INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP
2. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
agreements involving India and/or a!ecting India’s
interests
India’s soft power
Soft power is the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without resorting to force or coercion. Soft
power lies in a country’s attractiveness and comes from three resources: its culture, its political values, and its foreign
policies
India’s Strengths as a Soft Power
India’s long history, culture and civilization: These have attracted both intellectuals and common folk
from across the globe to India.
Presence of all the major religions of the world: Four are homegrown- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and
Sikhism and four came from outside- Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This adds to the
incentives for the religiously minded foreigners to visit India.
✓ The Indian government is using this aspect of soft power in a big way in its outreach to East,
Southeast, and Central Asia.
✓ Buddhism is at the heart of its diplomacy here. Among these is the Nalanda University project, a
major soft power initiative of the Indian government that envisages the revival of a renowned center of
Buddhist learning.
Yoga and Meditation: Have become household terms in most countries and the health aspects of these are
being researched and propagated by well known physicians and doctors.
Music, dance, art and architecture: Even though the Taj Mahal is the most famous monument of India,
foreign tourists are discovering thousands of other historical and archaeological sites all over India.
o The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
does pioneering work in not only disseminating our culture abroad but also encouraging exposure of
other cultures in India to encourage a cultural dialogue.
Bollywood has been projected as a great Soft Power tool for as Bollywood movies are popular among
the people of many countries.
In Afghanistan, for instance, Bollywood and Indian soap operas have a massive following.
Bollywood movies are hugely popular in Africa as well.
Indian Cuisine is a major attraction for foreigners. There may not be a single big city in the world without
at least two or three Indian Restaurants.
Indian Diaspora as NRIs and PIOs play a vital role in projecting its Soft Power. They not only help
in disseminating our culture but also have, on occasions, contributed to promoting our Foreign Policy goals.
0.
ADVANTAGE
Diplomacy need not backed by the military and economic hard power. This presents a ‘technology’ in our hand to
, compete and overtake Chinese ‘check book’ diplomacy.
It gives moral high ground at world forum especially due to non-violent manner in which we had achieved our
independence.
International Support for tough decisions like abrogation of article 370.
It keeps India distant from world conflicts like recently in Syria, Sudan, Israel-Palastein issue. So India earns
goodwill from all country.
Helps India balance its relationships keeps balance in relations. At the time of cold war, India got aid from NATO
and USSR both
Challenges with India’s Soft Power
Not unlocking its potential: As the world’s largest democracy, India is variously described as a model of
soft power, however a country that makes remarkably poor use of it.
Similarly, India has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than most of the developed world, but still
fares poorly on tourism and education on a per capita basis.
Lack of diversification: Though India has 36 India Cultural Centres (ICC) in various geographies, these are
still aimed at the diaspora in Caribbean and South Africa whereas ignoring strategic and growing
relationships in the Nordics and Latin America.
Negative perception: India has a widespread reputation for corruption, endemic poverty and hostility
to business.
Reports in the international media of pollution in urban areas, child labor and violence against
women have also detracted expatriates, tourists, businesspeople and other visitors.
Lack of state enabled endeavours: India rates badly on any measure of state-driven cultural diffusion
rather than more organic and natural private sector and citizen-led efforts.
Indeed, most Indian cultural diffusion such as Bollywood have occurred without the involvement of
the government.
India’s Popularity restricted mostly to developing world: In many cases India’s appeal is to others in
the developing world rather than to high-value or developed markets.
For example, despite their many evident shortcomings, India’s universities continue to attract a
large number of students from across the developing world, including Nepal, Afghanistan and Africa.
WAY FORWARD
Need to focus on quality, training, excellence and investment for India’s soft power to be globally
recognised: As currently, a flourishing economy and an effective international presence, India is a thriving
market for the world; it has more than 250 million strong middle class with deep pockets.
Leveraging textile craftsmanship as it used to be a cultural motifs and patterns from all the cultures.
India's Khadi textile designs carry the history as well as a huge aspect of India’s political philosophy that
much of the world has yet to understand.
India could consider setting up an Indian Cultural Services (ICS) – a cultural cadre which has high-
profile career strategists recruited, trained and developed to nurture creativity with a global perspective.
Learning from international best practices: Like UK’s successful ‘The GREAT Britain’ campaign,
India also needs to invest in a strategic creative project in coordination with its various Government
, departments (including education, tourism and culture, commerce and industry, HRD) and launch a unified
cohesive pitch of ‘Image India’.
RELIGION AS A TOOL OF SOFT POWER DIPLOMACY
Importance of religion in India’s soft power diplomacy
India's religious diversity is its biggest strength: India is fortunate to have all the major religions of the
world. Four are homegrown: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Four came from outside:
Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Also, unlike any other religion-based countries, people of various sects and religions live peacefully.
This adds to the incentives for the religiously minded people living across the globe to have a positive
attitude towards India.
Role in its policy: India’s Look East Policy is being built up by emphasizing India’s historical links with
Buddhism
India has sought membership to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the grounds that it
has the 2nd largest Muslim population in the world.
Reputation for being a safe haven forJews at a time of their prosecution in their native lands provides
the foundation to strong India Israel relationship.
Religious diplomacy has been integral to India’s tradition: The principle of “VASUDHAIVA
KUTUMBAKAM ('the whole world is but one family) was enshrined in Maha Upanishad. Ashoka sent
Buddhist Missionaries to far off places such as Ceylon, Egypt, Macedonia, Tibet, etc. The address of
Chicago Parliament of Religions in 1893 by Swami Vivekanad brought the much-needed recognition and
respect for India particularly its culture and traditions.
Religion is a cohesive bond for Indian subcontinent: Various religions of India help it to connect with all
the neighboring countries. Thus, religions provide south Asia its unique identity.
What are the challenges being faced by India in projecting itself as a leader in religious soft power
diplomacy?
China is emerging as a competitor: In recognition of the potential that Buddhism holds in the area of
diplomacy, China has made it a crucial part of its soft power strategy for the continent. The Chinese state
promotes the religion on the grounds of its historical association, and the fact that it also possesses the largest
Buddhist population of any country in the world.
It is also working through different projects (such as the US $ 3 Billion Lumbini project in Nepal) to
woo countries having a significant amount of Buddhist population through its Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) projects.
Structural loopholes in the efforts to propagate India’s culture: The performance of the Indian Council
for Cultural Relations (ICCR), with centers in about 35 countries and aimed at promoting Indian culture, has
been lackadaisical. India has failed to build its brand value abroad. These centres are still aimed at the
diaspora (like Caribbean, South Africa), ignoring strategic and growing relationships with other countries
and regions.
Strict visa rules: In South Asia, citizens of only Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives are eligible for visa-free
travel to India. This acts as a hurdle in leveraging India’s enormous cultural assets and religious heritage by
, reviving intra-regional tourism flows
Steps taken by government
What India should do to make its religious soft power diplomacy effective?
Needs to have a people centric approach for leveraging religious diversity: Satyagraha based on non-
violence propagated by Mahatma Gandhi reached across the globe without any support of British Indian
government. Similarly Yoga, Meditation, Indian Classical Music and Indian spirituality was accepted by
youth in western countries during 1960’s Hippie movement without any active role of the Indian government.
Soft Power dissemination should be neutral: There should not be any reference to our interests while
propagating our civilization and cultural heritage. This is because using Soft Power to achieve specific goals
2. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and
agreements involving India and/or a!ecting India’s
interests
India’s soft power
Soft power is the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without resorting to force or coercion. Soft
power lies in a country’s attractiveness and comes from three resources: its culture, its political values, and its foreign
policies
India’s Strengths as a Soft Power
India’s long history, culture and civilization: These have attracted both intellectuals and common folk
from across the globe to India.
Presence of all the major religions of the world: Four are homegrown- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and
Sikhism and four came from outside- Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This adds to the
incentives for the religiously minded foreigners to visit India.
✓ The Indian government is using this aspect of soft power in a big way in its outreach to East,
Southeast, and Central Asia.
✓ Buddhism is at the heart of its diplomacy here. Among these is the Nalanda University project, a
major soft power initiative of the Indian government that envisages the revival of a renowned center of
Buddhist learning.
Yoga and Meditation: Have become household terms in most countries and the health aspects of these are
being researched and propagated by well known physicians and doctors.
Music, dance, art and architecture: Even though the Taj Mahal is the most famous monument of India,
foreign tourists are discovering thousands of other historical and archaeological sites all over India.
o The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
does pioneering work in not only disseminating our culture abroad but also encouraging exposure of
other cultures in India to encourage a cultural dialogue.
Bollywood has been projected as a great Soft Power tool for as Bollywood movies are popular among
the people of many countries.
In Afghanistan, for instance, Bollywood and Indian soap operas have a massive following.
Bollywood movies are hugely popular in Africa as well.
Indian Cuisine is a major attraction for foreigners. There may not be a single big city in the world without
at least two or three Indian Restaurants.
Indian Diaspora as NRIs and PIOs play a vital role in projecting its Soft Power. They not only help
in disseminating our culture but also have, on occasions, contributed to promoting our Foreign Policy goals.
0.
ADVANTAGE
Diplomacy need not backed by the military and economic hard power. This presents a ‘technology’ in our hand to
, compete and overtake Chinese ‘check book’ diplomacy.
It gives moral high ground at world forum especially due to non-violent manner in which we had achieved our
independence.
International Support for tough decisions like abrogation of article 370.
It keeps India distant from world conflicts like recently in Syria, Sudan, Israel-Palastein issue. So India earns
goodwill from all country.
Helps India balance its relationships keeps balance in relations. At the time of cold war, India got aid from NATO
and USSR both
Challenges with India’s Soft Power
Not unlocking its potential: As the world’s largest democracy, India is variously described as a model of
soft power, however a country that makes remarkably poor use of it.
Similarly, India has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than most of the developed world, but still
fares poorly on tourism and education on a per capita basis.
Lack of diversification: Though India has 36 India Cultural Centres (ICC) in various geographies, these are
still aimed at the diaspora in Caribbean and South Africa whereas ignoring strategic and growing
relationships in the Nordics and Latin America.
Negative perception: India has a widespread reputation for corruption, endemic poverty and hostility
to business.
Reports in the international media of pollution in urban areas, child labor and violence against
women have also detracted expatriates, tourists, businesspeople and other visitors.
Lack of state enabled endeavours: India rates badly on any measure of state-driven cultural diffusion
rather than more organic and natural private sector and citizen-led efforts.
Indeed, most Indian cultural diffusion such as Bollywood have occurred without the involvement of
the government.
India’s Popularity restricted mostly to developing world: In many cases India’s appeal is to others in
the developing world rather than to high-value or developed markets.
For example, despite their many evident shortcomings, India’s universities continue to attract a
large number of students from across the developing world, including Nepal, Afghanistan and Africa.
WAY FORWARD
Need to focus on quality, training, excellence and investment for India’s soft power to be globally
recognised: As currently, a flourishing economy and an effective international presence, India is a thriving
market for the world; it has more than 250 million strong middle class with deep pockets.
Leveraging textile craftsmanship as it used to be a cultural motifs and patterns from all the cultures.
India's Khadi textile designs carry the history as well as a huge aspect of India’s political philosophy that
much of the world has yet to understand.
India could consider setting up an Indian Cultural Services (ICS) – a cultural cadre which has high-
profile career strategists recruited, trained and developed to nurture creativity with a global perspective.
Learning from international best practices: Like UK’s successful ‘The GREAT Britain’ campaign,
India also needs to invest in a strategic creative project in coordination with its various Government
, departments (including education, tourism and culture, commerce and industry, HRD) and launch a unified
cohesive pitch of ‘Image India’.
RELIGION AS A TOOL OF SOFT POWER DIPLOMACY
Importance of religion in India’s soft power diplomacy
India's religious diversity is its biggest strength: India is fortunate to have all the major religions of the
world. Four are homegrown: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Four came from outside:
Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Also, unlike any other religion-based countries, people of various sects and religions live peacefully.
This adds to the incentives for the religiously minded people living across the globe to have a positive
attitude towards India.
Role in its policy: India’s Look East Policy is being built up by emphasizing India’s historical links with
Buddhism
India has sought membership to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the grounds that it
has the 2nd largest Muslim population in the world.
Reputation for being a safe haven forJews at a time of their prosecution in their native lands provides
the foundation to strong India Israel relationship.
Religious diplomacy has been integral to India’s tradition: The principle of “VASUDHAIVA
KUTUMBAKAM ('the whole world is but one family) was enshrined in Maha Upanishad. Ashoka sent
Buddhist Missionaries to far off places such as Ceylon, Egypt, Macedonia, Tibet, etc. The address of
Chicago Parliament of Religions in 1893 by Swami Vivekanad brought the much-needed recognition and
respect for India particularly its culture and traditions.
Religion is a cohesive bond for Indian subcontinent: Various religions of India help it to connect with all
the neighboring countries. Thus, religions provide south Asia its unique identity.
What are the challenges being faced by India in projecting itself as a leader in religious soft power
diplomacy?
China is emerging as a competitor: In recognition of the potential that Buddhism holds in the area of
diplomacy, China has made it a crucial part of its soft power strategy for the continent. The Chinese state
promotes the religion on the grounds of its historical association, and the fact that it also possesses the largest
Buddhist population of any country in the world.
It is also working through different projects (such as the US $ 3 Billion Lumbini project in Nepal) to
woo countries having a significant amount of Buddhist population through its Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) projects.
Structural loopholes in the efforts to propagate India’s culture: The performance of the Indian Council
for Cultural Relations (ICCR), with centers in about 35 countries and aimed at promoting Indian culture, has
been lackadaisical. India has failed to build its brand value abroad. These centres are still aimed at the
diaspora (like Caribbean, South Africa), ignoring strategic and growing relationships with other countries
and regions.
Strict visa rules: In South Asia, citizens of only Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives are eligible for visa-free
travel to India. This acts as a hurdle in leveraging India’s enormous cultural assets and religious heritage by
, reviving intra-regional tourism flows
Steps taken by government
What India should do to make its religious soft power diplomacy effective?
Needs to have a people centric approach for leveraging religious diversity: Satyagraha based on non-
violence propagated by Mahatma Gandhi reached across the globe without any support of British Indian
government. Similarly Yoga, Meditation, Indian Classical Music and Indian spirituality was accepted by
youth in western countries during 1960’s Hippie movement without any active role of the Indian government.
Soft Power dissemination should be neutral: There should not be any reference to our interests while
propagating our civilization and cultural heritage. This is because using Soft Power to achieve specific goals
