ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the Western capitalist system that enslaved India long ago now once again threatens her people. It evaluates specifically how human rights are imperiled by the re-entry of Western capitalism under the guise of neo-liberal economic reforms. The parallels between India's colonial past and her increasingly imperiled present are striking. Whereas Europeans previously styled their exploitative forays into India as part of a civilising mission, Western capitalists today call themselves investors who claim to bring economic development to India. Today, Western corporations and governments require India to accept exotic legal mechanisms that undermine India's time-tested local institutions, such as village councils. India's democratic government nationalised oil production, and took other steps to socialise and safeguard various means of production. The globalising food industry provides an excellent illustration of how the Western capitalist system can and does imperil human rights in India.
