Monday, March 22, 2010

US Protectionist Pressures: India Is Feeling The Heat Too

One of the misguided notions held by the liberal view in the US is that the proposed protectionist measures targeted to resolve so-called "global imbalances" will likely be confined to a US-China affair.

Unfortunately, this view, which panders to sensationalism, fails to take to account the repercussions of rabble rousing. In the other words, the likely side effect from demagoguery is to fuel a nationalist hysteria that would brook xenophobia and or racism.
(These people seem to have forgotten the ultra-nationalism of Nazism which triggered World War II during the last century)

And it appears that India has also been taking the heat from such pressures.

India's commerce minister has been reported by Financial Chronicle as rebutting allegation that India has been taking away American jobs.


Here is the Financial Chronicle,


``Urging the US to reform its visa policies, commerce minister Anand Sharma said here today that the paranoia of the Americans about Indians taking away their jobs, especially in the IT and services sectors, is a myth.


``There is an incorrect perception in the US that Indians are taking away the jobs of Americans, which is driven more by the fast-paced growth India in the IT and services sectors, Sharma told newsmen.


``Citing three recent reports, including one by PricewaterhouseCoopers and International Business Forum, Sharma said, "contrary to popular perception, Indian BPO companies have created income worth USD 106 billion inside the US in the past three years ending 2009, and generated 3,00,000 jobs out of which 2,50,000 were filled by Americans."


"These are jobs for Americans created in America but by Indian companies. This is a myth that jobs are being taken away by Indians," Sharma said"

There seems to be a sense of desperation that has been creeping into the progressive camp as seen in the recent actions of politicians and their intellectual followers as election season nears.


This desperation appears to have been manifested yesterday when the liberals finally got into the act to successfully ram down the throats of the American public, the highly controversial and unpopular Obama Health reform legislation in the House of Congress, a year after President Obama's assumption to office.

And such impetuousness appears to be 'throwing the gauntlet' to any party that crosses path with their desired political agenda. And India appears to be a victim of such emergent antagonistic sentiment.

Nevertheless the apparent anxiety is likely to be reflected on the outcome of the next elections.

So, the current crop of leaders are doing whatever they can to generate a sense of emergency for them remain in power, regardless of the consequences of their actions. It's a case of when "push comes to shove".

Be careful what you wish for.

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