http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_20/b4084044908374.htm?link_position=link1

One has to respect the Naxalites. I see them as the harbingers of the kind of trouble that could erupt all over the world if poverty isn’t taken more seriously, and an alternate soft development path isn’t supported.

Today, India. Tomorrow… anywhere they can convince the locals they are being screwed. 4.5 billion poor people will eventually develop their own political voice. Let us pray it is not chanting this destructive song.

Link via Barnett, where I said:

Think of it as a sign of political freedom. Because the Indians actually have a relatively thriving political culture, groups like the Naxalites continue to be active. Yes, there are crackdowns, but nothing compared to what similar groups would encounter in China.

And, in Nepal, these guys came to the negotiating table, eventually, took power, and started making changes.

In Kerala, their democratically elected local brand of communism isn’t the Naxalite brand, but has produced a state that has essentially developed world demographics (low birthrate, very long lifespan) and literacy on an average income of some $300 a year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala#Health

So, yeah. Messy democracy sometimes comes back with extremely interesting answers that the totalitarian states miss.

http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/2008/05/the_naxalites_are_coming_the_n.html