India's economic and political development under Narendra Modi

Introduction

The call of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to turn the country into a leading power is a signal that the political leadership of India seeks to change its role in the international political system. From the point of view of Modi, the "leading power" is, in fact, the same as the "great power"[5]. Be that as it may, India will be able to achieve this status only if it strengthens its economy, state institutions, and military potential, which will require hard work.

Narendra Modi assumed the post of prime minister in May 2014 and less than a year later he addressed high-ranking Indian diplomats with the appeal "to help India to position itself in the world as a leading and not counterbalancing force" [3].

If Modi's plan to turn India into a great power will come to fruition, the third epoch in the history of Indian foreign policy will come - the weight and preferences of India will determine the international situation. What should India do to become a leading power?

First of all, Narendra Modi has to complete the structural reforms necessary to create an effective commodity market and a market for production factors. At present, Delhi's ability to build up national power limits the economy's regulation, inadequate state efficiency, burdened by the legacy of the past between society and the state, weak coordination within the state and society as a whole. These problems have been accompanying India since independence.

India has missed too many opportunities to build effective markets that would encourage innovation and accelerate long-term trend growth. The state needs to redirect its efforts to improve the quality of public goods, create an institutional structure that encourages private initiative and contributes to the rationalization of Indian society.

Secondly, India needs to create an effective state, which is necessary for building up national power. While the work of the state will not be optimized and its fiscal and regulatory tasks will not be established - for both of them, it will be necessary to weaken its dependence on society - India will not be able to accumulate the material possibilities necessary for the soonest achievement of the status of a great power.

Will India become a great power or not, depends on whether it will be able to improve its economic performance; expand regional integration; to acquire armed forces sufficient for the effective projection of force, and to pursue a wise policy of their use; to strengthen democracy so that it would meet the interests of all the peoples of the country [8].

Third, India needs to build a strong relationship with the United States. The US is a major employer in a skilled Indian workforce; the most important source of capital, technology, and managerial experience; main support for the global ambitions of India. Strong relations with the United States, along with strengthening ties with their key allies in Asia and around the world, will bring tremendous benefits to India.

The foreign policy of the country was almost always defensive. In the early years of independence, India loudly declared that it was going to defend, in the words of its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, "genuine internationalism", which presupposes a struggle for universal peace and common prosperity [6]. But under the limited capabilities of the country, its strategic efforts were mainly aimed at protecting its own democracy and economy from the bitter Cold War confrontation. Whatever international commitments India has assumed over the years, the main purpose of its essentially non-aligned policy of non-alignment was to prevent the enmity between the United States and the Soviet Union from damaging the security, independence, and well-being of a relatively weak country.

Its efforts were even more effective than expected. India experienced a cold war almost without detriment to its territorial integrity, most steps of state and national construction brought a positive result, and the country's political independence and its international authority were not questioned by anyone. During this period, India has significantly increased its industrial and scientific and technical potential, but the belief that it is necessary "to rely only on one's own strength" has led to a decrease in the proportion of the Indian economy in Asia and beyond.

After 1991, when the need to maneuver between the warring blocs disappeared, India's foreign policy entered a new phase. Establishing a strategic partnership with more than 30 countries, India sought to develop those forms of cooperation that would enhance its growth and recovery. The economic reforms launched in the year of the collapse of the Soviet Union laid the foundation for accelerating the pace of development. If in the 1980s the Indian economy grew by a depressing 3.5% per year, thanks to the reforms in the 1990s this indicator increased to 5.5%, and in the new millennium to 7% [7]. This allowed the US Central Intelligence Agency to make a prediction that India could become the most important "wavering state" in the world [9]. This characteristic has given India in global politics the role of a counterweight state. That is, without the power that would allow it to become an independent pole of power, India by its participation in this or that international coalition could significantly strengthen it.

Therefore, the United States has consciously contributed to the rise of India since the 2000s. Proceeding from the fact that Delhi, like Washington, does not approve of Chinese hegemony in Asia, the United States supported India as a counterweight to China. The Americans understood that India would conduct an independent foreign policy, which they hoped would nevertheless respond to the US strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region. And even if India eventually turned into an independent pole of the international political system, this would not mean that the calculations of the Americans were not justified: by sharing common democratic values with the United States, India would then become a valuable partner for them, and its increased potential would help create real restrictions that prevent China from abusing its influence in Asia.