Time for India to move to the First Quadrant : BRICS @ Hainan

          Harold Lasky on the basis of the political attributes divides the society into four. If, the X axis shows a scale of pessimism to optimism, Y axis shows a scale of satisfaction to dissatisfaction, then the whole of the population gets divided into four;

1. PROGRESSIVE - Satisfied & Optimistic

2. CONSERVATIVE - Satisfied but Pessimistic

3. RADICALS - Optimistic but highly Dissatisfied

4. REACTIONARY - Pessimistic & highly Dissatisfied.

          The Quadrant classification which reminds the author of the school day Trigonometry classes (All Silver Tea Cups!!) can very well be extrapolated to the Indian foreign stand in the recent past. Many a times we have seen India taking all the stands except the progressive one. This notion was once again stamped in the recent BRICS summit on the southern island of Hainan in China.

          Inevitably, the BRICS ought to have discussed their relationships with the rest of the world. But, such summits' which eyes for sectoral cooperation; is by any margin a big surprise for the common man for the simple reason that these so called emerging powers are also the toppers in the world external debt charts and by no doubt has the US & Eurozone as the major consumers of the emerging market exports. And. here comes the economic dilemma; What will happen if the 'Protectionism' gains the momentum; in the event the BRICS may feel the heat in the western market.

          The hanging up of Doha issues certainly underlines the very notion that the developing nations are not being taken seriously till now in the World Economic Order. In this context the BRICS meet ought to have determined, how as a lobby, it could manoeuvre its members and the rest of the developing world into a multi-lateral trading system and a smoother financial order.

          In this situation, India had the golden opportunity to support ways of regulating the financial setup. The country could always boast of its success in staving off the worst effects of the Global financial meltdown and for the western countries now facing the hangover of the debt crisis. If India could have taken up the teacher's role then BRICS was a perfect classroom for the western economies. But ironically, the author feels that India once again felt the 'starting trouble'; thwarting the golden opportunity of moving up the spiral to the first quadrant, i.e, from the conservative, radical and reactionary stand to a Progressive one!!