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Mini-Course
India: Paradigm, Paradox and Potential
Frank Schell (Biodata)
- Former Senior Vice President & Head of International Treasury Services and Global Trade Services - Bank One, N.A.
- U.S. Peace Corps – India
- Managing Director, North State Associates LLC and Outside Independent Senior Consultant for CRA
- Member - Dean’s International Council, Harris School, recently returned from India mission
- Editorial Board – the National Strategy Forum
Course Details
Dates: Tuesdays, April 14, 21, 28; May 5, 12, 2009
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Harris School, 1155 E. 60th Street, Room 140 C
RSVP online.
Course Overview
The course comprises five lectures on the fundamental issues of domestic and foreign policy of the Republic of India and provides a framework for assessing contemporary public policy challenges. It views India from various disciplines and perspectives, including political science, economics, history, social services, law and business, and national security. The course is open to graduate and undergraduate students and those outside the University community. Content related to Pakistan and China is also included in the review of foreign policy, governance, and comparative development models.
Strongly recommended reading prior to the first class is A History of India Volume II – Percival Spear, Penguin Books Reprinted 1990. (That edition contains some updated material, however earlier editions are satisfactory). Spear’s book is an excellent foundation for understanding the complexity and diversity of Indian society today. Other readings are recommended before each lecture. There is a short assignment to present in the last class.
Syllabus
April 14 - India: Ascent of a Federal Republic and Secular Democracy
The diversity of India and its contemporary challenges are best understood in the context of modern history, often acknowledged to begin with the establishment of the Mughal Empire in the early sixteenth century. (There will be a brief summary of the ancient history of the subcontinent and the invasions that led up to this point). Particular attention will be paid to the foundation of administration during the Mughal period, the subsequent development of British rule and its effects, the rise of Indian nationalism, the independence movement, and the socialist model espoused by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
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Readings:
- A History of India Volume II. Reprinted 1990 edition ends with updated content regarding the Congress Party government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter.
- For browsing through statistics and a timeline of Indian history, the reader is referred to The World FactBook – India, Central Intelligence Agency, updated January 22, 2009, and to Kamat’s Potpourri: Timeline of India.
April 21 - India Economic Policy: Efficiency and Social Justice
In 1991, the government of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao initiated radical economic reforms during an economic crisis. As they unfolded, India abandoned the socialist model of central planning in favor of free markets. The current account was deregulated to achieve convertibility of the Rupee and there was partial liberalization of the capital account. The government was no longer to decide what companies could produce, where and how. Foreign investment, long viewed with suspicion, was encouraged. The earlier command and control society was freed from its rigid socialist protocols, with much resistance from the establishment that had benefited from the privileges of that economic model in place since independence in 1947. A large middle class has arisen from this free market economy. While the free market economy is breaking down traditional barriers, the cleavages in Indian society – caste, gender, and religion to name a few – are still very much present in rural and urban areas.
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Readings:
- "The India Model," Gurcharan Das, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2006.
- India Unbound, Gurcharan Das, Anchor Books, Division of Random House, Inc. 2000: Chapters 5,10, 11,15,19,22.
- "Globalization and Economic Reform as Seen From the Ground: SEWA’s Experience in India," Renana Jhabvala, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), and Ravi Kanbur, Cornell University, 2002.
- "India’s Dangerous Divide," Ramchandra Guha, The Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2008.
- "An elephant, not a tiger," The Economist, A special report on India, December 13th, 2008.
April 28 - India: Modernization, Business Issues, and Governance
It is widely recognized that, in less than a generation, India has made immense economic progress as a liberal democracy, a remarkable achievement. Some of its companies have achieved global prominence with respected brands in IT, consumer and industrial products, and the steel industry. However governance on a national scale is affirmed by many observers to be a principal priority at this point of India’s evolution. This means not only Sarbanes-Oxley type reforms in the corporate sector, but a broader effort to reduce undue influence with transparent government procurements, well communicated policies and procedures, and the development of a sense of the public good – rising above partisanship and the many divisive forces in Indian society.
Joining us for the second half of this meeting will be Mr. Sam Pitroda who served as an Advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and is currently Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission of India, an advisory body to the Prime Minister whose stated mission is to develop knowledge capital and transform India into a knowledge society. Mr. Pitroda is presently Chairman of C-SAM, Inc., which provides a branded and secure mobile transaction platform for various financial and non- financial purposes.
Mr. Pitroda will speak on the modernization of India since the time of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He will discuss the dynamics of a rising middle class and the business sector in India, as well as India's access and importance to the world, enabled by global telecommunications - the Internet and satellite TV. He will cover management and governance issues in the private and public sectors.
This is a great opportunity to converse with one of India's most famous leaders on a wide range of subjects, and Mr. Pitroda will be pleased to field questions on any number of topics.
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Readings:
- "Development, Democracy, and the Village Telephone," Sam Pitroda, Harvard Business Review, November - December 1993 (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED).
- "Satyam: A Rs. 7,000cr Lie," The Times of India, January 8, 2009.
- "INDIA: Satyam Scam Questions Corporate Governance," Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, IPS (Inter Press Service), January 9, 2008.
- "Corporate governance: What India must do," Ram Prasad Sahu, Rediff India Abroad, January 19, 2009.
- "Corporate Governance in India: Is an Independent Director a Guardian or a Burden?," India Knowledge@Wharton, (The Wharton School), February 8, 2007.
- "Governance in India," The World Bank, 2009.
- "Governance in India: Vision 2020," M.C. Gupta, Director - Indian Institute of Public Administration Ca. 2001.
- "Corporate Governance in China and India," William J. Holstein, Business Week, March 6, 2008.
- "India and China," India Brand Equity Foundation, Last Updated October-December 2008.
May 5 - India: Regional and Internal Security Challenges
South Asia, which broadly defined extends from Afghanistan to Bangladesh and Myanmar, encompasses an unstable part of the world with two nuclear armed powers, India and Pakistan, sharing a common frontier. Other states in the region are severely challenged economically and politically and have weak institutions. The Kashmir dispute is a flashpoint for India and Pakistan who have fought three wars since 1947 and an undeclared conflict in Kargil (a region of Kashmir) in 1999; however there are other structural differences in the two countries that must also be addressed. In addition, there are various insurgencies in the region, some of which are believed to be aided and abetted by outside powers.
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Readings:
- "Playing With Fire: Pakistan’s Unintended Strategic Challenge in India’s Homeland," Michael Scheuer, Terrorism Focus, Jamestown Foundation, September 11, 2008.
- "Pakistan’s Role in the Kashmir Insurgency," Peter Chalk, Commentary, the Rand Corporation last modified November 30, 2007 and Jane’s Intelligence Review, September 1, 2001.
- "The Nuclear Subcontinent: Bringing Stability to South Asia," Shamshad Ahmad, Pakistan Foreign Secretary, Foreign Affairs, July/August 1999.
- "Anti-Americanism in Pakistan and the Taliban Menace," Pervez Hoodbhoy, Chowk, July 1, 2008.
- "Situation in Tribal Areas of Pakistan: Causes, Consequences and the Way Forward," Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad, 2008-2009.
- "US-Pakistan Need 'Strategic Partnership'," Husain Huqqani, Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Atlantic Council of the United States, June 12, 2008.
- "Ayesha Jalal: Taking On Pakistan’s Hero, Then Taking the Heat," Jonathan Mahler.
- "Will Kashmir Stop India’s Rise," Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2006.
- "Beyond Public Anger," Air Marshal Brijesh D. Jayal (Retd.), The Telegraph, December 8, 2008.
- "Terror evidence in Indian dossier credible: US," The Times of India, January 7, 2009.
- "Engaging a Reluctant Pakistan," Ali Ahmed, Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies, New Delhi, January 26, 2009.
- "A spectre haunting India," The Economist, August 17, 2006.
- "Seven Sisters," GlobalSecurity.org, December 15, 2003.
Assignment: Prepare prior to the next and last class and present it – a half page recommendation to President Barack Obama defining U.S. priorities and foreign policy toward India. This will be followed by group discussion and development of a summary.
May 12 - India and the United States: Defining the Partnership
With the demise of the Soviet Union, India lost a principal sponsor and supplier of military, agricultural, and other equipment. Further, the spirit of free markets unleashed in the 1990s brought India closer to the United States, another country with an entrepreneurial culture. India is reportedly the source of the largest number of foreign students. The recent nuclear agreement between India and the US is a leading example of the new partnership being developed, with implications far beyond technology transfer and the sale of uranium fuel to India. The agreement was highly controversial in both countries; critics argue that it undermines the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, of which India is not a signatory, damages U.S. efforts to contain the nuclear designs of Iran and North Korea, and could result in a regional nuclear arms race.
U.S policy toward India cannot be seen in isolation and must address implications for U.S. strategic interests in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In this final lecture, you will be asked to read to the class your half page recommendation to President Barack Obama. We will then develop a summary of your collective advice to the Administration.
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Readings:
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