New Delhi, Feb 12 India needs to adapt the US model to develop new technologies in rare earth processing, advanced biologics, AI, and affordable satellite launch services, which will enable the country to create strategic dependencies that it can leverage diplomatically, according to an article.
The USA’s control over advanced technology in defence and IT, and its strong financial system, enable President Donald Trump to have his way in the conduct of diplomatic relations with other countries, the article in India Narrative observed.
"In essence, the US ascent teaches that dominance flows from engineered inevitability. India must internalise this without moral compromise: pursue relentless innovation, coordinate ruthlessly toward shared goals, and create the dependencies," the article by Shrijeet Phadke stated.
Build Strategic Dependencies Target niches where India can achieve outsized control: rare-earth processing, generic pharmaceuticals + advanced biologics, open-source AI frameworks tailored for emerging markets, affordable satellite/launch services, or digital public infrastructure (e.g., expanding UPI globally), he wrote. Make the world reliant on Indian capabilities—then leverage that reliance diplomatically.
In the arena of international relations, true influence is rarely exercised through goodwill alone. Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff campaigns and trade confrontations have starkly revealed a timeless diplomatic reality: powerful nations weaponise every tool at their disposal -- economic sanctions, technological standards, financial systems, cultural narratives, and even democratic ideals -- to compel compliance and secure advantage, the article stated.
Genuine bargaining power exists only when one party possesses irreplaceable advantages. The US strategy has consistently involved capturing entire sectors through innovation, scaling them to near-monopoly levels, and embedding them so deeply into global systems that alternatives become impractical or prohibitively costly.
At the same time, the article points out that India cannot copy US tactics slavishly but must adapt the core principle: create dependencies on India. Only by making select sectors, technologies, services, or resources indispensable can India dictate terms and ascend among dominant powers.
It further states that there is a need to aggressively expand high-value services exports (IT, software, AI, fintech, biotech) while maintaining manufacturing momentum in electronics, renewables and defence. India’s existing service-sector edge, particularly in AI talent and cost-competitive development, must be supercharged with massive public-private investment. Aim to capture global market share in emerging fields like AI agents, quantum-resistant cryptography, or green hydrogen, it urged.
The article also highlights the need to transform education and research ecosystems in the country. It comes out in favour of a big overhaul in curricula to prioritise deep, original research over rote learning. Encourage interdisciplinary challenges to Western (and domestic) orthodoxies. Discourage monotonous, incremental work; reward bold, monopoly-creating breakthroughs. Establish rigorous national standards for "true innovation": outputs that generate near-irreplaceable value or widespread dependency.
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