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India@75: assessing India's use of soft power as a foreign policy instrument
[journal article]
Abstract The term soft power has become a catch-all-phrase for public and cultural diplomacy since Joseph Nye introduced it in 1990. India has had several historical and cultural advantages regarding its influence in foreign countries. While India and Indians enjoyed goodwill in most countries, the sudden i... view more
The term soft power has become a catch-all-phrase for public and cultural diplomacy since Joseph Nye introduced it in 1990. India has had several historical and cultural advantages regarding its influence in foreign countries. While India and Indians enjoyed goodwill in most countries, the sudden interests in India among the policymakers, businesses, and politicians were mainly after the 1992 economic liberalization that had opened the Indian markets to foreign investments. Besides the nation-branding exercises globally, New Delhi employed soft power instruments in countries it deemed to have more significant interests, from traditional allies like Bhutan and Afghanistan to the countries in the West in the last three decades. Nevertheless, how successful has India been in exploiting its cultural linkages and using its soft power in its branding? This question becomes pertinent as, in recent years, India has often received negative press coverage in international media, and on several freedom/democratic indices, its rankings have gone down. As India celebrates 75 years of independence as Azadi ka Mahotsav (a grand celebration of independence), this paper assesses the scope of its soft power as a foreign policy instrument, points out its shortcomings, and recommends the possibilities.... view less
Keywords
India; power; diplomacy; foreign policy; culture industry; film; film industry
Classification
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Free Keywords
soft power; cultural diplomacy; public diplomacy; Bollywood; Azadi Ka Mahotsav
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 117-129
Journal
Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, 9 (2023) 1
ISSN
1857-9760
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed