The future belongs to India, not China

The future belongs to India, not China
Spring 2009 Series
On May 12, 2009 an important Intelligence Squared debate will take place in London

Event Information:
All bets are now on China as the nation that will soon rival the USA as the world's other superpower. But hasn't anyone been looking across the Himalayas? India, a democracy of over a billion people, has a rate of growth almost as impressive as China's, a burgeoning middle class, a highly skilled work force and an abundance of raw materials. More important still, it operates under the rule of law not the rule of the politburo. Could it be that India ends up the dominant power of the eastern hemisphere?
The debate will take place at: Royal Geographical Society, Ondaatje Theatre.
http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events.php?event=EVT0181

Speakers for the motion:
Gurcharan Das Gurcharan Das is an author and public intellectual. He was CEO of Procter & Gamble India, and later Managing Director (Strategic Planning) of Procter & Gamble Worldwide, before he took early retirement to pursue the life of a full time writer. He is author of the bestseller, "India Unbound", which has been published in 17 languages and has been filmed by the BBC. He writes a regular column for the Times of India and six Indian language newpapers, and occasional pieces for the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Foreign Affairs.

Mark Tully Mark Tully was BBC Delhi correspondent from 1972 to 2004. Since 2004 he has been a freelance journalist, writer and broadcaster resident in Delhi. He is author of five books on India, the latest of which is "India's Unending Journey". He was educated at New School in Darjeeling, Marlborough College in the UK, and at Cambridge where he read history and theology.

Deepak Lal Indian-born classical liberal economist. He is the author of numerous articles on development economics, and his books include "In Praise of Empires: Globalisation and Order" and most recently "Reviving the Hidden Hand: The Case for Classical Liberalism in the 21st Century". He is James S. Coleman Professor of International Development Studies, University of California.

Speakers against the motion:
Lord Powell Charles Powell was Private Secretary to both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and was a key foreign policy adviser to Mrs Thatcher. He was Chairman of the China-Britain Business Council from 1998 to 2007.

Danny Quah Malaysian-born Head of Department and Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics. He has delivered lectures at the United Nations, the Hay Festival Segovia, the World Science Forum, No. 10 Downing Street, and Khazanah Megatrends Forum, and has had his writings translated into 18 different languages. He is a Governor of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and has consulted for the World Bank, the Bank of England, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Sir David Tang KBE Hong Kong businessman and socialite best known as the founder of the Shanghai Tang chain, although he sold his interest in the company in 1998. More recently Tang opened the Cipriani in Hong Kong and the China Tang restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel. He is a frequent contributor to publications such as The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph and the International Herald Tribune.