As the London-headquartered International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) explores the theme “India as a Rising Great Power” in New Delhi this weekend, we have a paradox. The world is prepared to deal with India as a rising power. But is India ready for big time?

In the last few years, the popular opinion among the country’s middle classes has moved away from the self-perception as a weak third world nation to that of a great power on the make. A recent survey across nine major countries by a German foundation reported that nearly 79 per cent of India’s urban population believes the nation will become a great power by 2020.

This popular enthusiasm within India and the strategic expectations of the international community stand in marked contrast to the entrenched fears among the nation’s political elites about the proposition that India is rising. The Indian leadership, three generations of which have grown up with a pessimistic view of the nation’s prospects at home and abroad, appears utterly incredulous at the optimism regarding India’s strategic future.

If it can sustain the recent high economic growth rates, India will inevitably emerge as the third largest economy in the world after the US and China in the foreseeable future. With economic growth, India’s defence and diplomatic resources too will rapidly expand.

The question is no longer whether but when India might become a great power. That in turn has begged the question, what kind of a great power will India be? Will it be a “responsible stake-holder” in the international system? Or will it choose to remain an opportunistic “free rider”?

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