Can India Become A Knowledge Superpower?

krsmathews writes " New Scientist, in its latest issue, has a special report on India. It provocatively calls India the next knowledge superpower, though in a introductory story the caveats are laid out. It's a reasonably comprehensive look at India's high-tech research, pharma, bio-tech, space, and nuclear industries. The U.S. R&D expenditure is bigger than the next five countries put together, and India is nowhere in the picture. "

Comments

R&D expenditures

[Anonymous Coward]

The only reason "India is nowhere in the picture" is because the USA R&D is going towards the likes of making teeth whiter, and the 4 hour erection insted of "high-tech research, pharma, bio-tech, space, and nuclear" research.

censorship

[biryokumaru]

i did a "search discussion" and it seems no one has mentioned the sexual repression and severe censorship of all media, or the opressive caste system that even today most indians are actually legally bound into. i wouldn't bet on either china or india to become powerful at anything until they become a free society.

in short: gandhi failed, the poor bastard

Re:And the U.S. is so smart

[Anonymous Coward]

Some define 'smart' as anonymously posting religious (which for white people means 'Christian') bilious ridicule on the internet. Mother Theresa defined 'smart' as devoting her life to feeding the beautiful victims of India's caste system.

And if you don't believe in a supernatural afterlife, kill yourself and prove us 'dumb' people wrong... or do you lack the courage of your convictions??

Re:off-shoring

[mikelang]

Ehhmm... I'm afraid nothing :-(. The "brain drain" is a story of many other countries. And it occurs, that these people simple would not have enough infrastructure and institutional support to fully reach their potential outside U.S.

I'm not saying that U.S. is in any way "superior", I just regret that so many countries do not know the way to let people fully use their mental abilities.

To invest in people you simply need to be rich and little less corrupt (in a way you spend your money).

Re:What about China?

[AstroDrabb]

Oh please dude, go hug a freakin tree. If you hate America so much, why in the hell do you _not_ leave? Go on, we don't need you and we would be better off without your kind. I served in the U.S.M.C and I am willing to fight for freedom for me, my family and others. Something I am sure you would not do. So go on and leave the USA and start your own utopia where you can have all the men running around "in touch with their feminine side" and all the women can run around sleeping with tons of men and getting abortions every-other-month. Oh, and you can pay 60%+ of your salary to your socialist government while your at it, because "they" know how to spend _your_ money better than you do.

Me, I will stick with the USA and what we stand for.

As for Sudan, have they asked for help? Do you even know what you are talking about? Sudan has been in a 20-year civil war. It is not the US's job to police the world. The people of Sudan have been fighting back and it is the people who will have their way, just as the USA didn't need intervention during our _own_ civil war. Also,

The Government of Sudan and southern rebel forces signed a framework peace agreement in early June 2004

it would be pretty stupid for the USA to come in and wreck things now. Also, there is the fact that the people of Sudan have been fighting back and have not been under a dictatorship such as the people of Iraq. Compare Apples to Apples.

As for Zimbabwe, there has been a lot of humanitarian assistance, just search Google and see the tons of aid from the USA and the people of the USA.

You need some new history books.

No, you need some _real_ history books that haven't been rewritten by liberals.

India and China are using trade to defeat us.

Are you freaking kidding me? India and Chine don't even come close to our wealth. The USA has only 3% of the worlds population yet has/controls more than 50% of the worlds wealth. That is pretty damn good for 3% of the population IMO. Also, the USA spends more each year on military than the next top 25 nations combined (this was on the Science channel last night)! There is not one single nation that even comes close to the GDP of the USA, not one. Please point out one _single_ nation that is even close. So exactly how in the world is "India and China using trade to defeat us"?

If you look at the GDP of China, they are where we were in 1970! I certainly wouldn't call that "China defeating us", since they are over 35 years behind us. Oh, and the GDP of India doesn't even come close to that of the USA. Just because a few low-tech jobs are out-sourced to India, doesn't mean we are being "defeated". A simple bill passed by congress could stop India and China in their tracks. Congress just needs to pass a bill that charges all US companies an extra "heavy" tax for out-sourced labor or any imported goods from China. That would slow things down for China and India and US companies could still do the same trade with other nations like Taiwan. The USA still has _plenty_ of tricks up-her-sleeve to make sure that we don't lose that #1 spot.

So go on now and take your tree-planting-kit and move to Canada, eh!

insults and assumptions are tools of fools

[astflgl]

Why do these people think that trying to improve the usa's foreign policy makes a person into a tree hugger, or an america hater? Honestly, responding to these complaints with shit like "go hug a tree" is the most ignorant shit i've ever heard. And it's not just slashdot, not just the internet. If you ever go to fark.com and read the political flamewars, you can almost always spot a right wing post by looking for either insults or assumptions about the person they are replying to. P.J. O'Rourke's latest book, Peace Kills, supports right wing policies by ripping on hippies and liberals for about 180 pages (but it's excused because the man is quite funny). Bill O'Reilly with his most ridiculous item of the day. it is a really effective way of denouncing/discrediting someone's argument, and it's quite easy to do as well. maybe us liberal scumbags should start fighting fire with fire...

Mate, go learn how to think for yourself instead of believing all the shit you're told by people who you think are better than you. I can see why you joined the military, as you obviously haven't got an original thought in your head. Hey, here's a good idea, why don't you go shoot some foreigners, they're not as good as americans anyway. Obviously you're a bit of a submissive bitch, because you seem to value a country by how many rich assoles it contains. to clarify, you and your kind contribute basically didley squat to the quoted 50%, that figure is made possible by corrupt assholes who don't care if you live or die. but good on you for volunteering your life for these people, not many of us are that stupid. oh yeah, and your economic insight is astounding. why don't you take up teaching your retarded little theories about socialism to your buddies at the hunting club or wherever the fuck you go, i'm sure they would love the opportunity to cement their ignorant and confused views about the world even further into their giant oversized retarded mullet-clad heads.

Hmm, i'm beginning to see why only stupid assholes write shit like this. i feel like an absolute dipshit for typing the above, but who knows, some clown will probably mod it up.