Think of the Indian economy and offshoring probably comes to mind. It is the issue that provokes the most concern and is the most difficult to analyze.

Here's what the Indians say about offshoring: First, American companies own major stakes in most of the largest offshore business services providers. Second, American companies like IBM, Accenture, and Cognizant are eagerly snapping up Indian talent to help fuel their global growth. Third, American service providers -- Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, etc -- are doing quite well in India, thank you very much. Finally, offshoring creates opportunities for Americans too. Cheaper offshore I.T. services allow middle-tier companies to offer better, more competitive products in the US and around the world. Also, Americans can use new technologies to offshore services back to the U.S. And it is important to keep all this in perspective. India's entire I.T./offshore services industry employs just two million people. That's not a lot in a global context.

The Indians I met made good arguments. But they seemed baffled by the pressure Americans feel to stay competitive, to keep up our standard of living, to adapt to a rapidly changing world. As our series has shown, India does not have a limitless talent pool of trained people ready to take our jobs. At the same time, the pool of talented people is growing and that means the world has become more competitive.

One great hope is that the Indian economy is demand driven. India is not an export machine like China. That means many educated Indians will find work serving their own home market. That should make for a healthier Indian economy and a larger market for U.S. and other global companies.

Interested in learning more about India? Then check out the "India's Promise" home page.