On Tuesday, 5 November, India will be the first Asian country to send spacecraft to Mars. A successful mission would establish India as a leader in the "Asian Space-Race". Naturally, critics attack India's spending on the space program. In a country with a GDP per capita ranking lower than Iraq or Syria, should 1.1 billion (USD) be spent on space travel? In the Wall Street Journal article , Professor Ram Jahku argues that part of the motivation for this space race is really a push to find natural resources; he argues India's government is indicating their commitment to find resources like titanium to support their economy and massive population.
India's growing economic presence in Africa is certainly a little closer to home, but it is hugely important. While China still dominates the industrial push into East Africa, India is a close second. The Economist argues that India's presence in Africa is an important testing ground for how India will behave as a rising power. In cities such as Dar es Salaam, Indian communities are growing alongside their businesses; there is little xenophobia expressed by the Africans, allowing for a continuous arrival of Indian business. Indian Firms have made massive investments, including Oil and Gas Corp's $2.6 billion purchase of a Mozambican gas field, or the more than $1 billion that Indians have invested in farms in Ethiopia. As India extends its economic influence in Africa, will we see the pursuit of political influence? We will see as the economic developments continue. According to Finance Minister Anand Sharma, trade with Africa is expected to reach $100 billion by 2015.
As India vies for economic dominance in Africa and pursues extraterrestrial resources, they still endure astounding economic inequality. It will be interesting to see if these massive economic ventures can provide significant national improvements in the long run. India is certainly a rising power and they are increasing their international (and interplanetary) presence; but their domestic problems still pose the largest obstacle in their rise to become a major democratic power.
This blog promotes an interesting question, whether or not India (or any country) can can increase its political influence and economic equality through the expansion of resources. I feel that if a country the size of India can continue to expand economic developments, than it will make for a country with a very strong influence. Because India has such a massive population, they would make for very useful trade agreements, as you said trade is expected to reach $100 billion by 2015. I don't know much about extra terrestrial resources found through space exploration, but I would be surprised if that $1.1 billion investment is returned to India for any kind of positive benefit. I also feel that India has tough competition competing with China for economic dominance over Africa because of the strength that China has when it comes to trade.
ReplyDeleteWhat I primarily got from Parker's article was the affect that India and China are having on Africa. Africa is a continent depleted of resources due to foreign investors. While it is possible that the new Chinese and Indian investments in Africa can bring in foreign capital, in my opinion a more likely outcome is one where large Chinese and Indian corporations profit at the expense of Africans. There without a doubt needs to be regulations imposed on China and India and other countries seeking natural resources in Africa in order to protect countries with unstable governments and weak economies from cutting deals with foreign investors that "rape Africa" in the long run.
ReplyDeleteWithout any regulations and enforcement of said regulations, history is doomed to repeat itself with rising economic powers in the East, like India and China, only furthering devastation in a continent that has already been devastated by the West.
Cultivating resources from mars is unrealistic for a multitude of reasons and to look for natural resources is misguided for their economy. India's greatest resource by a mile is human capital. Spending that 1.1 billion on education makes much more sense. Their labor force with a higher degree of education could create long term prosperity for India. The average citizen in America rises wage scale every 8 years. Education and practical skills are the fire that feeds that kind of growth.
ReplyDeleteIndia as a whole confuses me slightly. We have a country with a large, solidified caste system, rampant poverty...but on the other hand a weird hold of technology to boot? And now this space age stuff? And apparently (as I have looked up to not seem ignorant) they're pretty high in both growth and gdp economically. I will say that as far as I am, I didn't necessarily view India as a threat to many states, the United States included. Butting heads economically with China, check. North Korea and the threat of lil' Kim Jong Un getting overzealous, check. But India? My ignorance has clouded my judgement. Still "MARS" seems a bit far reaching for a country that has a wobbly monetary value and investors ready to jump ship at any point. (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-domestic-problem/1164723/)
ReplyDeleteBeyond the Mars voyage though, maybe somehow having a non-colonial stake in Africa, and a peaceful one at that, can somehow mutually benefit both. Maybe India's African investments will stir up some interest in job stability and economic gain, something that we all can agree portions of Africa need.
I would be very surprised if India's space exploration really represents a way to obtain more natural resources. Do they really expect over a billion dollar investment to really yield that much interstellar titanium? I think space travel still represents a certain world status, as it shows that a country is wealthy enough to launch a hunk of metal into space. Especially for a rising world power this is important to have a certain reputation on the world stage. India no longer wants to be thought of as a country with a backwards caste system. They want to be the technological giant of the future.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post thank you! I actually did not know about India's mars program. I think India is promoting this program because it shows the international community that they are a major player. Space programs call for a lot of money and a high amount of human capital. Though the space program is costing millions of dollars, I can see how it can provide a large amount of high skilled positions. But really? Built for extracting resources...that seems a little unrealistic. The MAVEN spacecraft that the United States has (actually parts have been built on CU campus at LASP!!) was built to find moisture in the atmosphere and on the planet. I have never heard about mineral extraction from mars.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this post is very interesting too, however I do rase questions when it comes to the domestic problems that India has. I am partial to the argument that India should not be spending this kind of money to explore a possible resource acquisition considering there domestic problems and their low GDP per capita. I understand the strive to be an important actor in the world space community, I just think more importance needs to be placed on domestic well-being first. Another thing is that many first Mars missions tend to fail according to other countries who have attempted the mission. With that being said there is a lot of opportunity for failure and potential millions dollars lost to India. At this point I don't think India can afford to lose this much money on a potential failing mars mission.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may boost international morale for India, I don’t think this is the best thing the country should be spending their money on, since their GDP per capita is so low ($3,700). India should focus on basic raw materials such as food, non-contaminated water, and cleaning amenities. India needs to take smaller steps to success, such as airports, seaports for trade and roads, before they take a big leap such as a space mission. Creating more trade unions with other countries seems to me as a much more logical and less time consuming effort that making a mission to space to find natural resources. What if they can’t find enough? India’s presence in Africa is likely to become a sure path for breaking out as a new power and they merge the two cultures.
ReplyDeleteWith Indian economic prospects advancing into Africa, this could mean good news for some desperate African countries such as Somalia and Libya. With India bringing in economic activity into the region, perhaps the economies of struggling countries will pick up, decreasing the poverty in the region, and possibly even decreasing the conflict within the African countries.
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