UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF GEOPOLITICAL IMAGINATION

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Multidisciplinary Studies Consular and Diplomatic Affairs Program

The Countries of Israel and India as an Interpretive Guide in Understanding the Concept of Geopolitical Imagination

Christelle M. Jovenir Student of Consular and Diplomatic Affairs

May, 2013

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF GEOPOLITICAL IMAGINATION

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures............................................................................................................... 3 I. Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ 4 II. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 5 III. Case Description ...................................................................................................................... 6 IV. Review of Related Literature ................................................................................................... 9 The Geopolitical Imagination and the Enframing of Development Theory ............................... 9 Geopolitics and the International Relations Geopolitical Imagination: The Importance of Maps ................................................................. 11 The Emigration State and the Modern Geopolitical Imagination ............................................. 12 Theorizing Religious Nationalism: The Case of American Christian Zionist National Allegiance to Israel .................................................................................................... 13 The Pattern and Causes of Economic Growth in India ............................................................. 14 V. Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 15 Israels Contrasting Geopolitical Imaginations ........................................................................ 16 Geopolitical Possibilities: India, the Next Economic Superpower? ......................................... 19 VI. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 22 VII. References ............................................................................................................................. 23

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF GEOPOLITICAL IMAGINATION

List of Tables and Figures

Figure 1: McArthurs Universal Corrective Map ........................................................................... 12

Figure 2: Map of Israel Showing the Occupied Palestinian and Syrian

Territories ........................................................................................................................ 16

Figure 3: Bilateral Trade between U.S. and Israel ......................................................................... 17

Figure 4: U.S. Trade Deficit with Israel ...................................................................................... 17

Figure 5: Israel and Part of Europe at the Edge of the Mediterranean Sea .................................. 18

Figure 6: Indias GDP Growth ...................................................................................................... 19

Figure 7: Indias Stock Index Has Outperformed Chinese and U.S. Markets .............................. 20

Table 1: Structure of Indian GDP ................................................................................................. 19

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF GEOPOLITICAL IMAGINATION

Abstract

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Israel has five contrasting geopolitical imaginations; 1. Geographically, it is located in the Middle East, however, it feels disoriented in the region due to different acts of discrimination and condemnation that it is receiving from its neighboring countries; 2. Israel sees itself as a geographical extension of Europe at the verge of the Eastern Mediterranean; 3. Other states perceived Israel as the Fifty First State of the United States of America; 4. Israel is executing its ethnocentric version against the Palestinians; and 5. Israel has a geopolitical position of being at the center of the world.

Keywords: ? Geopolitical imagination,

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF GEOPOLITICAL IMAGINATION

INTRODUCTION

After long years of being neglected due its previous incorporation with the policies of Nazi Germany, the notion of the importance of Geopolitics in understanding the fast political changes in this cotemporary world had returned. This restoration and recovery of Geopolitics led the politicians and scholars to critically analyze the fast changing world map (Newman, 1998). According to analysts, the rapid changes in the context of politics between states are brought about by the phenomenon of Globalization. This present trend which greatly varies between the relationships of states was further utilized and initiated by the notion of speed rooting from the improved technologies. Amplified mobilization due to the impacts of cyberspace technology made the people from different states more connected, thus, giving an impression that the world is shrinking in size. In this course of events, states are starting to ask of what is their contemporary position in the world system. This question was raised due to the fact that states are starting to realize that their own physical geographical location is inadequate to aid their inquiries. Hence, due to the increased connection, the more important factor is the geopolitical imagination of a country, which refer to its own picture of where it suit into the international system and, identically, how other states in that similar system looks at it. According to John Agnews formal definition of the concept, Geopolitical Imagination refers to the varied actions of states which are not only confined within the idea that they need to compete over territories, but, in this contemporary world system, states do certain actions because it is how and where it perceives itself and how other states assessed or view the latters position. The geopolitical imagination of states greatly affects foreign policy. This concept can be seen in every sovereign state which performs actions upon their perceived geopolitical imagination. Two of the best areas to analyze Geopolitics in todays world are the countries of Israel and India. The concept of geopolitical imagination in Israel is diverse, having five different perceived situations which will be enumerated and analyzed in this paper. One of which is Israels own perception of being a geographical extension of Europe. Another case example is the current geopolitical imagination of other states in relation to India, wherein world leaders see this country as the worlds fastest growing economy by 2014 (Lubin, 2011). Considering the emergence of issues in the countries of Israel and India, this paper will focus in these two states to fully understand the concept of geopolitical imagination. After the series of information and

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testimonies, this paper will try to present that despite the established geopolitical perception and imagination by these two states and other states towards them, what will be the possible reasons that will make these countries own geopolitical imagination turn out to be just momentary? Using different analysis from different geopolitics experts, I will try to justify and rationalize the presence of geopolitical imagination in the countries of Israel and India and how these perceived ideas affected their foreign policies and relationship with other states. This paper also detailed the varied actions by other states which will change the perceived ideas of these two countries, thus, answering the target question.

CASE DESCRIPTION

One of the best areas to observe and analyze Geopolitics in this contemporary world system is Israel. This is not only due to the reason that Israels citizens struggle to determine their identity in a dominant post-Zionist society, but also the states struggle to know its role in the world system. This country has five different and to some instances, contrasting geopolitical imaginations. First, geographically, Israel is located in the Middle East. As a common position, other states would want to integrate itself with its neighbors, and this can be attained if they make peace with them. But, average Israelis felt disoriented with the cultures binding the region. This reaction of disorientation has rooted historically from the anti-Israel propaganda from certain Muslim countries who happened to be the countrys neighbors. The perception of Muslim opposition to Israel is motivated by the idea of anti-Zionism which is a worldwide Jewish movement that resulted into the establishment and development of the Israeli state. As a result, Jews under Muslim rule faced systematic discrimination, persecution, and at times, violence (Karsh, 2006). These opinions by the neighboring Muslim countries towards Israel even found their own reason to execute such actions on the grounds of believing that the Israeli people do have a different type of culture and therefore as what these neighboring states believe, it is justified to maltreat them. On the other hand, Israel also sees itself as the geographical extension of Europe at the edge of the Eastern Mediterranean, where cultures, religions, and continents meet.

UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF GEOPOLITICAL IMAGINATION

This perception of Israel regarding their geographical position was not only due to the reason that the country was created by Europeans, maintaining institutions and structures which have transformed and evolved as a result of the European experience, but, also it was brought about by the similarity of cultures of these two entities, considering the connection of their geographical location at the verge of the Eastern Mediterranean. There has even been a study which presented the strong link and association of the Israelis to the European culture. The latter found out that Israelis would rather choose not to forfeit their membership on the European Soccer Leagues wherein they have struggled so long to gain entry or even at the Eurovision Song Contest than picking the exchange of it for their Middle Eastern equivalents (Newman, 1998). Throughout history, the relationship between Europe and Israel is complex, tense, and loaded. Though there are established gaps between their perspectives, many observers believe that their relationship is still present. The European-Israeli relations in the areas of trade, science, culture, and sports have evolved, expanded, and has only been partly affected by the political divergence happening in each of the two regions. The relationship between Israel and the European countries requires assessment from different angles. From the angle or aspect of territory and population, Europe and Israel are not comparable entities, considering that the latter is smaller in size and number of people partly surrounded by mortal enemies, while the European Union consisting of several states with hundreds of millions of citizens. The other reason to look at the relationship between these two regions at different angles is the ongoing discriminatory criticism by the European Union and many of its member states against Israel in recent years which appears to be stemming primarily from Europes characteristics, history, and worldview (Gerstenfeld, 2005). Thirdly is the appearance of Israel as the Fifty First State of the United States of America. This idea was established by the fact that Israel still continues to greatly depend on the American financial and political aid. This can be seen in the current news affairs of the country wherein the United States is strongly reaffirming its support to Israel against its neighboring Muslim countries. The Israelis have also become highly Americanized in their consuming orientations. Due to the proliferation of cyberspace and cable television, it has been implicitly implied that the borders of the state of Israel has not been considered as a hindrance in order for the American ideas to enter and be adapted. The latter situation can be seen into the houses and homes of all Israelis which has American touch into their every salon. This situation is not different to the impact of globalization which is present everywhere in the contemporary world, making the United States

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the single largest superpower in every aspect achieved by its military force. Implicitly, this is the bona fide meaning of the global village of which the Israeli society has become a member. Next is the ethnocentric version of Israel against the Palestinians and how it is perceived by these people fighting for international recognition. In this situation, Israels perception does not rest within its borders. One would argue that it is a state without borders for its citizens are the whole Jewish community. In this image, a Jewish family has more rights to buy their own land in a certain place than a Palestinian family who have resided there uninterruptedly for years. The Israelis have regarded these people within their state as different, wherein the latters situation is the same with the perception of other Arab countries towards Israel. Lastly, there is an established notion of Israels geopolitical position as being located at the very center of the world. This is not only based on the Judaism point-of-view, but, even the groups of Christianity and Islam view this country as an important part of the globe, a place to which all eyes are turned. The activities of the neighboring states do not necessarily depend on the idea of it as the Holy Land, the Promised Land, or the Jerusalem of Above, but, it is due to the fact that Israel remains to be the center of world attention. The conflicts within their country receive more media attention than anywhere else in the world. Referring to media attention alone, an observer can articulate and believe that Israel is the worlds only mega-state, and not just a plain land territory which stretches a mere 75 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan Valley (Newman, 1998). Another case example is the current observation and assessment of other states towards India. Despite the fact that about 42% of the worlds poor lives in India as recorded by an information from the World Bank, at present, world leaders perceived this country as the worlds fastest growing economy by 2014. In the same year, it is also stated that up to 25% of the worlds new workers will be Indian. This is brought about by their growing population which ranks second in the world ranking of countries (CIA, 2012). Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita quadrupled from 2007 and presumably up to 2020. The countrys technology capital Bangalore has now more Grade-A offices than Singapore. According to Reuters, property prices in Mumbai and Delhi have quadrupled in the past one year. Considering the importance of technology and the emergence of Information Technology (IT) workers and services, half of the worlds outsourced IT services come from India which then amounts to a $47 billion dollar industry. Despite the issues of possible instant downturn of Indias economy due to a large

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percentage of contribution coming from Multinational Corporations (MNCs) specifically from Wal-Mart, it is undeniable that by maintaining the demand for the services of the latter, it was able to outsource $1 billion from IT contracts to India. The country is also the worlds second largest importer of arms and has spent $50 billion on defense purchases alone in the last decade. Its entertainment sector, particularly in the aspects of movie production, was able to compete with America and Canada combined. In the year 2010, it was able to sold $3.2 billion movie tickets, even bigger than the movie market of the two previous countries. In terms of the aspects of politics, India has 568 million more registered voters than the U.S. and according to reports; it has a better turnout ratio. As an overall assessment of its economy, it used to account for 33% of the worlds GDP and despite the decreased by 3% in its economic growth for the past years, it may now rise to 25%. According to Goldman Sachs future outlook for the country of India, it sees the country surpassing the U.S. economy in 2050, trailing only China (Lubin, 2011). In the Indo-Pacific region, the country was also able to develop a good relationship with Australia. These two countries have discussed matters about Nuclear Energy and Regional Cooperation, continuing the sales of uranium from Australia to India. This intensified cooperation and connection between these two key Indo-Pacific States, resulted into the amplification of the influence by the United States towards the region, in order for the latter to secure its power (Stratfor, 2012).

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The Geopolitical Imagination and the Enframing of Development Theory By David Slater, 1993 All the major changes in the developmental concepts in the realm of geopolitics took place in the post-war period. The theory of modernization which started from the developing countries reflected the will of every state in attaining geopolitical power. This desire of every state was brought about by their own respective geopolitical imagination, which had varying

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effects on the enframing or covering of the meanings and relations of development among states. The established geopolitical imagination or perception of a State upon itself and other States towards the latter, gives legitimization or approval on their actions that is the series of needed or practical interventions to the perceived subordinate States or countries of the Third World. This idea was supported by related liberal readings of development in the 1980s that discussed about the rapidly changing geopolitical conditions. One of which is the connection between Geopolitics and the North-South relations which cannot be separated from a series of geopolitical events such as the Cuban Revolution, nor from the perceived need on the part of critical Latin American intellectuals to question and challenge the importance of modernization for the periphery. In the course of events covering the disintegration of the Second World countries and the sudden disappearance of the Soviet Threat, a new presence is threatening the West. Emerging unpredictable regimes and non-Western religions are starting to occupy the Wests sphere of influence. Another factor are the moral questions raised by Hosle (1992) about the increasing gap between the First and Third World countries, especially the unequal distribution of income which became the central issue during the post-war period. Also, due to this new trend of dominance, scholars have linked geopolitics to imperialism as a central feature of the contemporary global power. One example of which is an article written by Mohanty (1992) referring to the United States of America as a geopolitical power during the 1990s seeing that the latter had dominated the space territory due to their advanced technology. Through the series of events, a line has been drawn between global capitalism, also known as the exploitation in economics and nation-state alliances which led to dominance in geopolitics. Several researchers ideas had been integrated into this article regarding the shift of attention of the world into the importance of geopolitical imagination among States. The definition of the concept made by Slater is based on the grounds of John Agnews own explanation of the idea. Considering the presence of other factors other than the competition over territories to ensure a States influence which was aided by the phenomenon of globalization, the information in this article is inclined with the idea of Agnew that geopolitical imagination is the own perception of a State on where it thinks it fit in the world system and how other States perceived the resulting actions. It has been indicated that countries are attaining their perceived position in a new trend, that is, through developing and boosting their economy, improving their technological capabilities, and settling the established opinions about the existence of

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subordinate States or poor countries. The latter had been perceived as experiencing inequality when it comes to economic distribution and political alliances. It has been internationally received that strong states will incorporate themselves to another strong state to create a balance, thus, avoiding each other from attaining the peak of geopolitical dominance.

Geopolitics and the Study of International Relations Geopolitical Imagination: The Importance of Maps By Semra Rana Gokmen, 2010 Geopolitics became possible when seeing the whole world became viable. Thus, from this statement, the field of geopolitics largely relied on geography. On the other hand, Agnew suggests that the history of modern world politics has been structured by practices based on a set of understandings about the way the world works that together constitute the elements of the modern geopolitical imagination. Though the players which are the States and the power balances between them have changed, the modern geopolitical imagination still remains dominant in framing or creating the conduct of foreign policies of every State in this current world politics. It focuses on the global visualization which became possible with the development of modern maps. All special and grand strategies depend on world maps; therefore, the map is the main source of a States basic assumption. But, David Stephens, writer of the article Making Sense of Maps and is also a cartographer, labeled maps as not a commonplace and it needs to be questioned. He proposed that if we are to study geopolitics and international relations, it is necessary to have a closer look at maps and the assumptions built upon them, for these can affect international politics and in conceptualizing decisions. Thus, if we are to study the relations of States, we need to know how to read their maps. Modern maps of certain States cater not the literal land location of a State, hence, the position of being in the North or up, South or down, East or right, and West or left of the globe is not important, but, it is the orientation executed and decided upon by its people. Stuart McArthurs Universal Corrective Map is an important example for this situation. He generated an upside-down map version of the world, putting Australia, his homeland, at the top. In the past, religion has also played a significant role in map orientations. Early cartographers often placed Jerusalem at the center of their maps, due

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to the notion of it being a Holy Land. On the other hand, Islamic maps has been oriented at the south to Mecca, thus, in their maps, south was shown at the top of the world.

Figure 1: McArthurs Universal Corrective Map

Source: McArthur, S. (2006). McArthurs Universal Corrective Map. ODT Maps. Retrieved November 28, 2012 from http://odtmaps.com/detail.asp_Q_product_id_E_McA-23x35 Maps are also incorporated with power. German cartographers presented an example of the use of map for their own propaganda of territorial expansion. Geopolitical Imagination has been an invisible force that guided mainstream international decisions.

The Emigration State and the Modern Geopolitical Imagination By Alan Gamlen, 2008 This article presented how a large number of states relate to their diasporas or the dispersion of people from their respective homelands. It shows how States constitute different extra-territorial groups as part of their original group, through a set of diverse institutions and

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practices. It presented two types of diaspora mechanism: the first recognize their community of origin, and the other which puts the people into a deep connection from where they came from. It is normal for States to have such mechanisms traversing beyond their borders and affecting certain other groups. It is proposed that it is more valid to view these institutions and practices collectively as the emigration state. This article argues that the emigration state has been ignored by what John Agnews modern geopolitical imagination is proposing, wherein territorial nation-state units are locked into an international competition and are thought to be the highest form of political organization. Transferring from a state into another has been a new trend of strategy to create an influence within a sphere. A key factor in this tactic is the population of a State. Having a large population requires extra land masses to cater the needs of its citizens respective families. This necessity can be supported by the idea of emigration into other States. This large group of people can have a large impact into their respective host countries. They can serve as part of the host countrys largest percentage of work force, thus, diverting large amounts of international income to their countries of origin. This article is inclined with the purpose of studying geopolitical imagination and its connection with the concept of emigration, wherein, one of the case examples is the country of India. Certain information and factors about their possible dominance in the world system was affected by the fact regarding the countrys diaspora of citizens rooting from its large and increasing population.

Theorizing Religious Nationalism: The Case of American Christian Zionist National Allegiance to Israel By Tristan Sturm, 2010 This article contributed recent literature on theories under the field of sociology and anthropology in discussing the topics relating religion and nationalism. Explicit and well-known examples of these functional, instrumental, and facilitative uses of religion are currently applied in Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, and the United States among many others. Such a tally is clearly not exhaustive of the ways religion and nationalism is fused, but it is this taxonomy that illustrates the American Christian Zionist case study for this article. Christian Zionists, in brief, are made up of socially conservative evangelicals and Pentecostals who believe the wars in the Middle

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East threatens an imminent End Times scenario which will be centered in the modern state of Israel where a clash between Satans Russian and Arab led armies meet those Westerners who are non-Christian but, nevertheless, serve Christs army. As John Agnew notes, much nationalism and imperialism have found purpose and justification in religious difference and in proselytizing. Nationalism is comprised of many sentiments of devotion, but territory and a geopolitical imagination of it is a key, especially in contrast to common enemies and neighboring territories. Because of the nationalist identification of internal and external, our nation and their nation, Agnew argues that these binaries make nationalism the most territorial of all major ideologies among socialism, liberalism, and nationalism. Herb and Kaplan argue that territory becomes a vital constituent of the definition and identification of the group living within it (Herb & Kaplan, 1998; Sturm, 2010). The belief of the majority of Christian Americans coincided with Israels sentiments and the established belief towards them from the international community. It has been presented that alliances between States are also affected by religious nationalism among their respective citizens. Different ideologies can result to conflict within a region that is the Middle Eastern countries having a sensitive Islam faith, surrounding Israel. The latter finds refuge to a large country having the same political and religious ideology, and this can be seen in the presence of the United States of America seeing Israel as a tight ally and supporting it through its established principles.

The Pattern and Causes of Economic Growth in India By Kaushik Basu and Anemie Maertens, 2007 World leaders have perceived India as one of the fastest growing economies by 2014. This article has presented the broad parameters of the Indian economys growth since its independence. Certain evaluations about where the country is positioned were also presented, supported by a series of statistics. The components of the Indian growth which greatly rely on technological services and the relative importance of different policies in the 1980s and 1990s were also obtained. The countrys savings rate was also largely affected by the growth and development it has attained for the recent years. On the other hand, the nature of their labor market was evaluated by analysts as effective due to its large rate.

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The country was perceived as a large basket of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) due to the economys high dependence in Wal-Mart. Observers also perceived that a large possibility of an economic breakdown is possible, due to the principle of non-permanency of these MNCs within the country, especially if the latter has faced low demands from the people for their services. The emigration of its population is in connection with the series of diasporas presented in the previous research. These series of migration can result into the establishment of Indian domination in each of their host States, especially in the latters work force. The pattern of their economic growth has been cyclic, since the outpour of their local citizens into other States brings back an increase in the national income of the country. The inclination of this journal to the conducted study is present, especially its allocated focus centering on the emergence of India as an economically developed State which may surpassed the economic capabilities of the United States of America and other economically stable countries.

DISCUSSION

Throughout history, the primary strategy to acquire power geopolitically is through the idea of conquest. Competing over territories served to be the grounds of each state in making decisions regarding the invasion and intervention upon other states. For the past recent years, Geopolitics is back and in a big way. In this revival of the use of the field of geopolitics, it was accompanied by a series of rapid changes in the world system which was brought about by the phenomenon of Globalization. The latter had changed the phase of speed, reaching and covering the borders of states, thus, providing an avenue for the deeper connection of their respective groups of people. Due to this amplified connection, states began to ask if where it now fits itself in the world system, and of how other states perceive this current position of the country in the map. In this course of changes and diversions, the physical geographical location of a state is not enough to articulate whether a country is internationally active, centered, or destabilized. Today, the most important thing to consider is the geopolitical imagination of a state.

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Israels Contrasting Geopolitical Imaginations One of the countries that receive more media attention than anywhere else in the world is the country of Israel. It has been perceived to be lying at the center of the globe; hence, its internal conflicts receive more media attention. There have been reports and studies about a possible war within the region of the Middle East. This is due to the anti-Zionist values of its neighboring Muslim countries causing conflict and unrest in the region. The hatred was further amplified due to Israels independence and occupation of certain territories that were formerly owned by its neighboring Muslim countries. There has even been an independent perception of the country of Iran which believes that Israel must be wiped-off the map. This conflict was further exacerbated by the internal Palestinians residing just within its borders, being Figure 2: Map of Israel Showing the Occupied Palestinian and Syrian Territories inclined with the belief of the neighboring countries, which has a stance that the Israelis do have a different type of prevailing culture and religion. The latter, in the Muslim countries perception, must be eradicated within the Middle Eastern map to counteract the countrys sphere of influence within the region. Last November 2012, there was a resumption in the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, though condemned by the international community, the attacks made by Israel against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip seemed to be justified by the U.S backing, which is a superpower. On the other hand, the country of Iran seeing that Source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2004. the Palestinians are being restricted to their right of self-determination, had decided to extend its financial and political aid to the Hamas group, considering them as a political nation which was conversely perceived by Israel and the United States as a terrorist group. These different ideas had greatly affected the foreign policy of each state, thus, affecting its people. Through these

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struggles of the Israelis, the United States of America has always been present in supporting the country against its mortal enemies. There has been an exchange of arms, political ideas, aid, and investments between the two countries to secure the dominant States influence over Israel, seeing that the latter possesses a huge sphere of influence within the region. Due to this occurrence, the country had been labeled as the Fifty First State of the U.S. Israel was the 24th largest exporter, as well as the 23rd largest importer of the U.S. in 2011. Israels top export categories were precious stones (diamonds), electrical machinery, and medical instruments. American foreign direct investments in the country primarily concentrate in the manufacturing sector. In view of this, U.S. goods experience a trade deficit with Israel amounting to about $9.1 billion in 2011, a 6.4% decrease from $617 billion over 2010 (U.S. Trade Representative, 2013).

Figure 3: Bilateral Trade between U.S. and Israel

Figure 4: U.S. Trade Deficit with Israel

Source: Israel Export Institute

Source: Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy

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Another geopolitical imagination of Israel is its perceived position of being an extension of Europe, which was brought about by the disorientation of the Israelis in the Middle Eastern region. At the edge of the Mediterranean, culture, religion, and tradition meet, hence, opening a connection between the peoples of these two regions. Figure 5: Israel and Part of Europe at the Edge of the Mediterranean Sea

Source: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History However, what hinders this geopolitical imagination of Israel is the negative reaction of the Europeans towards them. Throughout history, the treatment of the European populace towards the Israelis has been discriminatory. One example of which can be seen in historical records, that is the ethnic cleansing of the Jews by the Germans, which saw themselves as the Aryans or the supreme race. However, despite these reactions, the Israelis would still choose to strengthen their European connections through sports and tradition rather than establishing a bridge between its Middle Eastern neighbors (Newman, 1998). In this situation, it can be seen that the orientation of a states citizens, as according to the study conducted by Gokmen, seems to be more important than its local and physical regional location, thus, affecting its relations with other states.

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Geopolitical Possibilities: India, the Next Economic Superpower? Today, the context of multi-polarity among the powers of states can be seen. In recent history, it has only been the United States which acquired the position as the only economic superpower, but, in this fast changing world system, this position can be seen in different states having a consistent development upon its capabilities. A best example would be the country of India. World leaders have perceived this country as one of the worlds fastest growing economy by 2014. This is due to its large work force, wherein it is also perceiv ed that 25% of the worlds new workers will be Indian in the same identified year. From 2007 and presumably by 2020, the GDP per capita of the country had quadrupled. Figure 6: Indias GDP Growth Table 1: Structure of Indian GDP

Source: CEIC, EFIC

Source: Ministry of Finance, India

This is brought about by the countrys advancements in technology, specifically in its technology capital Bangalore which now has more Grade-A offices compared to Singapore. It is also considered as the worlds largest importer of arms (Lubin, 2011). On the category of importing precious metals, India is considered to be the largest importer of gold and silver. The Minerals

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and Metals Trading Corporation (MMTC), a government-owned company, is the countrys largest importer of gold which is also dealing with agro-commodities and in the production of fertilizers. On the other hand, in view of the countrys large import rate in gold, Indias Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee articulated that the 50% increase in imports of gold and other precious metals has been one of the proximate causes of the current account deficit. Therefore, the government revealed in its 2012-2013 budget that the country will increase its import duty and taxes in gold (Badkar, 2012). It can be perceived that the future demand of the countrys citizens for gold will decrease and it now seems that China is more likely to take over Indias position as the worlds biggest gold market. Figure 7: Indias Stock Index Has Outperformed Chinese and U.S. Markets

Source: Bloomberg, U.S. Global Research From an economic improvement recorded by Indias stock market Bombay Exchange Sensitive Index (SENSEX) which surpassed Chinese and American markets, the country also faced severe economic downfalls and a possible political collapse last 2011 which led the government into a huge economic decision to finally open its retail sector to global behemoths like Wal-Mart and Ikea last September 2012 (Harris, 2012). Wal-Mart is an American

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multinational retail company that centers on chains of department stores and warehouse stores that offers low prices. This corporation led to the inflow of multiple foreign direct investments (FDI) opportunities into the country, thus, creating more employed citizens. However, according to Pravakar Sahoo, an Associate Professor at the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), the governments politically sensitive decision to allow FDI from foreign corporations sparked commotion among the right-wing political parties and left-wing Communist parties, due to the inappropriate timing of the decision especially that the opposition is challenging the administration over the issues of corruption, continuous high prices, black money, and lack of policy formulation on important reforms. He also mentioned about the initial impact of multibrand retailers entering the countrys market which is expected to have a negative impact on about 12 million unorganized shops, as they lack the capability to challenge prominent retailers in terms of variety, quality, and other factors (Luthra, 2012). The government also seems to be automatically turning its head on Wal-Mart in times of deficiencies in supplies, thus, forgetting to find alternatives. According to critics, poverty is the main contribution of Wal-Mart wherever it operates, just like in India. The Indian economy is partly relying on Wal-Marts presence, however, one can articulate that a possible downfall of this markets demand from the people might cause a reciprocating impact towards the Indian market, thus, hampering its growth. This country has also made steps to establish an influence in the Indo-Pacific region, and one of which is the reaffirmation of its relationship with other economically stable countries in the region. Last October 17, 2012, the Prime Ministers of India and Australia had a meeting after the latters state visit, wherein they have discussed matters regarding Nuclear Energy and Regional Cooperation, this has also resulted into the resumption of Australias sales of uranium to India. As a result of the intensified cooperation between these two key Indo-Pacific states, countries from the West, particularly the U.S. has perceived this as a threat to its hegemony, therefore, it has also execute steps to contain Indias influence over the region (Stratfor, 2012).

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CONCLUSION

The revival of political geography brought forward the revival of geopolitics. This utilization of geopolitics is more of a practice and perceptions among states, which can be seen through their geopolitical imagination, which was formally defined by John Agnew. In history, competition over territory has been the basis of geopolitical power. But, due to the rapid changes brought about by globalization and improved technology, the trend for geopolitical power has also changed. The foreign policy of a state is not only defined by its physical geographical location, but, also it is more defined by its own perception of itself on its position in the current world system. The notion of modern maps is now in used, every state has currently preferred maps wherein they are the center of the plot and the other states are defined on how they see or assessed each other. This assessment or perceptions are bounded within categories where a state feels oriented that makes it a part of a certain group or region which is originally not its real faction; categories of identical culture, religion, politics, and economy. The notion of geopolitical imagination as a concept of geopolitics is important in studying international relations. The perceived assumptions of states upon themselves and to other countries define their foreign policies. These perceptions are not permanent and these can change over the course of events especially that it is bounded under the principle of globalization; therefore, the current assumptions of states towards Israel and India, as well as their own perceptions headed for themselves may still change and vary.

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