The ‘garrison state’ is a picture of the most probable outlook of a modern democratic state, says Harold Lasswell, a political scientist, who first outlined his garrison state thesis in 1941. The state would be governed predominantly by specialists in violence (the soldier) and the ruling elite (the ruler). The society would revolve around the nation’s militaristic needs, which would be accorded a higher share of the nation’s resources, and the military-industrial complex would, as a result, prosper.
The symptoms of the garrison state were prevalent during the cold war era, which led both American and Soviet governments to enrich themselves through an arms race against each other. Today, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the global military spending burden has only increased worldwide. India is among Asian countries whose military spending has grown, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a research organisation.
Does India fit into the model of a garrison state?
Every year, India spends a large share of its wealth on its armed forces. SIPRI ranks India as the world’s third-highest spender on the military after the USA and China. India is also the largest arms importer after Saudi Arabia, accounting for 11 per cent of total global arms imports.
The ruling regime Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Narendra Modi, often use the Army to gain political mileage. The populist perception of Modi as a leader who is ever-prepared to go to war with an enemy state is another significant feature related to Laswell’s description of the garrison state.
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