Much ink has been spilt regarding China’s rise to great power status. When combined with Russia’s revanchist behavior and the United States’ relative decline in power, this feeds into debates about the world becoming multipolar.
But a key country is often left out of the discussion: India. As far back as 2013, The Economist magazine pondered whether India could become a great power. Such commentary has recently returned. Earlier this month, Martin Wolf of the Financial Times opined that India was poised to eventually become a superpower, going so far as placing an exact date—2047—on when it will achieve that status. Similarly, back in April, Kaush Arha and Samir Saran called for the U.S. to embrace India in a “Great Power Partnership.”
Can India rise to the ranks of great powers? Answering that question requires unpacking the factors that make great powers great.