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T N Ninan: High noon WEEKEND RUMINATIONS T N Ninan / New Delhi April 16, 2005 .. ... ... .. ... ... Even if there are no accidents, it is wise to keep in touch with reality. Whatever the Americans may say, **India is not a great power-not when we don 't rank among the top 30 trading nations of the world, and not when we cannot project military power beyond our immediate environment (whether we want to is another matter).** All that our neighbours and the US are telling us is that they are waking up to India's potential, and therefore beginning to take the country seriously. Realising that potential will take a lot of hard work, and most of it lies outside the scope of diplomacy. As everyone knows,** national security (or power, if you will) is a multi-strand thread that includes economic power, internal political cohesion, secure borders, technological prowess, a strong military, and what is called soft power-the ability to influence trends and thought in other societies through cultural richness and confidence in the idea of India. ** None of these factors can be pushed rapidly in any one direction, especially in a large and complex country. In the end, it is that long hard process which used to be called **nation-building,** and India has just about begun the journey. .. ... ... ------------------------
