Rishi Sunak is the first Hindu politician to head the UK Government. 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 Scottish presidency, while Anas Sarwar, also with Pakistani roots, heads the main Scottish opposition party. Sadiq Khan, the son of emigrants from Pakistan, has been the Mayor of London since 2016.
The political map of Great Britain, dominated by natives of the Indian subcontinent, is a reflection of the close relations that these countries maintain with the ancient metropolis. But it is also proof of the vigor of a strategic space where conflicting atomic powers coexist, the most populous country on the planet and terrorist radicalism with fundamentalist nuances.
In this cocktail India stands out, which has just exceeded 1,428 million inhabitants and has ousted China from leadership. What is important is that it is also the country where there are more citizens between the ages of 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 close to 20% and anemic growth four times less than China's since the 1990s. Although the data predict 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 major 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.
But for now, the future points to a repeat of history. India and China were among the world's leading civilizations until the industrial revolution, when the Chinese century of humiliation and the British boot plunged them into decline. His hour has struck again.
