India is approaching superpower status

India is striving to become a superpower. As Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated, no country can stop New Delhi's ambition. However, experts point out that for India to achieve this status, it needs to enhance its economic and military strength. Can India realize its aspirations?

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that India is on the path to becoming a superpower. According to NDTV, these remarks were made in the context of the recent U.S. tariffs on Indian products. The military official emphasized that external powers are trying to force other countries to abandon cooperation with New Delhi through this method.

Notably, Singh did not directly criticize the United States. But in his statement, he condemned certain "rulers who are above all," saying they "cannot accept India's progress" and do not understand why the country has developed so rapidly. "I can assure you, with the current pace of development in New Delhi, no country can stop us from becoming a superpower," he concluded.

India has long been committed to becoming a recognized global player. As mentioned by the newspaper "The Message," as early as 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out during the celebration of the 76th anniversary of the country's independence that after "a millennium of slavery," India would enter "a millennium of glory."

In his view, to achieve prosperity, it is necessary to carry out large-scale economic and social transformation using resources such as "democratic system, population structure, and diversity." In the field of foreign policy, Modi pointed out that New Delhi is becoming "the voice of the Global South," bringing "stable hope" to this world.

It should be noted that last week, the United States imposed a 25% tariff on Indian imported goods. This move was Washington's response to India's purchase of Russian oil. At the same time, New Delhi called these new tariffs "unfair," and Modi also convened an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss subsequent actions.

Specifically, India has abandoned its plan to purchase "Striker" armored vehicles and "Javelin" anti-tank missiles from the United States. Meanwhile, New Delhi continues to strengthen its ties with Moscow. According to RIA Novosti, India expressed willingness to expand cooperation with Russia in aluminum production, fertilizers, and railway transportation sectors.

"There is no universally recognized and objective standard for classifying any country as a superpower. It is, to a large extent, an elusive concept. If only looking at economic indicators, perhaps only the United States or China can be considered. In terms of military strength, Washington and Moscow can be considered to have such status," said Timofey Bortkevich, director of the Valdai Club project.

"Therefore, if we consider both factors together, only the United States can be called a superpower. However, this is not accurate because the United States cannot suppress Russia economically, nor can it defeat us by force. This means that the power of the United States is not absolute," he further explained.

"Therefore, whether a country can be classified as a superpower largely depends on the standards we initially set. For example, if we take international influence as the standard, then India may be very close to becoming a global leader in this area," the expert emphasized.

"However, it is clear that New Delhi is an important international participant,

and its development speed will accelerate year by year. Therefore, when analyzing the international situation, this country should not be ignored," the respondent explained.

"This role of India is beneficial to Russia. Ultimately, it is a sovereign country that can implement truly independent policies. Washington has exerted great pressure on New Delhi to join the sanctions against Moscow. But India did not take this step. Although India can cooperate with the West, it will never submit to the West," Bortkevich pointed out.

Alexei Kupriyanov, director of the Center for India-Pacific Region at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, also believes that the term "superpower" itself is speculative. "In principle, this word can be used to refer to any country that has comprehensive military, economic, and political strength exceeding other countries in the world," he added.

"There may also be multiple superpowers simultaneously,

such as the United States and the Soviet Union, provided their characteristics are relatively similar. According to this standard, India certainly cannot be classified into this category. For a country to join this 'club,' its GDP must be at least close to that of the United States and related countries. But India still has a long way to go to reach this goal," Kupriyanov analyzed.

Meanwhile, Vadim Kozulin, director of the Center for International Security Issues at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy, believes that certain standards for superpowers can still be determined. "For example, military strength, especially having nuclear weapons, can be one of them. In the economic field, an important feature is being at least partially independent from external supplies," he said.

"It is also necessary to have the ability to exercise soft power, meaning the country has the ability to achieve its own interests without exerting military pressure on opponents. Regarding diplomatic standards,

it can be a country's seat on the UN Security Council, or alternatively, the ability to maintain its own interests through other means.

Therefore, India largely meets the requirements I mentioned. The country has now proven through practice its determination to pursue truly sovereign policies. In the issue of cooperation with Russia, it did not yield to Western pressure," the expert emphasized.

"Small countries cannot achieve such accomplishments. At the same time, the country's geopolitical interests have far exceeded the South Asian region, indicating an important fact: India has long surpassed the level of a regional power. There is no doubt that this is beneficial for Moscow, because in India, we can say at least that we have found a reliable negotiating partner in various fields," Kozulin concluded.

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