To begin with, sorry for my late replying (I've been busy).
I'm well aware there are lots of intelligent and successful people in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.
However, I think that one must draw the conclusion that these countries are far behind the West and Japan when it comes to being "innovation economies", economies that are based on the competence of "being able to do what no one else can do".
You mentioned Anji Reddy above. Without a doubt, he's an intelligent and successful person, BUT has Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., his company, THEMSELVES invented anything that can compete with the most important innovations of the biggest pharmaceutical companies of the West and Japan? Hardly. By the way, 49 of the world's 50 biggest pharmaceutical companies are either from the West or Japan (one is from Israel).
On the other hand, I believe India is presently going through a "cathing up process". Hopefully, India will one day, at large, be a very prosperous country. Companies doing what Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., namely making copies of the products of companies from the leading economical sphere, are typical for "Catching up economies". Japan once went through this process. Germany too (during the 19th century when the UK was the most powerful nation on earth in many areas).
Arguing often is fun, but what ever part of the world we're from, we all should rejoice to see nations like India and China becoming economical superpowers. These countries are on the right track.
As a Westerner, I don't "fear" India and China becoming economical giants. However, I fear poverty and lack of education. A lot of bad things comes from it.
All nations/ethnic groups have made beneficial contributions to humanity. Personally, I feel the West taken together has made more important ones than any other part of the world.
Western Culture is based on the fusion of four magnificent ancient cultures; the Greek, Roman, Germanic and Viking ones. The roots to the powerful global position of the West of today are, to a large extent, found in these dynamic, ancient elements.
As a Swede, I'd like to highlight the contribution of the Vikings, maybe the most technology oriented one of them:
(If you wish, you can skip reading the article about the planned Viking Center and start reading my comments to that article)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1762996/posts
Other links that might interest readers of this thread:
About "Innovation economies":
http://www.state.gov/e/rls/rm/2001/3696.htm
About Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr_Reddy%27s_Labs
Top 50 pharmaceutical companies of the world:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_50_pharmaceutical_companiesIt requires a certain amount of in economic and overall level of technological advancement in order to get to a level where a country or a society can innovate. Its only the this century that has India been able to shrug of the yoke of colonization and the bankrupt policies of socialism (mind you both of those are also very much gifts of the same western culture that you are boastful of) and finally been able to embrace Capitalism and Individualism. Don't forget colonialism, fascism, communism and socialism were also born in the West and are also very much part of western culture. Only last decade we kicked of a part of that western culture called "socialism" and adopted our own individual enterprise and look where we are getting today. Sorry but I don't buy you western culture supremacy crap. The contributions that you attribute to western culture are in fact the contributions on only two major countries the US and the UK. Other countries had very minimal contributions regardless of whether they are part of western culture or not.
And talking about the greatness of Greek, Roman, Germanic and Viking roots sounds like a joke, cuz it simply pales in comparison shear magnitude and greatness of Indian culture which was far more grander, ancient and advanced then any other ancient cultures you mentioned. For starters who do you think invented algebra? The Vikings? Even Pythagorean and Euclidean geometry were invented in India centuries before any those western cultures even came into existence.
And who do you think are far more ancient and advanced sea farers? The Vikings or the Indians?
Read this article:
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Seafaring_in_Ancient_India.htm
The word Navigate comes from the Sanskrit word "navgaith".
Companies doing what Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., namely making copies of the products of companies from the leading economical sphere, are typical for "Catching up economies". Japan once went through this process. Germany too (during the 19th century when the UK was the most powerful nation on earth in many areas).
I admit we are still doing the catching up, we are far from being a developed country with the kind of economic resources at our disposal that can you expect of any advanced country that is able to invest in research. We are not there yet. India is still a poor country but still the amount of research that's done in India is commendable considering the amount of resources we are able to put into research. Don't just get to know who Vinod Dham is but also the latest series of intel mobile processor technology is being researched in India. That's an indication of how far we have progressed in a short period of time. And honestly I think we will do far better if we stop aping the west, and rid ourselves of (the western malady of) socialism and realize our individual enterprise, potential, the greatness of our own culture and what we had achieved in the past and also realize what we are capable of achieving hence forth. We can do without all the condescension and the uncharitable advises from west. Give another 50 years the western culture will soon become a mere shadow of "Eastern culture" with the combined effort of India, China and Japan.