Topic: India- The next big hegemony?

Title: The future is now.

Defining Hegemony
Politics is about power. This power manifests itself in the form of strategic dominance,
economic power, and cultural superiority. Therefore, to gain a deeper understanding of Indias
role as the next big hegemony in world politics, it is necessary to understand the avenues in
which such hegemony can be established.

India as a Hard Power Hegemony

The first aspect of hegemony relates to the relations and balances of military capability between
states. India purchased weapons and equipments worth $17 billion from Russia alone, in the
years 2007-2011. India has furthermore test fired its Agni II surface to surface ballistic missile
capable of carrying a nuclear warhead of 1 ton with a range of 2000 km.
India has 80 or more nuclear weapons, and its spending in defence amounts to $46.8 billion, next
only to US, China France and Japan. The acquisition of INS Vikramaditya, making it the only
Asian region to have two naval air fleets lends considerable muscle to the naval forces as well.
But it is in Military Research and Development that India lacks behind. The obstacles preventing
India from developing a more advanced military technology base are primarily technical and
economic, stemming from chronic problems with project management. Reduction of the
procurement budget to 17%, structural deficiencies in the Prithvi Missiles and the deficiency of
indigenous technology substantially hinders Indias ascent in the sphere of strategic hegemony.

India as a Structural Hegemony

The basic idea behind this notion is that an open economy requires a dominant power to support
its existence. This section shall focus on Indias position as a global hegemon in the following
areas:
a) SLOCs
b) The Cyber Space
c) The world economy

SLOCs
Free trade in an open world economy would not be possible without SLOCs. SLOCs in the
Indian Ocean Region, which form an important part of the Indian Ocean Region trade have
become even more crucial to secure. India is a dominant naval power in the Indian Ocean
Region, with a large Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The establishment of project Seabird in
the western coast and the ongoing development of project Varsha in the eastern coast will be a
crucial addition to the existing naval facilities. The successful advances in indigenous
technology, including the INS Arihant, Indias nuclear powered submarine and the aircraft
carrier INS Vikrant will play a key role in securing Indias hegemony in the SLOCs.

The Cyber Space

It is clear that India not only lacks offensive and defensive cyber security capabilities but it is not
capable of dealing with sophisticated malware like Stuxnet, Duqu, Flame, etc. Projects
like National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) of India, National Critical Information
Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIPC) of India, has etc failed to materialize so far.
The National Cyber Security Policy of India 2013 also failed to take off and even if it is
implemented it is weak on numerous aspects like violation in general and civil
liberties infringement in particular. It would not be wrong to say that India is a sitting in
cyberspace and civil liberties protection regime.

The World Economy

The third largest economy in the world poised to grow at 5.7% in 2014, the stability of the Indian
economy will determine its preponderance in the global world order. Indias share in the world
economy is close to 10% while its share in world trade is 2.07%. With a new government at the
helm, agencies like Moodys and S&P have projected a positive trajectory for Indias economic
growth. India furthermore donned a dominant role when in 2009; the G-20 was raised to the
level of a forum for leaders. With a foreign export of nearly $300 billion, Indian Corporates have
spread their wings in all corners of the world. Increased trade with China and greater interaction
with the USA, who continue to be Indias major economic partners will help consolidate its
dominance in the global market.

India as a Soft Power Hegemony

Indian philosophy has captivated Western minds since the 1960s; Bollywood has long drawn
huge audiences in parts of Asia, Africa, and beyond; India's English-language novelists have
often edged out native British writers for the Man Booker Prize; and, of course, yoga studios
have become ubiquitous in the United States. Furthermore, India disbursed over $1.5 billion in
traditional foreign aid in 2011- second only to China. Indias soft power has rare characteristics
when compared with the other great powers of the emerging multipolar world: U.S., China,
Russia, Japan and Europe (as a unified entity). Its relatively neutral, non-threatening image will
make India a uniquely attractive great-power partner for countries looking to hedge against
future fallout between the U.S. and China, and not wanting to antagonize either superpower.

Conclusion
There are significant constraints to Indias ascent as a global hegemon. Regional disturbances
and balancing international alliances pose significant impediments on Indias path to becoming
the next big hegemony. However, if ingenious technology is strengthened and available resources
are used effectively, then Indias path to becoming a global hegemony can very well be realized
within the next 10-15 years.