Today’s Links 8/14/2013

Pankaj Mishra, “India’s Path to Prosperity Doesn’t Run Through Cities” (Bloomberg): Mishra argues that, rather that tightly focus its agenda on more urbanization, India’s leaders need to also commit to diversified agriculture, making a more stable life for its millions of small farmers.

Chietigji Bajpaee, “Reaffirming India’s South China Sea Credentials” (The Diplomat): India’s growing maritime interests in the South China Sea reflect its economic power and interests in the free flow of goods unimpeded by state (China) or nonstate (piracy) threats. Bajpaee calls for more regional cooperation, including anti-piracy patrolling in concert with Japan and China.

Karthik Shashidhar, “Accuracy of GDP numbers” (The Resident Quant/Indian National Interest): Shashidhar does some out-loud thinking on the possibility that India’s large informal economy is leading to underestimations in its official GDP growth.

James Stavridis, “The 15,000 Troop Option” (Foreign Policy): NATO’s former SACEUR says that, for the stake of any stabilization mission in Afghanistan post-2014, President Obama needs to make an announcement about troops levels, and goes on to argue for 15,000.

Fatima Mustafa, “Salvaging Jinnah’s Pakistan” (AfPak Channel): A cri de coeur on Pakistan’s Independence Day on the things that have gone wrong since partition, and the optimism necessary for ordinary Pakistanis to believe in a path forward.