Quote:
Originally Posted by Procrastinational
India is also notoriously dysfunctional.
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I don't think it is because of its diversity or a weakened sense of community. That is not to suggest that there is not violence and mistrust between different ethnolinguistic communities, but when compared to other poor postcolonial states and the history of the neighborhood they're in, India should be commended for how it has managed to accommodate different ethnolinguisitc groups.
In fact, I think India's diversity has saved it from balkanizing and ending in civil wars. Consider Pakistan, where the Punjabi population is 50%+. There has always been huge inter-ethnic violence. There was a genocide in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) committed by West Pakistan (now Pakistan). The Baloch are waging a separatist campaign. The Pashtun want to reunite with the Afghan Pashtun population.
Consider Sri Lanka; during colonization, the minority Tamil population was given privileged treatment. When it ended, the democratic state gave power to the majority Sinhalese population, who subjected the minority population to violence, and resulted in a Civil War.
In India, the largest ethnolinguistic community (native Hindi speakers) only constitute 40% of the population, and that is being generous with respect to which dialects actually constitute 'Hindi' (i.e., is mutually intelligible). They also live in the heartland, which aside from Delhi (which is on the fringes, anyway), is by far the poorest region in India with no access to the coast. The fear that this plurality ethnicity will unfairly wield power is diminished by federalism, the prosperity in the hinterlands, and a rather accommodating language policy.
India's notorious dysfunction is more attributable to widespread corruption and poverty. But things are getting better; they are heading in the right direction in terms of growing their economy.
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