India to open first military base on non-Indian territory

[DRoseDARs]

Shamelessly borrowed...

[DRoseDARs]

In case anyone was curious, here's a map of the region. India is off-pic to the lower right side beyond Pakistan:

[Giancarlo]

Tajikistan? Aren't there Russian troops based there too because of insecurities along the Afghan/Tajik border involving the very weak Tajik central government and rebels?

[aneeshm]

Re: Re: don't forget the caste system

Originally posted by Giancarlo


Their armed forces is full of conscripts. It would be expected of a large military. The Indian Airforce is full of lousy MiG-21s..

http://www.paknews.org/avantgo.php?news2=flash1&id=21&date1=2002-11-05

"Official figures reveal at least 221 MiG-21s, worth tens of millions of dollars, were lost in crashes between 1991 and 2000, killing around 100 pilots."

221? Damn.

This is something I just cannot pass up .

THERE IS NO CONSCRIPTION IN THE INDIAN ARMED FORCES .

My grandfather's brother was in the army till he retired ( as a Major General ) . Even during the recent Kargil war , there was no conscription . And people don't join the Armed forces just to get themselves through higher education , as happens in some places .

The Mig-21s are being phased out by indigenously built aircraft soon ( within the next eight to ten years ) . And you trust a Pakistani article about India ? I'd not trust a Indian source about Pakistan , nor a Paki source about India .

Tell me , Giancarlo , from where did you get your knowledge of India ? I've lived here all my life . Not to be insulting or anything , but still , you speak as one whose image of India is based more on the prevailing cultural perceptions than first-hand experience .

Yes , Indian troops will be there in addition to Russian troops . They will serve two purposes - one , of protecting the interests of Tajikistan , if necessary . And secondly , of allowing us overflight and refuelling capacity on the other side of Pakistan ( in times of crisis ) .

[Dr Strangelove]

The next question is how will India and China deal with each other as they grow more powerful and begin to exert influence in Central Asia? One might also ask how Russia will react to their intrusion into what used to be part of the Soviet Union.

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by aneeshm
Give us a bit of time . . . .

The latest crop of movies is better than the last , though . Just you wait .

Are you still in the annoying musicals stage?

[Buck Birdseed]

Hey, I like their musicals! Well, not as much the movies themselves as the music in them. Especially the stuff from the eighties, Rahul Burman was a ****ing god among men.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Buck Birdseed
Hey, I like their musicals!

I think there's a cure for that.

[el freako]

Originally posted by MrFun

Economic strength??

But isn't the poverty level in India deplorable?

Yes it is, but then again it was in many countries at similar stages in their development (like China, Japan and the US and UK)

It is also falling fast - just under 50% of the population lived on under $1 a day (in 1985 dollars) in the mid 1980's today the figure is around a third.

Also since then India's GDP per head has risen from 5% of the US in 1984 (a level at which it had been stuck for generations) to 8% now - the same relative level that China achieved in 1991, and it's total GDP has gone from 16% of the US level (slightly bigger than Britian's) to 29% (slightly smaller Britian and France combined)

[DinoDoc]

The Asian cold war that develops would be interesting to watch.

[pchang]

I have never understood why future scenarios all point to China as a leading power while neglecting India. India's education system is very good and they have been suffering from brain drain for generations. However that is ending. In fact, many overseas Indians see enough opportunity that they are returning. I think it would be better to look at Taiwan for a model to India's development in the near future.

[Sprayber]

Originally posted by Iskandar Reza


And soon it will be you Americans who are annoying to the coming world's superpowers: China and India

Two superpowers that close to each other. How long do you think that will last?

[Zulu Elephant]

By extending the Indian-Pakistan conflict into central Asia, isnt it possible that Russia, China and America could be dragged in? Is this what India wants? Does it make it less likely that Pakistan would try anything? What would happen if Pakistan crossed the border to attack Indian bases?

[GePap]

Originally posted by pchang
I have never understood why future scenarios all point to China as a leading power while neglecting India. India's education system is very good and they have been suffering from brain drain for generations. However that is ending. In fact, many overseas Indians see enough opportunity that they are returning. I think it would be better to look at Taiwan for a model to India's development in the near future.

Maybe the fact that India was never a great unified power in its history, unlike China, which has a long history of being one single great power (the worlds leading power until the 15th century, the world largest economy until the early 19th century)- that and that China also has a huge, successful diaspora, top notch education and so forth.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I think there's a cure for that.

Guns?