To speak to a young Indian with aspirations, press 1.

• Author: Friedman, Thomas L.
• Position: Perspectives

I recently sat in on an "accent neutralization" class in India. Watching enthusiastic young Indians prepare for call-center jobs is an uplifting experience, especially when you hear from their friends how such jobs have transformed their lives. There is nothing more positive than the self-confidence, dignity, and optimism that comes from a society knowing it is producing wealth by tapping its brains--men's and women's--as opposed to one just tapping its oil, let atone one so lost that it can find dignity only through suicide and "martyrdom." Listening to these young Indians, I had a deja, vu of talking to three young Palestinian men en the West Bank. They talked about...