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Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World
Over the last 25 years, India's explosive economic growth has vaulted it into the ranks of the world's emerging major powers. Long plagued by endemic poverty, until the 1990s the Indian economy was also hamstrung by a burdensome regulatory regime that limited its ability to compete on a global scale. Since then, however, the Indian government has gradually opened up the economy and the results have been stunning. India's middle class has grown by leaps and bounds, and the country's sheer scale-its huge population and $2 trillion economy-means its actions will have a major global impact. From world trade to climate change to democratization, India now matters.
While it is clearly on the path to becoming a great power, India has not abandoned all of its past policies: its economy remains relatively protectionist, and it still struggles with the legacy of its longstanding foreign policy doctrine of non-alignment. India's vibrant democracy encompasses a vast array of parties who champion dizzyingly disparate policies. And India isn't easily swayed by foreign influence; the country carefully guards its autonomy, in part because of its colonial past. For all of these reasons, India tends to move cautiously and deliberately in the international sphere.
In Our Time Has Come Alyssa Ayres looks at how the tension between India's inward-focused past and its ongoing integration into the global economy will shape its trajectory. Today, Indian leaders increasingly want to see their country feature in the ranks of the world's great powers-in fact, as a "leading power," to use the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ayres considers the role India is likely to play as its prominence grows, taking stock of the implications and opportunities for the US and other nations as the world's largest democracy defines its place in the world. As she shows, India breaks the mold of the typical "ally," and its vastness, history, and diversity render it incomparable to any other major democratic power. By focusing on how India's unique perspective shapes its approach to global affairs, Our Time Has Come will help the world make sense of India's rise.
While it is clearly on the path to becoming a great power, India has not abandoned all of its past policies: its economy remains relatively protectionist, and it still struggles with the legacy of its longstanding foreign policy doctrine of non-alignment. India's vibrant democracy encompasses a vast array of parties who champion dizzyingly disparate policies. And India isn't easily swayed by foreign influence; the country carefully guards its autonomy, in part because of its colonial past. For all of these reasons, India tends to move cautiously and deliberately in the international sphere.
In Our Time Has Come Alyssa Ayres looks at how the tension between India's inward-focused past and its ongoing integration into the global economy will shape its trajectory. Today, Indian leaders increasingly want to see their country feature in the ranks of the world's great powers-in fact, as a "leading power," to use the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ayres considers the role India is likely to play as its prominence grows, taking stock of the implications and opportunities for the US and other nations as the world's largest democracy defines its place in the world. As she shows, India breaks the mold of the typical "ally," and its vastness, history, and diversity render it incomparable to any other major democratic power. By focusing on how India's unique perspective shapes its approach to global affairs, Our Time Has Come will help the world make sense of India's rise.
358 pages, Hardcover
Published January 4, 2018
37 people are currently reading
541 people want to read
About the author
Alyssa Ayres
11 books23 followersALYSSA AYRES is senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a foreign policy practitioner and award-winning author with senior experience in the government, nonprofit, and private sectors. Her book on India's rise on the world stage, Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World, was just published by Oxford University Press.
In 2015 she served as project director of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on US-India relations, which produced the report titled, "Working With a Rising India: A Joint Venture for the New Century." Her book on nationalism, culture, and politics in Pakistan, Speaking Like a State, was published worldwide by Cambridge University Press in 2009. It received the 2011-2012 American Institute of Pakistan Studies book prize. She has co-edited three books on India and Indian foreign policy: Power Realignments in Asia: China, India, and the United States; India Briefing: Takeoff at Last?; and India Briefing: Quickening the Pace of Change.
Ayres speaks Hindi and Urdu, and in the mid-1990s worked as an interpreter for the International Committee of the Red Cross. She received an AB magna cum laude from Harvard College, and an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago, where her dissertation was defended with distinction.
In 2015 she served as project director of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on US-India relations, which produced the report titled, "Working With a Rising India: A Joint Venture for the New Century." Her book on nationalism, culture, and politics in Pakistan, Speaking Like a State, was published worldwide by Cambridge University Press in 2009. It received the 2011-2012 American Institute of Pakistan Studies book prize. She has co-edited three books on India and Indian foreign policy: Power Realignments in Asia: China, India, and the United States; India Briefing: Takeoff at Last?; and India Briefing: Quickening the Pace of Change.
Ayres speaks Hindi and Urdu, and in the mid-1990s worked as an interpreter for the International Committee of the Red Cross. She received an AB magna cum laude from Harvard College, and an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago, where her dissertation was defended with distinction.
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May 30, 2018
Our Time Has Come: How India Is Making Its Place in the World by Alyssa Ayres, is a book on the emerging power and clout of India. Ayres worked for the US government for many years under the Obama administration, and has written this book as a pitch of sorts to US officials, trying to convince them to invest, cooperate and improve ties with India. Ayres book, therefore, is very US-centric in its analysis; although the book focus' primarily on India, and its emerging internal and external political forces, these forces are examined more as opportunities than as pure analysis itself, adding a biased tinge to the book. Even so, this is an interesting take on India and how India is emerging as an important global power.
The topics in this book are varied, as Ayres looks at many aspects of India's developing power. India's history of global participation is examined, with important figures and texts mentioned, with the purpose of trying to nail down a particularly "Indian" form of statecraft - much like the Chinese Confucian traditions often quoted when examining Chinese statecraft. This is particularly dubious when examining India, which was not a unified state until after the British left the sub-continent in 1948. This seems an odd and naive form of analysis for India, and makes it look like American policy is trying to fit India comfortably into a single framework, ignoring the larger complexities and forces at play internally in the nation. Ayres also focuses on Hindu outreach and connections to America, with visiting Indian preachers making a splash in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and introducing activities like yoga and meditation. These connections are played up to try and show the deeper connection the US has with India historically - again though, this seems like grasping at straws, and is a weak argument, as India certainly has a deeper connection with its immediate regional neighbours and the UK over America, largely a non-entity in this region up until the post WWII era.
A better analysis of India's geostrategic interests in the region and in the Indian Ocean make this book worth reading. Ayres examines the increase in Indian naval presence in the Indian Ocean, and its growing regional competition with China. This is where the US and India are largely aligned - mutual suspicion of Chinese ambitions. India has increased its fleet size and capacity by a large amount, fielding nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, and large amounts of naval aircraft and surveillance devices. It has initiated negotiations with the Seychelles to build an overseas naval base - possibly to counter the recently constructed Chinese base in Djibouti. India has also developed relationships with its neighbours - Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh etc. to try and counter China's growing influence through its "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which is focusing on port development, and road, train and power infrastructure in regional nations - all to improve the movement of goods and service through the region, and promote Chinese regional interests. India is seeking to counter this rival influence through diplomatic initiatives in the region, and through the growth of its own economic and political relations with its neighbours. India's main sticking point is Pakistan, which it currently has very little hope in competing with China. However, in nations like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, for example, India has close ties and cultural connections. India is also seeking to expand relations in South Asia, with countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. This is an interesting opportunity for India to expand its own reach, while also gaining new allies and improving ties with the US.
Ayres also discusses India's self perception. India seems to dislike foreign influence (who wouldn't) int their country, and is skeptical and distrustful of anything deemed too intrusive. This means India is often a sticking point in regional trading bloc negotiations, as they are not willing to sacrifice sovereign rights to other nations. Ayres seems confused by this, wondering why India is worried that US inspectors should gain the right to inspect Indian factories, for example - a end-use monitoring provision in a US-export arms agreement. Other countries do it!!? This again points to a naivety or a lack of understanding (or worse, an inability to care) of a nations concerns and priorities. This seems to be the crux of the difficulties in US and Indian relations, historically rocky due to India's close connections with the USSR/Russia.
Ayres examines other aspects of India's emerging power and internal culture, like its growth toward a more market orientated economy - something Ayres is a strong supporter of, largely blaming India's poverty woes on Nehru's Socialist policy initiatives. Her evidence is slim on this account, largely based on ideological considerations over concrete growth metrics or poverty statistics, lending an air of unreliability to her statements in this category. The IT sector, educational exchanges, and other metrics are examined in some level of detail throughout as well.
Suffice to say, this was a mixed bag of a book. It is more of a policy sales pitch for US statesman over an in depth analysis of India's economy, growing geopolitical power, and regional strategies and concerns. The book lacks detail and has an ideological skew, and is certainly Amero-centric in its analysis, much to its detriment. However, its analysis of India's geostrategic position, scant as it is sometimes, is worth reading, and saves this book largely. This book is certainly interesting, if one is looking for a more America centric foreign policy read, but lacks depth, good information, and consists of heavy bias. A book to skip, potentially, if these issues are of concern.
The topics in this book are varied, as Ayres looks at many aspects of India's developing power. India's history of global participation is examined, with important figures and texts mentioned, with the purpose of trying to nail down a particularly "Indian" form of statecraft - much like the Chinese Confucian traditions often quoted when examining Chinese statecraft. This is particularly dubious when examining India, which was not a unified state until after the British left the sub-continent in 1948. This seems an odd and naive form of analysis for India, and makes it look like American policy is trying to fit India comfortably into a single framework, ignoring the larger complexities and forces at play internally in the nation. Ayres also focuses on Hindu outreach and connections to America, with visiting Indian preachers making a splash in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and introducing activities like yoga and meditation. These connections are played up to try and show the deeper connection the US has with India historically - again though, this seems like grasping at straws, and is a weak argument, as India certainly has a deeper connection with its immediate regional neighbours and the UK over America, largely a non-entity in this region up until the post WWII era.
A better analysis of India's geostrategic interests in the region and in the Indian Ocean make this book worth reading. Ayres examines the increase in Indian naval presence in the Indian Ocean, and its growing regional competition with China. This is where the US and India are largely aligned - mutual suspicion of Chinese ambitions. India has increased its fleet size and capacity by a large amount, fielding nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, and large amounts of naval aircraft and surveillance devices. It has initiated negotiations with the Seychelles to build an overseas naval base - possibly to counter the recently constructed Chinese base in Djibouti. India has also developed relationships with its neighbours - Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh etc. to try and counter China's growing influence through its "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which is focusing on port development, and road, train and power infrastructure in regional nations - all to improve the movement of goods and service through the region, and promote Chinese regional interests. India is seeking to counter this rival influence through diplomatic initiatives in the region, and through the growth of its own economic and political relations with its neighbours. India's main sticking point is Pakistan, which it currently has very little hope in competing with China. However, in nations like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, for example, India has close ties and cultural connections. India is also seeking to expand relations in South Asia, with countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. This is an interesting opportunity for India to expand its own reach, while also gaining new allies and improving ties with the US.
Ayres also discusses India's self perception. India seems to dislike foreign influence (who wouldn't) int their country, and is skeptical and distrustful of anything deemed too intrusive. This means India is often a sticking point in regional trading bloc negotiations, as they are not willing to sacrifice sovereign rights to other nations. Ayres seems confused by this, wondering why India is worried that US inspectors should gain the right to inspect Indian factories, for example - a end-use monitoring provision in a US-export arms agreement. Other countries do it!!? This again points to a naivety or a lack of understanding (or worse, an inability to care) of a nations concerns and priorities. This seems to be the crux of the difficulties in US and Indian relations, historically rocky due to India's close connections with the USSR/Russia.
Ayres examines other aspects of India's emerging power and internal culture, like its growth toward a more market orientated economy - something Ayres is a strong supporter of, largely blaming India's poverty woes on Nehru's Socialist policy initiatives. Her evidence is slim on this account, largely based on ideological considerations over concrete growth metrics or poverty statistics, lending an air of unreliability to her statements in this category. The IT sector, educational exchanges, and other metrics are examined in some level of detail throughout as well.
Suffice to say, this was a mixed bag of a book. It is more of a policy sales pitch for US statesman over an in depth analysis of India's economy, growing geopolitical power, and regional strategies and concerns. The book lacks detail and has an ideological skew, and is certainly Amero-centric in its analysis, much to its detriment. However, its analysis of India's geostrategic position, scant as it is sometimes, is worth reading, and saves this book largely. This book is certainly interesting, if one is looking for a more America centric foreign policy read, but lacks depth, good information, and consists of heavy bias. A book to skip, potentially, if these issues are of concern.
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January 30, 2019The India of the 21st century is more than the word's back office; by some measures, it has already overtaken Japan as the world's third largest economy, and as the world's second largest country, its expansion has only begun, with millions more Indians waiting to rise from poverty. Our Time Has Come is written not by an Indian national, but by an American student who first visited the world's largest democracy in the early nineties, and saw India's transformation as it moved away from the failures of socialism and embraced both greater freedom for its citizens, and the technologies of the future. Now a senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Ayres reviews the way that India has established a growing role for itself as a world power, and makes recommendations for US policy.
India is less a new power than an old power made new again, Ayres points out in an introductory chapter which reviews the former economic weight of India some two thousand years ago. India, like China, has a long memory -- and as a postcolonial nation, India's pride in its own heritage is made stronger by determination not to enveloped by another power once more. Although Ayres has a section on India's growing economic importance in the world, I found India's strategic and diplomatic expansion far more interesting. India sees itself as reclaiming its former role as a world leader, and is careful to protect its independence. It has an especially interesting role at the United Nation, where it's quite supportive of peacekeeping missions and democracy-building....but reliably refrains from voting for measures which single out one nation or another for abuse, viewing such measures was non-constructive. India also refrains from taking up joint efforts with other nations on a private basis -- preferring missions under the UN flag. (Speaking of which, India is stretching its legs militarily, and intends to establish itself as the predominant power in the Indian Ocean.) Ayers stresses that DC should approach India as a partner, not an ally who will necessarily support DC's every move: India and DC's interests will align more often than not, but respecting India's need for independence is crucial to building a healthy relationship. Related is the recommendation that DC adopt the practice of consulting India on a habitual basis when working in the region -- both for its intelligence resources and to build a relationship of mutual trust that makes diplomacy between the two more reflexive and open than occasional and formal. More controversially, Ayers recommends that instead of trying to balance focus on Pakistan and India that DC double down on India. Pakistan is an unreliable partner in the best of times, and now that the Afghan war appears to be winding down (knock on wood), it may be possible to take this advice. One disconcerting tidbit in this book is China's chilly regard towards India; while India is eager to move forward in trade and cooperation, China is far less amicable.
Although I found this book quite interesting, I'm an admitted foreign policy wonk. It's quite readable, but it goes into a lot of details that might put readers with just a vague curiosity about India off.
Related:
Brave New World: India, China, and the United States, Anja Manuel. Another foreign policy guide, but this one appraises both India and China's merits and weaknesses, and stresses that DC need to tread carefully in not favoring one over the other. I really need to properly review this one this year, because it was a favorite.
India is less a new power than an old power made new again, Ayres points out in an introductory chapter which reviews the former economic weight of India some two thousand years ago. India, like China, has a long memory -- and as a postcolonial nation, India's pride in its own heritage is made stronger by determination not to enveloped by another power once more. Although Ayres has a section on India's growing economic importance in the world, I found India's strategic and diplomatic expansion far more interesting. India sees itself as reclaiming its former role as a world leader, and is careful to protect its independence. It has an especially interesting role at the United Nation, where it's quite supportive of peacekeeping missions and democracy-building....but reliably refrains from voting for measures which single out one nation or another for abuse, viewing such measures was non-constructive. India also refrains from taking up joint efforts with other nations on a private basis -- preferring missions under the UN flag. (Speaking of which, India is stretching its legs militarily, and intends to establish itself as the predominant power in the Indian Ocean.) Ayers stresses that DC should approach India as a partner, not an ally who will necessarily support DC's every move: India and DC's interests will align more often than not, but respecting India's need for independence is crucial to building a healthy relationship. Related is the recommendation that DC adopt the practice of consulting India on a habitual basis when working in the region -- both for its intelligence resources and to build a relationship of mutual trust that makes diplomacy between the two more reflexive and open than occasional and formal. More controversially, Ayers recommends that instead of trying to balance focus on Pakistan and India that DC double down on India. Pakistan is an unreliable partner in the best of times, and now that the Afghan war appears to be winding down (knock on wood), it may be possible to take this advice. One disconcerting tidbit in this book is China's chilly regard towards India; while India is eager to move forward in trade and cooperation, China is far less amicable.
Although I found this book quite interesting, I'm an admitted foreign policy wonk. It's quite readable, but it goes into a lot of details that might put readers with just a vague curiosity about India off.
Related:
Brave New World: India, China, and the United States, Anja Manuel. Another foreign policy guide, but this one appraises both India and China's merits and weaknesses, and stresses that DC need to tread carefully in not favoring one over the other. I really need to properly review this one this year, because it was a favorite.
March 24, 2019
India is by far the largest democracy in the world, with a population almost four times that of the United States, and a youthful one at that. Those facts along with the human resource potential of its population is what forms the basis of Ayres' book and her title. India has long been a sleeping giant on the world stage and her supposition is simply that "our time has come".
As a political/diplomatic/economic novice myself, much of the book did go over my head and I found myself skimming a lot of it. But in between I learned a lot of the country where my family is from but to which I had minimal exposure as an Detroit-born child who insisted that summers were for playing and watching baseball. (My last visit to India was at age 12 in the summer of 1983.) Ayres puts in enough history and culture as well as politics to keep people like myself into it.
There's no questioning her own expertise and qualifications on the subject matter, she has worked as presidential counsel to south Asia and is exceptionally educated. Her perspective, that of an American who learned the language(s) and explored India in adulthood, is quite valuable and informative.
China is rightfully viewed as the future world power but you see many of the same elements at work just a little farther south in the continent and Ayres does well to point those out.
I enjoyed reading this and I am intrigued on the subject. I look forward to following the development of India in the coming years and how real events compare to the arguments and suggestions made by Ayres.
On a side note, I went to the same high school in the Detroit suburbs as Alyssa Ayres, graduating the year after. Our student body was largely of Indian descent and I like to think that influence planted some of the seeds leading to this book and her life's work.
As a political/diplomatic/economic novice myself, much of the book did go over my head and I found myself skimming a lot of it. But in between I learned a lot of the country where my family is from but to which I had minimal exposure as an Detroit-born child who insisted that summers were for playing and watching baseball. (My last visit to India was at age 12 in the summer of 1983.) Ayres puts in enough history and culture as well as politics to keep people like myself into it.
There's no questioning her own expertise and qualifications on the subject matter, she has worked as presidential counsel to south Asia and is exceptionally educated. Her perspective, that of an American who learned the language(s) and explored India in adulthood, is quite valuable and informative.
China is rightfully viewed as the future world power but you see many of the same elements at work just a little farther south in the continent and Ayres does well to point those out.
I enjoyed reading this and I am intrigued on the subject. I look forward to following the development of India in the coming years and how real events compare to the arguments and suggestions made by Ayres.
On a side note, I went to the same high school in the Detroit suburbs as Alyssa Ayres, graduating the year after. Our student body was largely of Indian descent and I like to think that influence planted some of the seeds leading to this book and her life's work.
January 30, 2023
Can India become a leading power? This is an important question for our time. If India can become a great power, then it is likely to dominate the Indian Ocean area and beyond, into Africa, the Middle East, and South East Asia. If the promise that is offered by India doesn't come about, then even if China fades a little, she will still be an important factor to account for in the region.
This book makes the case for India as a rising power. The case relies upon a number of factors, the most significant of which is the population. India is a young country. It is not set to age until well after the middle of the century. Onto this positive demographic is added a cultural bonus of an enterprising culture with deep seated institutions that provide a certainty to the legal framework. India wants to be known as a place in which to do business.
Cutting against that is the legacy of the past. In the post-colonial era, India set itself as an autarky. This rather mercantilist approach has left India poorer than it might otherwise have been. India sought the opportunity to sell to the rest of the world, but failed to realise that it creates a concomitant responsibility to let the rest of the world sell to India. That mistake has only started to become addressed in recent years. However, the reversion back to autarky shows itself occasionally, and that creates an uncertain investment environment.
In part, that is a consequence of India being 'the largest democracy in the world'. One of the problems with a democratic structure is that is often changes its mind. This creates an impression of being an unreliable partner, which in turn holds back investment. This starts to complete the circle. India has a young and growing population. They are reasonably well educated and can vote. The government of India has to deliver prosperity at a faster rate than the population growth, which requires investment.
The ability of the government of India to manage that cycle will determine whether or not India becomes a leading power. As things stand, the jury is out. Indian independence of foreign policy makes the country seem like an unreliable partner. In a world in which trade barriers are rising, it seems that the openness that the Indian economy relies upon is becoming more and more uncertain. And still the population grows and demands more resources.
If I had to make a guess, I would think that the case against India is too great to overcome. I could be wrong, but I'm afraid that this book leaves me unconvinced.
This book makes the case for India as a rising power. The case relies upon a number of factors, the most significant of which is the population. India is a young country. It is not set to age until well after the middle of the century. Onto this positive demographic is added a cultural bonus of an enterprising culture with deep seated institutions that provide a certainty to the legal framework. India wants to be known as a place in which to do business.
Cutting against that is the legacy of the past. In the post-colonial era, India set itself as an autarky. This rather mercantilist approach has left India poorer than it might otherwise have been. India sought the opportunity to sell to the rest of the world, but failed to realise that it creates a concomitant responsibility to let the rest of the world sell to India. That mistake has only started to become addressed in recent years. However, the reversion back to autarky shows itself occasionally, and that creates an uncertain investment environment.
In part, that is a consequence of India being 'the largest democracy in the world'. One of the problems with a democratic structure is that is often changes its mind. This creates an impression of being an unreliable partner, which in turn holds back investment. This starts to complete the circle. India has a young and growing population. They are reasonably well educated and can vote. The government of India has to deliver prosperity at a faster rate than the population growth, which requires investment.
The ability of the government of India to manage that cycle will determine whether or not India becomes a leading power. As things stand, the jury is out. Indian independence of foreign policy makes the country seem like an unreliable partner. In a world in which trade barriers are rising, it seems that the openness that the Indian economy relies upon is becoming more and more uncertain. And still the population grows and demands more resources.
If I had to make a guess, I would think that the case against India is too great to overcome. I could be wrong, but I'm afraid that this book leaves me unconvinced.
July 29, 2018
It is quite interesting to read about India from an outside perspective. Alyssa Ayres's book is a remarkable piece of writing, going in-depth about where India is, where she sees it going, and how it's changed over the past few decades. It's optimistic, for sure, but India does have reasons for optimism.
Her views on India's industrial, scientific, diplomatic, and more importantly, economic capacity have been shaped by both study as well as work in India and the US State Department. Her analysis of how India's economy has changed, how automobile manufacturing might become a model for building manufacturing infrastructure in India, the rise of the Indian middle class, the steady state of the Indian policy establishment, etc. is well-done. Her interviews with various people in the Industry, with India's UN representatives, and with stakeholders in India's growth pepper the book and give it depth. In addition, her use of statistics, meticulous poring over data and collating various aspects of the Indian foreign expansion give her book substance.
The one problem I seem to have with her book is the excessive optimism. This book reads like paean to India. That's not a bad thing in of itself, but her excessive lauding of the Indian story in contrast to the lack of space given to well-founded concerns about the path the country seems to be taking gives you but one side of the story. As an Indian, I find it a little baffling.
I understand why the author did it, though. It's important for Americans to understand India better, and this book talk a lot more about why that might be the case. However, India's horrible progress on HDI indicators, rising inequality, a lack of serious research and study, and more importantly, a wasted demographic dividend seem to be no more than cursorily mentioned, which does them a disservice. A balanced view of India would, perhaps, have been a better place for the author to put her efforts in.
4/5, because the book is definitely worth the money. A point taken because of the lack of focus on stuff going wrong with the country.
Her views on India's industrial, scientific, diplomatic, and more importantly, economic capacity have been shaped by both study as well as work in India and the US State Department. Her analysis of how India's economy has changed, how automobile manufacturing might become a model for building manufacturing infrastructure in India, the rise of the Indian middle class, the steady state of the Indian policy establishment, etc. is well-done. Her interviews with various people in the Industry, with India's UN representatives, and with stakeholders in India's growth pepper the book and give it depth. In addition, her use of statistics, meticulous poring over data and collating various aspects of the Indian foreign expansion give her book substance.
The one problem I seem to have with her book is the excessive optimism. This book reads like paean to India. That's not a bad thing in of itself, but her excessive lauding of the Indian story in contrast to the lack of space given to well-founded concerns about the path the country seems to be taking gives you but one side of the story. As an Indian, I find it a little baffling.
I understand why the author did it, though. It's important for Americans to understand India better, and this book talk a lot more about why that might be the case. However, India's horrible progress on HDI indicators, rising inequality, a lack of serious research and study, and more importantly, a wasted demographic dividend seem to be no more than cursorily mentioned, which does them a disservice. A balanced view of India would, perhaps, have been a better place for the author to put her efforts in.
4/5, because the book is definitely worth the money. A point taken because of the lack of focus on stuff going wrong with the country.
September 27, 2018
How do we acknowledge a country steeped in democratic values, socialist legacy of protectionism, rural voting blocs, multi ethnic, religious, language diversity that's one of the most comprehensive in the modern world? A country of India with its sheer size and its accompanied structures, histories, culture reaching back thousands of years and slowly reaching out tentatively to the rest of the world? AA writes of the complexity, aspirations, dignity and hesitations that sooner than later the world cannot deny of its geographic, demographic and geopolitical potential that is India. She lays out the contradictions, paradoxes where modern India after its partitions with Pakistan has continued as a semi isolationist economy weary of foreign investment, their perhaps malign intentions. How their succeive diplomats pursue uncharted territorial economic and defense reforms carefully. I read this thinking i would know more of India but came away bewildered and excited about its mechanics. It's future, past and how it will shape the country in the 21st century. Will we see a more defined, confident India plying its potential economic heft in ways that accompany its place in main political world centres or do we see internal faults splitting the country in ethnoreligious, populist fashions staying the country in stagnancy whilst China pursues autocratic management in its increasing global foorprint. Does a country like USA fumbling in its own political morass provide a joint venture partnership with its democratically suited India? Time will tell, but it's will need strength in command to articulate a future that's balanced in incentives for its citizens to proceed.
February 2, 2021
I read “Our Time Has Come” after reading “India Calling” by Anand Giridharadas and “White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga. I read it with the intention of seeing India’s development from a more positive angle. I plan on reading “Malevolent Republic” by K.S. Komireddy soon. I felt like I needed to look at a different perspective of India before that.
“Our Time Has Come” wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I’m very glad I read it. It does a great job in outlining how India is doing today, what it is doing to get where it wants to be, how it plans to go about getting there, and what the U.S. could do to facilitate it while maintaining its own interests. What’s a bit frustrating about the book is Ayres’ somewhat patronizing tone towards some of India’s socialist policies and cautionary approach towards FDIs. When globalism clearly isn’t doing any favors for a lot of countries today, even the U.S., Ayres comes off as a bit old-school.
“Our Time Has Come” wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I’m very glad I read it. It does a great job in outlining how India is doing today, what it is doing to get where it wants to be, how it plans to go about getting there, and what the U.S. could do to facilitate it while maintaining its own interests. What’s a bit frustrating about the book is Ayres’ somewhat patronizing tone towards some of India’s socialist policies and cautionary approach towards FDIs. When globalism clearly isn’t doing any favors for a lot of countries today, even the U.S., Ayres comes off as a bit old-school.
June 8, 2018
Refreshing take on the Indo-US relationship,arguably one of the world's most important.The book narrates a brief history of relations from the Cold War animosity,to the thorn of non-proliferation,to the civil nuclear deal that was the breakthrough,to the strong relations today.India,the author states,values its own sovereignty highly,and will not be drawn into any deals which infringe it,the memories of its colonial past still fresh.Thus,the scuttling of the 2008 Doha accords.Also,its traditional non-aligned posture makes India reluctant to take strong stances on major international issues,preferring the UN machinery to direct intervention.
Overall,well-written piece on one of the defining relationships of the 21st century.Worth a read.
Overall,well-written piece on one of the defining relationships of the 21st century.Worth a read.
April 21, 2018
I bumped this book up in my TBR pile after reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers. It's an interesting book going into how India views itself and using history to help define itself today. Ayres also writes about how India is opening up to new business, how the government works and how the government is trying to define itself globally. If you don't know much about India outside of Bollywood films and the little we hear in the news this is an excellent starting point in your reading.
And I have to add this sentence: I won a copy of this book through Goodreads.
And I have to add this sentence: I won a copy of this book through Goodreads.
May 15, 2023
Incredibly Insightful
As someone who is from an Indian family that emigrated from India, the events described in this book were always at the periphery. It was incredibly insightful to have them brought to the fore and analyzed in detail, especially from the perspective of a seasoned US diplomat. Would recommend this book to anyone looking to understand how the global balance of power will change in the coming years, and what role India will play in that change.
As someone who is from an Indian family that emigrated from India, the events described in this book were always at the periphery. It was incredibly insightful to have them brought to the fore and analyzed in detail, especially from the perspective of a seasoned US diplomat. Would recommend this book to anyone looking to understand how the global balance of power will change in the coming years, and what role India will play in that change.
April 25, 2018
Ayers gives a summary of Indo-American relations in light of changes in Indian politics since the 1990's. Not a bad book, but she deliberately (and I feel rather contemptuously) downplays and ignores the importance of state and local-level politics in India. This book is a bit Delhi-centric-- understandable since she's a US diplomat who's really only dealing with those folks.
March 22, 2018
Ayres offers readers a window into how a large complex country views itself and place in the world. "Our Time Has Come" is a good read for anyone interested in India or international relations.
My copy was a gift through Goodreads First Reads.
My copy was a gift through Goodreads First Reads.
January 26, 2019
A good overview of recent India-US developments
Ayres’s vantage point is just one among many. Her sense of how Indian foreign policy officials view the world is useful. Will be great to hear also about Chin-India relations and the US perspective on that.
Ayres’s vantage point is just one among many. Her sense of how Indian foreign policy officials view the world is useful. Will be great to hear also about Chin-India relations and the US perspective on that.
April 15, 2020
Written typical from the eyes of USA and highly academic. In fact the title is incomplete should have ended with a question mark, as the author yet seems to doubt if “the time has come” at the subtle nuances appear as such
December 7, 2017
Engrossing
Alyssa's deep knowledge and regard for India comes through the words. A summary of indo us ties over the last few decades.
Alyssa's deep knowledge and regard for India comes through the words. A summary of indo us ties over the last few decades.
January 22, 2018
A poised take on India's economic growth and foreign policies from the angle of an American. Recommended.
Currently reading
April 6, 2020Amazing book in this a lots of contribution in 2different areas by India to the world are written in this book etc.
August 2, 2018
I read this book at the suggestion of a colleague, and found it a very good summary of India’s diplomatic and economic past and present. I lived in India for two years, and still learned a lot.
I found the author’s recommendations for the future U.S. relationship with India a little predictable, and the book repeats itself on a number of points. Still, a useful and informative read that I’d recommend to anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of India.
I found the author’s recommendations for the future U.S. relationship with India a little predictable, and the book repeats itself on a number of points. Still, a useful and informative read that I’d recommend to anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of India.
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