Scrutinizing the Inscrutable: China and India Are Not Mysterious, but One Cannot Assess Their Economic Prospects without Taking into Account History, Religion, Culture, and Politics

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Business and government leaders around the world are pondering developments in China and India. Everyone can see that the future of more than a third of the world's population is of paramount importance, and all are eager to reach a clear understanding of what these countries hope to achieve and how successful they will be. Few, however, seem to appreciate how difficult it is to understand what is happening in two ancient civilizations that include more than 2 billion people.

Journalist Edward Luce provides an enlightening overview of the many forces at play in modern India, with some reflections on how India differs from China, in his terrific new book In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India. Luce takes the reader on a kaleidoscopic tour through the legacy of Gandhi and Nehru, the enduring presence of the …