Narendra Modi and Donald Trump. / X@narendramodi

President Donald Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on Indian imports, and India has strongly reacted to this action, deeming it unjust and unwarranted. The bipartisan Association of Former Members of Congress has launched a Congressional Study Group on India, underscoring the growing weight of the bilateral partnership at a time when the relationship is at an all-time low.

This article explains the challenges facing India and America, why they have emerged, and how to tackle them. Doing so will make America great again, and India will emerge as a developed nation. The financial benefits of the U.S.-India strategic partnership to both countries are in billions.

Challenge for America

I first came to the United States in 1962-63 and enrolled as an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Alabama. At the time, there were separate benches for African Americans on city buses, as well as separate water fountains and restrooms. That year, the first African American student was admitted to the University of Alabama. Then Governor George Wallace had stood in the doorway of the Presidential mansion to prevent the student from entering to enroll for classes. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy had sent Federal Marshals to remove the Governor from the mansion. Fast forward to 2008, when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Clearly, the nation had made tremendous progress over the past fifty years.

The rise of the United States became distinctly noticeable following World War II. After securing victory, the United States helped several defeated nations get back on their feet. America has remained the preeminent world leader since then.

This progress has taken a significant hit in recent years, to the point where many are wondering if democracy itself is in peril. If this trend were to continue, the decline of the United States may well be around the corner.

The corroborative evidence emerged when we studied the phenomenon of the rise and decline of civilizations in the 1980s. We tabulated the persons born in Greece, Great Britain, Germany, and the United States and listed them in all 23 volumes of the 1993 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. The data for Greece showed clear evidence of rise and decline. The data for Great Britain, Germany, and the United States pointed to an impending decline.

Challenge for India

The Encyclopedia Britannica, being a Western source of reference, does not contain data on ancient Indian contributions to humanity. However, there were telltale signs indicating the imminent rise of India by the 1980s.

The society had begun to distinguish between “varna” and “caste.” There were a significant number of inter-caste marriages in India. Furthermore, a significant number of Indian professionals had begun to make notable contributions in the United States.

This was akin to the changing colors of the hills around San Francisco. In the summer, the hills turned golden brown, but by November/December, patches of green would appear, and by January/February, all the hills would turn lush green.

In the Indian context, patches of green had begun to appear by the eighties, and they have grown considerably since then. The challenge for India is to accelerate the process of making all the hills lush green.  

Why do Civilizations Rise and Decline

To explain the phenomenon of rise and decline, it is necessary to grasp the concept of the three Gunas. The Saamkhya philosophy and the Bhagavad Gita both identify the three Gunas as: S (Sattva), R (Rajas), and T (Tamas).

The Bhagavad Gita explains that the three components undergo transformation over thousands of years. As society’s S component increases, society rises, but the S component cannot increase indefinitely, and when it reaches its peak, the T component takes over, and society begins to decline. The T component cannot increase indefinitely either, and when it reaches its peak, the S component takes over, and society begins to rise again. Thus, this transformation of the three components leads to repeated rise and decline of civilizations.

The rise and decline of societies cannot be prevented, but it is possible to accelerate the rise and postpone the decline.

The challenge for India is to accelerate its rise, and for America to postpone decline. To realize this goal, the S component of both societies must be increased.

The S, R, and T components cannot be measured, but the three components are strongly and positively correlated to the two human emotions, and this is fortunate, as human emotions can be measured.

Positive emotions are strongly and positively correlated with the S component, while negative emotions are strongly and positively correlated with the R and T components.

The cultivation of positive emotions at the exclusion of negative emotions is not an intellectual exercise; the required positive changes must come from within. This is accomplished with yogic practices.

How India Can Hasten Its Rise

The defect levels in all manufacturing and transactional activities determine how developed a nation is. The defect levels in all that India does must be brought down to the levels found in developed nations if its vision of emerging as a developed nation is to become a reality.

This will be possible only by embracing the American Six Sigma framework for reducing the defect levels and simultaneously embracing its own practices of emotional excellence. The latter is necessary because there is a strong link between emotional excellence and exemplary performance.

How America can Postpone its Decline

According to the American Society for Quality (ASQ), approximately 80% of Fortune 100 companies and 50% of Fortune 500 companies have implemented Six Sigma programs to some extent.

The Six Sigma strategy must be complemented by a national initiative to enhance the emotional well-being of its citizens. America will then emerge great again and postpone its decline perhaps by decades.

In closing, embracing the American Six Sigma framework, along with Indian practices of emotional excellence, will accelerate India's rise and postpone America's decline. This strategic partnership is worth billions to both countries.

 

The author is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Louisville, and founder President and Chief Executive Officer of Louisville-based Six Sigma and Advanced Controls.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of India Abroad)