2 December 2011
“India set to become a ‘soft
power’ leader in world politics” says Prof.T. V. Paul
“India has a great opportunity to become a global
leader in the arena of soft power,” according to Prof. T.V. Paul, Director of the McGill University Centre for
International Peace and Security Studies (CIPSS) and James McGill Professor of
International Relations in the Department of Political Science at McGill
University, Canada who has been appointed as the honorary professor at the K.P.S.
Menon Chair for Diplomatic Studies, School of International Relations and
Politics (SIRP), Mahatma Gandhi University. Prof. T.V. Paul was delivering a
Special Lecture on “India as a Soft power” organised by the Chair today.
He said that soft power, based on intangible
indicators such as culture, civilization, literature, philosophy, institutional
involvement, diplomacy, political organization, and state capacity, has emerged
as an important factor in the globalizing world for a country seeking higher
status and influence. India, with its unique cultural and civilisational
strengths has tremendous assets in the soft power area, yet to be fully
harnessed effectively. Its multi-ethnic culture, peace generating
civilizational values (including religious and philosophical ideals), and the
unique art forms and literatures are perhaps the core of this soft power asset
mix. More importantly, key values and institutions that contemporary India
possesses have great promise for managing multi-ethnic societies, especially in
the developing world. These arise largely from four institutional structures
that first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru helped to establish in India:
democracy, secularism, federalism, and the 3-language formula, according to
Prof. Paul.
He pointed out that as the 21st
century advances, India is slowly making use of its soft power assets, assisted
by the increasing attention it is being paid by the global media and the
scholarly world. He also said that soft power without hard power is a chimera
and that they should not be seen in oppositional terms, especially for an
aspiring global power. However, Prof. Paul reminded that the possession of soft
power resources does not automatically make a country powerful in the world
stage. It is when power assets are translated into influencing the behavior of
other states then one can say power is materialized. The translation of assets
into influence requires well-calibrated national strategies that assess and
reassess one’s abilities in the changing global context and make timely policy
adaptations. The current era of deepened globalization offers a powerful window
of opportunity for emerging powers such as India to actualize their soft power
resources more effectively. As India’s hard power capabilities, especially in
the economic and military realms have accelerated following its economic
liberalization since 1991, and it has made increasing efforts to acquire a
global power status, it is high time to revisit the value of soft power
resources as tools of grand strategy and foreign policy for this emerging
power. What soft power does is that it gives legitimacy and credibility to a
state’s leadership role in the world, and more effectiveness to the exercise
and wielding of its hard power resources, he said.
Prof. Paul concluded by arguing for increased
use of global communication networks and seeking the assistance of the extensive
Indian diaspora for channeling and disseminating India’s soft power assets. One
critical source of soft power dissemination is the diaspora. India is
well-endowed in this area. Despite earlier skepticism of the value of the
diaspora, today Indian expatriates have emerged as a key source of
disseminating India’s culture, values and other soft power assets in the global
arena. Many of the Indian arts, music, and dances are kept alive in these
diaspora communities. Second and third generation Indians increasingly are
yearning for knowledge and understanding of their roots. Many are returning to
India for employment purposes. This trend is likely to continue as the advanced
industrialized countries suffer possible economic downturn for a long period of
time. However, in order to fully tap this resource, India needs to court the
young second generation diaspora and those approaching retirement who may have
the wealth and time to promote Indian ideals. Prof. Paul also said that harnessing
soft power resources effectively would require India to become a more equitable
and efficient society, and a global economic power, a state whose society
transforms into a more egalitarian value system and an economy that commands a
major share of the global wealth, especially global trade and investment.
Earlier, Dr. Rajan Gurukkal, Vice Chancellor,
inaugurated the Lecture series. Dr. Raju Thadikkaran Director of SIRP welcomed
the audience. Dr. K.M.Seethi, Professor
and Coordinator of the K.P.S. Menon Chair presided the session. Mr. Justin
Joseph proposed a vote of thanks. .Prof.
Paul will continue his special lectures up to 23 December.
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