SOFT POWER DIPLOMACY
Soft Power refers to the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without force or coercion. It is a persuasive strategy in international relations rooted in national culture, political values, and foreign policy. It was conceptualized as a tool for foreign policy by Joseph Nye in the 1990s.
PM Modi – Five pillars of India’s soft power:
- Samman (dignity);
- Samvaad (dialogue);
- Samriddhi (shared prosperity);
- Suruksha (regional and global security) and
- Sanskriti evam Sabhyata (Cultural and civilizational links).
Benefits of Soft Power
- Reinforce hard power: Soft power creates a feedback loop and helps reinforce the hard power of a nation. For instance, South Korean movies, music, and fashion are influencing millennials worldwide.
- Achieving Political goals: The government seeks to embed India’s cultural values in a larger geopolitical context, emphasizing the idea that India can be a “Vishwaguru” or world teacher.
- Role in policy: India’s Look East Policy emphasizes India’s historical links with Buddhism, with Islam and Buddhism as important pillars in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
- Connect regions: Yoga’s popularity in ASEAN, and Buddhist circuits in India act as bridges connecting regions.
- Balancing relations: Soft power helped India balance relationships during the Cold War, receiving aid from both NATO and the USSR.
- Bridge building: The Indian diaspora acted as bridge builders during the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.
- Competitive edge: Cultural ties give an edge to the exporter nation.
- Deal with immediate neighbors: Soft power aids in relations with neighbors like Nepal, Bhutan, Southeast Asia, Japan, and China through cultural links.
- Economic benefits: Encourages domestic tourism, FDI, international partnerships, and consumption of domestic goods.
- Cultural: The large Indian diaspora promotes a positive image of India globally, with Bollywood, yoga, literature, and Indian products.
- Preventing conflict: Cultural diplomacy connects nations, healing rifts created by history and politics.
Challenges with Soft Power
- Ineffective tool: Soft power is criticized as an ineffective or less effective diplomatic tool since international actors respond primarily to economic incentives and coercive power.
- Difficult to distinguish: It can be challenging to distinguish soft power from hard power as a concept.
- Reputational damage: Soft power can backfire, leading to reputational damage or “soft disempowerment.” Example: India’s perception in the Maldives.
- Emergence of China: China uses new soft power strategies, like Debt Traps, defensively.
- Less global support: Despite India’s growing soft power, many countries do not support its UNSC bid or help it in WTO negotiations or FTAs with the EU.
- Terrorism and radicalism: Soft power has not assisted India in addressing terrorism and radicalism.
- Lack of infrastructure for cultural development: India struggles with poverty, lack of investment, corruption, red-tapism, and pollution, affecting cultural diplomacy.
Way Forward
- Leveraging diaspora: Utilize the cultural and civilizational potential of the Indian diaspora.
- Promotion of deeper links: ICCR can enhance cultural ties via its branches abroad, like in the USA.
- Promoting Indian languages in universities: Like Germany, China, and France, India should promote Indian languages in foreign universities.
- Funding: More investment in sports and recreation can attract tourists.
- Promoting religious tourism: A strategy focusing on product quality, connectivity, and marketing can increase tourism.
- Neutral dissemination: Soft power efforts should be neutral, focusing on heritage without reference to specific interests.
India must expand its soft power and civilizational strength for national unity and to elevate its heritage globally.