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The author does not pose the most important question. Do we need the brightest minds in India doing foreign affairs ? Or should they be entrepreneurs, scientis

The author does not pose the most important question. Do we need the brightest minds in India doing foreign affairs ? Or should they be entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and politicians ?

EliRivers 11y ago
The brightest minds developing fart apps does seem like a waste.
free 11y ago
With a population of more than a billion I think India has enough bright minds available for all of them. Also, with India trying to increase its influence and assertiveness in global affairs having bright people in foreign affairs seems a good thing to happen.
- witty_username 11y ago
  > With a population of more than a billion I think India has enough bright minds available for all of them. Nope, most people aren't educated fully.
  - free 11y ago
    India has a literacy rate of 90% as of 2015[1], so I think the point holds. 1. http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=IND&regioncode=40535 http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.a...
    - notahacker 11y ago
      There's a bit more to being well educated than basic literacy though, and it's only among the young that literacy almost reaches 90% Your link also notes that there are 255 million illiterate people in India, which is around the total population of the world's fourth most populous country.
    - witty_username 11y ago
      Googling India literacy rate finds a source which says 75%. Maybe my gut experience is wrong because I live in an urban city in India, but I would be pretty impressed by 90%.
- known 11y ago
  "If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you." --Oscar http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2480424/VISUAL-EDIT-India-little-better-Ethiopia.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-24804...
jpatokal 11y ago
Yes, or at least some of them. India, pop. 1.25 billion, has around nine hundred (900) diplomats total in its foreign service (that is, diplomats overseas and in the country combined), and it's in a bad neighborhood with two nuclear-armed neighbors who are either not particularly friendly (China) or downright hostile (Pakistan). Compare with Singapore, pop. 5 million, which also has about 900 diplomats!
jigen 11y ago
Definitely better than what the US is doing with its foreign policy towards the Indian subcontinet. The state department's south asian wing is full of ignorant and incompetent idiots.
- selimthegrim 11y ago
  Can you expand on this? I know Robin Raphel almost got packed off to jail...
  - Brig303 11y ago
    One source: http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/how-pakistan-beguiles-the-americans-a-guide-for-foreign-officials/ http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/how-pakistan-beguiles-the-a... C Christine Fair is a Professor at Georgetown and at one time was offered the role of Asstt Secy for South Asia. It's a comedy that the lack of a dedicated South Asia cadre can have near disastrous consequences for US foreign policy.
  - notfoss 11y ago
    Well, one I can point out is Nancy Powell (former US ambassador to India). She failed to assess the popularity of India's current prime minister on time, for instance. You can search for it on the net.
    - smcl 11y ago
      I don't understand this. I googled for a few things but only got some stories about her meeting Modi when he was in charge of Gujarat but nothing particularly interesting or related to what you said
      - notfoss 11y ago
        Nancy Powell was known for her proximity with Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton on the other hand was very much against Modi getting to power. See for reference: http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/obama-quietly-reverses-hillarys-get-modi-policy http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/obama-quietly-reverses-h...
brudgers 11y ago
The American historian Joeseph Ellis has an interesting take on greatness. At the time of the American revolution, Virginia had about the same population as present day Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, yet it produced Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Henry, and Marshall. This suggests that there are many many latent bright minds at the scale of contemporary populations. It also suggests that any shortage May be a resource allocation issue.
a8da6b0c91d 11y ago
> doing foreign affairs This isn't about diplomats, it's all government jobs.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

The author does not pose the most important question. Do we need the brightest minds in India doing foreign affairs ? Or should they be entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and politicians ?

EliRivers 11y ago

The brightest minds developing fart apps does seem like a waste.

free 11y ago

With a population of more than a billion I think India has enough bright minds available for all of them. Also, with India trying to increase its influence and assertiveness in global affairs having bright people in foreign affairs seems a good thing to happen.

witty_username 11y ago
> With a population of more than a billion I think India has enough bright minds available for all of them. Nope, most people aren't educated fully.
- free 11y ago
  India has a literacy rate of 90% as of 2015[1], so I think the point holds. 1. http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.aspx?code=IND&regioncode=40535 http://www.uis.unesco.org/DataCentre/Pages/country-profile.a...
  - notahacker 11y ago
    There's a bit more to being well educated than basic literacy though, and it's only among the young that literacy almost reaches 90% Your link also notes that there are 255 million illiterate people in India, which is around the total population of the world's fourth most populous country.
  - witty_username 11y ago
    Googling India literacy rate finds a source which says 75%. Maybe my gut experience is wrong because I live in an urban city in India, but I would be pretty impressed by 90%.
known 11y ago
"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you." --Oscar http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2480424/VISUAL-EDIT-India-little-better-Ethiopia.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-24804...

jpatokal 11y ago

Yes, or at least some of them. India, pop. 1.25 billion, has around nine hundred (900) diplomats total in its foreign service (that is, diplomats overseas and in the country combined), and it's in a bad neighborhood with two nuclear-armed neighbors who are either not particularly friendly (China) or downright hostile (Pakistan). Compare with Singapore, pop. 5 million, which also has about 900 diplomats!

jigen 11y ago

Definitely better than what the US is doing with its foreign policy towards the Indian subcontinet. The state department's south asian wing is full of ignorant and incompetent idiots.

selimthegrim 11y ago
Can you expand on this? I know Robin Raphel almost got packed off to jail...
- Brig303 11y ago
  One source: http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/how-pakistan-beguiles-the-americans-a-guide-for-foreign-officials/ http://warontherocks.com/2015/06/how-pakistan-beguiles-the-a... C Christine Fair is a Professor at Georgetown and at one time was offered the role of Asstt Secy for South Asia. It's a comedy that the lack of a dedicated South Asia cadre can have near disastrous consequences for US foreign policy.
- notfoss 11y ago
  Well, one I can point out is Nancy Powell (former US ambassador to India). She failed to assess the popularity of India's current prime minister on time, for instance. You can search for it on the net.
  - smcl 11y ago
    I don't understand this. I googled for a few things but only got some stories about her meeting Modi when he was in charge of Gujarat but nothing particularly interesting or related to what you said
    - notfoss 11y ago
      Nancy Powell was known for her proximity with Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton on the other hand was very much against Modi getting to power. See for reference: http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/obama-quietly-reverses-hillarys-get-modi-policy http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/obama-quietly-reverses-h...

brudgers 11y ago

The American historian Joeseph Ellis has an interesting take on greatness. At the time of the American revolution, Virginia had about the same population as present day Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, yet it produced Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Henry, and Marshall. This suggests that there are many many latent bright minds at the scale of contemporary populations. It also suggests that any shortage May be a resource allocation issue.

a8da6b0c91d 11y ago

> doing foreign affairs This isn't about diplomats, it's all government jobs.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]