in the U.S. 25 years ago it was textiles. Then steel. Etc. But the U.S kept creating whole new industries and thus we had the highest job creation rate in the world.

Of course, under a socialist Obama administration that taxes and regulates our businesses to death, we can't expect much. But that's not the fault of the Indians or any other foreigners. It's the fault of the American socialists.

[algernonpj]

I agree that it’s not he fault of the Indians; they are only taken advantage of the situation.

However, the fault lies not only with Zero and his Marxists, it also lies with Globalists who negotiated so called ‘free trade’ agreements. This includes Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II.

In the name of ‘free trade’, US sovereignty, & national security are sacrificed to open borders needed for the unimpeded movement of goods and natural persons, i.e. units of labor.

US business (not global corporations) and US workers are placed at a severe disadvantage by onerous taxes, extreme environmental regulations, and political correctness. Countries such as China and India are excused from even minimal environmental regulations,from what we would consider even minimal humane working conditions, and any semblance of political correctness.

Capitalism has morphed into a form of corporatism / fascism running under the Ferengi rules of Acquisition.

The economic destruction of the US and its middle class did not start last November with the election of Zero.

We have forgotten what I call the dark side of human nature, what Bastiat refers to as the ‘common tendency’ of ‘mankind’ to ‘live and prosper at the expense of others’.