India has one of the most influential soft powers abroad in the form of elements such as Bollywood, food, yoga and dance
Binaries are simplistic, but they help unpack issues and concepts, such as black and white; us and them; hard and soft; good and bad. But, as we know, nothing in life is so simple, there is much grey in between; there is much that lies between the binaries, and at times the two poles get entangled in each other, such that it is difficult to identify them separately.
A recent example of such mix-up came from the Oval Office, which has been hitting the global headlines for edifying and not-so-edifying conversations between President Trump and visiting presidents and prime ministers. The visitors have been exerting to get on the right side of Trump, presenting him with gifts or lavishing praise.
One such effort that appeared to have visibly pleased him came from the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who tip-toed around the President during the visit, and with a dramatic flourish during the Oval Office interaction, retrieved a letter from his jacket pocket and handed Trump a letter from King Charles, inviting him to the United Kingdom for a state visit.
It was another example of soft power being used in international relations: the idea that a country not only has hard power (such as the military, economic heft), but also soft power, which is the ability to influence or co-opt others through the strength of the appeal and attraction of its cultural and other symbols.
Coined by Harvard academic Joseph Nye in the late 1980s, soft power arises from the attractiveness of a country’s culture, political ideals and policies.
The monarchy has long been one of the most influential symbols of British soft power abroad (other better known ones include cricket, BBC, the Beatles, universities, British Council). Queen Elizabeth, who was widely known across the globe, was often deployed by the government to achieve diplomatic and other objectives.
Starmer flourishing King Charles’ letter before Trump and calling it an ‘unprecedented’ invitation was the latest exercise of British soft power, and it seemed to have worked – there has been no further mention of tariffs on British goods so far. It is ‘unprecedented’ because Britain has never invited a US president for a second state visit (Trump’s first state visit was in 2019).
Universities are also one of the best examples of British soft power, educating generations of international students who go on to occupy top leadership, bureaucratic and other positions in various countries, which helps further British policies and business. Many UK universities have been facing challenges of finance and standards in the recent years, but new research reveals that they educated 50 world leaders who were in post in 2022.
The research by Jisc, the UK’s higher education digital, data and technology agency, found that the University of Oxford educated the most heads of state or government: 36 since 1990, followed by the London School of Economics and Political Science with 24. Other institutions in the University of London federation collectively taught 16 leaders, followed by the University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge, which educated 13 national heads.
India also has one of the most influential soft powers abroad in the form of elements such as Bollywood, food, yoga and dance. It is powered not only by the large Indian diaspora but also by the ways in which new, non-diaspora audiences have been attracted to the Indian way of life, thinking and celebration. Indian cultural centres attached to diplomatic missions in various countries reflect various elements of its soft power.
There is acknowledgement in New Delhi that the lure of Indian films abroad can be a powerful component of India’s soft power. The Indian film industry has long been recognised as the world’s largest by volume, if not value, producing over 1,000 films every year, reaching various parts of the world through legal and illegal means. One of the confidential cables released by WikiLeaks revealed that in 2007, US diplomats suggested that India send Bollywood stars to tour Afghanistan to aid international efforts to stabilise the country.
In 2008, Manmohan Singh, the then prime minister, told Indian Foreign Service probationers that India’s soft power, especially the film industry, can be put to use as an important instrument of foreign policy: “The soft power of India in some ways can be a very important instrument of foreign policy. I find wherever I go in the Middle East, in Africa, people talk about Indian films. So, that (soft power) is a new way of influencing the world about the growing importance of India.”
Bollywood is perhaps more effective as an influencer among countries of the global South, where recent films are seen as reflective of a creative and confident India. Gone are the days when diasporic communities in the West felt embarrassed about Bollywood films, perceived by many in host nations as glitzy and kitschy. Today, Hindi films are released simultaneously across the globe.
As of now, Starmer’s charm offensive through the royal pomp and pageantry of a state visit seems to have mollified Trump, but given the mercurial and unpredictable nature of news coming out of the Oval Office, many in London are keeping fingers and toes crossed.
(Prasun Sonwalkar is a columnist and former academic.)
