Rishi Sunak is the first Hindu politician to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Leo Varadkar, of Indian descent, is the first to occupy the office of the leader of the Irish Executive. Humza Yousaf, of Pakistani origin, is the first Asian and Muslim to assume the presidency of Scotland, while Anas Sarwar, also with roots in Pakistan, heads the main Scottish opposition party. Sadiq Khan, son of immigrants from Pakistan, has been the mayor of London since 2016.
The political map of Great Britain, dominated by people from the Indian subcontinent, is a reflection of the close relations these countries maintain with the ancient metropolis. But it is also proof of the power of a strategic space where opposing atomic powers, the most populous country on the planet and fundamentalist terrorist radicalism coexist
In this cocktail, India stands out, which has just surpassed 1,428 million inhabitants and has ousted China from the leadership. The most transcendent thing is that it is also the country with the most citizens aged between 15 and 24: a huge opportunity for the future if the economy grows at the same rate. And this is where the numbers don’t add up.
India’s imperfect democracy is an economic dwarf with a poverty rate hovering around 20% and anemic growth four times lower than that of China since the 1990s. Even if the data portends a collapse as a result of the demographic explosion and the lack of employment, there are reasons for hope.
India is a technological powerhouse where the main multinationals are based because the combination of low costs and an emerging and well-educated youth turns the country into a global factory. Although the industry represents only 25%, domestic demand and that of neighboring China offer a very voracious market. Ironically, the proximity to the Asian giant is also a risk given the fragile coexistence of the two powers.
For now, however, the future points towards a repeat of history. India and China were among the world’s leading civilizations until the Industrial Revolution, when the century of Chinese humiliation and the British boot plunged them into decline. His hour has come again.
