India, Aug. 13 -- The world hasn't yet fully come to terms with the idea that, within the next decade, an impoverished former colony could become the third-largest economy in the world. It is further projected that, for the first time in 300 years, no European country will be among the three largest economies. Will an impoverished country that, in the middle of the 20th century, accounted for three percent of global gross domestic product, now be among the top three global economies?

In his insightful examination of the shifting global order, Minhaz Merchant concludes that by 2030, India will reshape the world order. This would be a remarkable achievement for a country that hasn't been viewed as an economic power since the rise of coloni...