The Public Diplomacy Blog

Thailand's “Roving Buakeaw" Project

2010-02-28T22:14:00.002+05:30

Thailand initiated an innovative project called the – “Roving Buakeaw Project” - that allows the government to take account of public opinion when formulating foreign policy. The project is led by the Foreign Minister who along with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs goes to the people to listen on various issues with potential impact on Thai foreign policy. This is an attempt to engage and include Thai citizens from all walks of life, especially in the border provinces in shaping Thai foreign policy. Town halls, local temples, provincial schools etc serve as meeting sites and “information collected is taken into consideration in formulating foreign policy if and when appropriate.”

The Thai ministry of foreign affairs describe that the main activities of the project include, “informal discussion on issues of international affairs affecting the life such as trading and consular service as well as roving passport services.” People from the selected provinces also have the opportunity to participate through local radio stations via live broadcasts. Issues discussed include trading along the border, labor issues, tourism etc.

Apart from top echelons of the ministry, participants include Members of Parliament, businessmen, member of the local Chambers of Commerce, local media, local government officials, non-profits and civil society etc. In Southeast Asia, Thailand remains a dynamic state when it comes to foreign policy. It was one of the first states to accept the reality of a rising China and engage the Chinese aggressively despite US being the preeminent power in East Asian affairs. Historically too, Thailand was the only country in the whole of Asia to have never been colonized despite never being a great power. The “Roving Buakew Project” along with other such projects like “Young Ambassador of Virtue,” are wonderful initiatives to give ‘common people’ a direct say in formulating foreign policy. See this link for a presentation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

- Madhur

Public Diplomacy: The potential for India in East Asia

2010-02-14T18:48:00.004+05:30

Beginning of 2010 saw India aggressively engaging major East Asian countries. Apart from state visits by leaders of South Korea, Japan and Malaysia; Indian navy led 13 navies from the region in the ’Milan 2010’ anti terror, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise in the Indian Ocean. India seems to be gradually figuring in geopolitical East Asian scheme of things even though geographically it’s not a part of it.

In a symbolic gesture that signifies the importance India attaches to East Asia, the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, was the chief guest at this year’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on January 26^th. While talks with Japan and South Korea centered around trade, economic and nuclear cooperation, talks with the Malaysian Prime Minister Sri Mohammad Najib Tun Abdul Razak also focused on reaching a bilateral agreement on culture and tourism apart from means to an early conclusion of CECA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement).

While bilateral ties seem to be strengthening with East Asia, people to people connect seems to be minimal between both regions. The Malaysian prime minister did in fact admit this when he said, “for ties to be binding and meaningful, it is imperative to have the strongest people-to-people relationship.” Mr Najib said that Malaysia intended to improve its visa regime to facilitate travel of business persons and tourist to his country. He also called for improving connectivity through additional flights to either country and to elsewhere around the world and to establish a bilateral CEO forum for business leaders from both countries to discuss common issues. During his stay, Chennai also signed a “sister city” pact with Kuala Lumpur. Unlike Japan and Korea, Malaysia also has a strong Indian diaspora.

While the Look East policy is bearing fruit for India, people to people contact/exchanges need to be strongly cultivated given the geographical proximity and factors like shared history and demographics. The potential of India’s North East, which is culturally & geographically closer to Southeast Asia than rest of India, should also be tapped for better ‘people to people connect’. India’s domestic politics, dominated by the northern states is also partly responsible, which for reasons historic and cultural is obsessed with India’s western border and people to people ties with Pakistan. Joseph Nye, in his British Council Parliamentary Lecture on 20 January 2010, “Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century,” argued that “in an information age when power is more broadly distributed and less hierarchical than in earlier ages” there is some merit in a two way communication between societies to complement state policy. It’s a good time for India to take stock of its soft power reserves in East Asia and leverage it for the preeminent role it is destined to play in Asia in the 21^st century.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

--Madhur

Encouraging signs from Australia

2010-01-25T00:28:00.002+05:30

Last week, two prominent Australians talked openly about their views on allegedly racist attacks on Indians in Australia. In my last post, I mentioned how the Australians are getting their communication wrong and defensive in failing to acknowledge a pattern in the violence against Indians. However, recently Victoria’s Police Commissioner, Simon Overland said that his department was aware of a trend in violence against Indians for two years now and were drawing up plans to tackle the same. He said to ABC radio that Indians were “over represented when it came to robberies” and not so much in assaults. He said that 50% of assaults against Indians were at the workplace and some of them possibly racist.

Similarly, Australia’s former army chief, Peter Cosgrove, categorized the attacks as racist, rejecting the official line and indicated that there were some kind of a “profiling approach to attacks on South Asians,” implying that it is indeed racism. Rather than dismissing them as routine crime, Cosgrove called for some introspection on the part of Australian society. Incidentally Cosgrove was the Australian of the year in 2001.

Coming from two prominent Australians, this line of communication projects a mature approach to dealing with the issue. It portrays a resilient and confident society capable to face the demons within and deal with it. As I said earlier, the debate is not about whether Australia is racist or not; rather the Australians should attempt to confine the debate to whether Australia can deal with such issues or not.

Diaspora’s role

In this entire episode, the potential of the Indian diaspora has not been adequately leveraged by the Indian and Australian governments. Australians should make more efforts in portraying the Indian diaspora as an integral part of multicultural Australia while India could have leveraged the same diaspora for influencing Canberra, and, also for seeking their assistance in mentoring ‘new’ Indians in Australia. It will be good to see something happening on this front.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

--Madhur

Australia: Needed proactive, sensible and sensitized communication

2010-01-16T23:36:00.007+05:30

The Australian High Commission in New Delhi is doing a United Colors of Benetton. The walls of the embassy building and the visa office look like giant billboards with happy and colorful pictures of “Australians” - of different races, national origins, skin color - being displayed. Huge billboard size pictures all, happy and together, with the words “Multicultural Australia” in bold. There were pictures of Asians, Africans, Arabs, Anglo Saxons and also Indians. This did not exist earlier, definitely a first in the capital, as the Aussies try to look coherent in their denial of racist attacks on Indians in Australia.

The straight talking Aussies suddenly are defensive and fumbling for answers in the face of a relentless campaign by Indian media. Australia’s image has never been so badly dented in India. In all their official communication, the Australians have denied that these attacks are racist, and, an attempt is being made to club them with regular street crimes. Then, they announce a person of Indian origin (Peter Varghese) to be the next High Commissioner to India, also announce that they are sending the largest contingent to Commonwealth Games in India and put up billboards on embassy walls to counter the negative publicity. Despite all this, there was a 46% drop in student applications to Australian campuses from India this year. India contributes the most to Australia’s $ 15 billion education industry.

Where the Australians are going wrong is in their failure to acknowledge the possibility of a ‘pattern’ in the violence. This acknowledgment is lacking in all their communication (which has been very few) to Indian media. It is not a question of whether the country is safe or not. Rather than denying the possibility of racism altogether what should be communicated is that the Australian system is sophisticated and sensitized enough to grasp the nature of the problem and then deal with it. The comments by the Victorian Police Commissioner on safety statistics do not help and one wonders why is he speaking to the media at all? Discrimation/racism exists in every society and all claims to the contrary is total B******* … everybody knows that, especially Indians who live amidst diversity and conflicts all their lives. Anybody who has ever lived in a different culture also understands that some form of Aversive racism exists in every society. It’s human.

There is a convergence of strategic interests between both the countries. The bilateral relationships, trade, people to people contacts have never been so good. Both have an interest in the stability of Asia and preventing Chinese dominance of Asia. Besides, Australia too wants to be seen as a part of the Asia Pacific Community rather than being seen with the western bloc. However, the Australians need to be proactive and communicate better and LOOK SENSITIZED in the media. Their communication now seems more like defensive posturing or just plain gimmickry.

(Source: Mail Today)

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

--Madhur

Potential of text messaging for Public Diplomacy in India

2010-01-10T22:15:00.006+05:30

Of all the different mediums that are available for practitioners of Public Diplomacy to engage India, mobile phones remain underutilized. Mobile phone penetration in India is huge. It is the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world with companies adding over 15 million users every month. As of March 2009, India has 392 million mobile phone users. This figure is expected to reach 500 million beginning of 2010, and by 2015 the country is expected to have a billion plus users.

With the high penetration of mobile phones, text messaging has become an important tool to educate, inform, mobilize, engage Indians. India’s recent elections saw political parties using text messaging for campaigns. Civil society groups too have made innovative use of text messaging. A campaign that comes to mind is Sachche ko Chune, Achche ko Chune (Vote for the Honest, Vote for Good People), by the Association for Democratic Reforms, or ADR, a non-governmental organization (NGO). This was a SMS campaign that lets you send a text with your zip code, and, ADR sends the latest information about one’s constituency and the candidates contesting elections. NDTV’s campaign seeking text message signatures from the public to build pressure on government’s prosecution machinery, in the high profile Jessica Lal murder case, is also well known. Corporate groups already are making good use of text messaging in customer servicing from placing requests, generating feedbacks to paying bills etc.

Recently, Google launched its SMS text message service in India, www.google.co.in/sms, (already available in US) for mobile phone users who wish to find out information from Google about business listings, movie showtimes and other local or web information by sending queries to a specified number from their phones. Apparently, mobile phone users who do not have web browser or Internet access via their phones can still ping Google for information via SMS.

Mobile phone, especially text messaging, is growing as a preferred mode of communication in India. Cellular operators, too have been really enterprising with their tariff plans and handset prices and in India it is very normal to see a petty shopkeeper or a rickshaw puller flaunting a cellular phone. The potential for engagement is tremendous through this medium for creative minds.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome

-- Madhur

Two important books on Diplomacy in Southeast Asia

2009-12-13T19:46:00.015+05:30

Joshua Kurlantzick’s “Charm Offensive” and Sunanda K Datta-Ray’s “Looking East to Look West” are two books which provide great insights into the diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Kurlantzick describes in detail Chinese public diplomacy and how it is (now) central to Chinese foreign policy with a mission to reassure the world about “China’s peaceful rise.” Datta-Ray, on the other hand, examines India-Singapore relations and, in the process, also looks at India’s engagement with Southeast Asia since 1947.

Kurlantzick’s “Charm Offensive” describes Chinese public diplomacy in various regions of the world, examines it as a strategic foreign policy tool and also goes into the values and theories driving China’s ‘charm’ campaign. It has detailed chapters on China’s engagement of Southeast Asia and Africa and also compares China’s public diplomacy with other ‘sophisticated players’ in the arena like United States. It’s an informative read and with great foot notes, ‘Notes to Pages’ and ‘Indexes’ is invaluable for a research scholar. While Kurlantzick does a good job of chronicling Chinese public diplomacy, he failed to examine Southeast Asia as a competitive space for ‘influence’ between India and China.

In international relations, 21^stcentury is touted to be an Asian century. This combined with other recent developments like, economic growth of India and China, debates around Climate change, the Af-Pak War, maritime security of trade traffic in Indian Ocean region, non-proliferation, Myanmar, Kashmir etc., dominating public discourses in diplomacy, India remains, and, will be a critical player in the years to come. India and China share borders with Southeast Asia and the region is important for both, economically as well as from a security perspective. Both the countries have been active in this region.(Though I must admit, Chinese are more aggressive). A rising Asia includes both India and China, and, so I thought Kurlantzick’s book would have been complete if it had also examined India as an important player in Southeast Asian diplomacy. It is indeed curious that most writings tend to ignore India’s relevance to Southeast Asia and the transformative potential of this relationship for the world.

Indian scholars, traditionally, are more focused on security and trade issues in international relations. Books on public diplomacy are rare (almost non-existent). While Datta-Ray’s book is not explicitly on India’s public diplomacy efforts, it does provide a context to India’s ‘Look East’ policy and the need for greater engagement with Southeast Asia. Focusing on Indo-Singapore relations since 1947 the book calls for a restoration of civilizational ties between Singapore and India. The book provides important insights into India’s importance and relevance to Singapore and Southeast Asia over different periods in history (also vis-à-vis the ‘China factor.’) and how Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew had often looked to India for leadership of Asia.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

-- Madhur

Engaging Southeast Asia through Public Diplomacy - Seventh Indo-ASEAN summit

2009-12-05T23:16:00.004+05:30

The seventh India-ASEAN summit was held in October, 2009, at Hua Hin in Thailand. At the summit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated India’s commitment to engage ASEAN nations and also outlined India’s vision of an Asian economic community based on an “open and inclusive” architecture.

Keeping with India’s “Look East policy,” public diplomacy initiatives are high on the agenda to connect India with Southeast Asia; rather emphasize the fact that India had always been connected closely with Southeast Asia through its people, culture and also geography and shared history (See me previous post on Northeast India in this blog). Prime Minister Singh suggested something interesting at the summit along the lines of the theme of ASEAN summit this year – “Enhancing Connectivity, Empowering Peoples."

The year 2012 will see the commemoration the 10th anniversary of India's participation as a summit level partner of ASEAN, and 20 years as a sectoral dialogue partner. These are significant milestones that need to be feted and also publicized. Prime Minister Singh suggested that India and ASEAN could jointly consider organizing a commemorative ship expedition in 2011-12 on the sea routes developed during the 10th to 12th centuries linking India with Southeast Asia and East Asia. He said that the sea route could cover modern and ancient ports in ASEAN countries, and other East Asian countries as well. This proposal was one of the five initiatives (economic and political) that the Prime Minister suggested to further strengthen links between India and ASEAN.

China too, as part of its public diplomacy efforts, had done something similar. It organized exhibitions in museums of Malaysia and Singapore to celebrate the anniversary of the voyages of Zheng He, a Chinese admiral who took his fleet across Asia and Africa, exploring cultures, establishing linkages between Chinese and Southeast Asia cultures in the 14^th or 15^th centuries. Zheng He's expeditions, the Chinese claim, were peaceful exploratory voyages not aimed at conquest.

While these attempts to establish a cultural and historical connect is significant by the Asian giants, what can tilt the balance in India's favor is its impeccable democratic credentials, respect for diversity and resilient political framework in an otherwise unstable region and also vis-à-vis China.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

-- Madhur

"Indian Portrayal of terror wins accolades across Arab nations" - Outlook magazine (India)

2009-11-30T23:50:00.004+05:30

Interesting article in the Outlook magazine on Bollywood's reach and influence in certain regions of the world. Most importantly, entertainment industries like the Bombay film industry ( I hate using the word "Bollywood." Hindi Film industry or Bombay Film industry seems a better term) play an important role in portraying a non-western point of view to contemporary happenings. It also reflects India's soft power prowess.

Read it here: Al Hind: a Relook

New York’s (The movie) Middle East Success Story

Released in theatres in UAE and Bahrain with 32 prints
Took one of the biggest openings for a film in the region
Grossed US $1.5 million in the Middle East box office
Pirated DVDs of the film spread widely in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Estimated to have lost over a million dollars to piracy across the region
Opening film at the Cairo International Film Festival 2009, the oldest and most significant film festival in the Middle East

Enjoy the read!

-- Madhur

Pesta Blogger 2009: Broadening the scope of Public Diplomacy

2009-11-06T19:00:00.003+05:30

As we discuss the need & possibility of broadening the understanding of Public Diplomacy in India, there have been some interesting developments around the world with PD 2.0 worth taking note of.

Last week, I received this interesting bit of information from the US state department that the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, is sponsoring Pesta Blogger 2009 - Indonesia’s only national-level bloggers’ gathering for the second consecutive year. The bloggers gathering took place on Oct. 24, 2009 in which four US bloggers including Arsalan Iftikhar, prominent American Muslim blogger and Mark Frauenfelder, founder of a leading technology blog participated. The US embassy in Jakarta has also been sponsoring a series of blogging workshops in 10 cities across Indonesia attracting more than one thousand people. The idea is to encourage people to blog and impart the principles of citizen journalism. U.S. Ambassador Cameron R. Hume said: “The Embassy is proud to support and sponsor Pesta Blogger for the second year running. Freedom of expression is an integral part of any sustainable democratic system. Indonesia has a strong, vibrant democracy, and the robust growth of its blogging community indicates this.”

Tristram D. Perry at the US embassy in Jakarta (whom I had emailed) said that the state department is doing a lot with social media worldwide but in every country the strategy differs as per the local conditions. He said, “Different cultures and nations are unique in their use of technology, so that for example, in Indonesia, while Facebook enjoys almost 10 million members here (of a total 30 million people actually on the internet monthly or more frequently) podcasts or webchats are very rare. I can only really speak to Indonesia, but as you can see we are right on the ground floor of the most socially active segment of online society. For whether it is having an impact, I would have to refer you to the Pew Global attitudes poll.”

“Blogger relations” is commonly practised in corporate communications. I personally feel it’s innovative to engage bloggers and package it with promoting “freedom of expression” and “democracy” ( common themes in US foreign policy communications). This willingness to try different mediums, irrespective of the ability to accurately measure impact and facilitate discussions, conversations on topics of “one’s own choosing” can actually work wonders in advancing “influence”. Its an attempt to go beyond and being proactive.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome

Madhur

Towards a broader understanding of Public Diplomacy

2009-10-10T20:14:00.007+05:30

The recent controversy between India and China over the alleged intrusions by Chinese soldiers into Indian territory, disregarding the LAC (Line of Actual Control), attracted considerable media attention in both countries. China claimed these were baseless allegations by the Indian media, designed to discredit China and whip up anti China sentiments in India. The Chinese envoy, accustomed to a state controlled media at home, was reported to have asked the Indian media to listen to its leaders (The Hindustan Times). The China Daily is reported to have said in an editorial, "If you are a regular reader of reports in the Indian media, you can be excused for thinking a war is imminent between India and China. For the past few months, the Indian media have been trying to fan passions on both sides." I found another news item in Zee News where Chinese leaders asked Indian media to exercise restraint.

The wide reporting on this issue on both sides of the border highlights the key role of the media in international relations today. State actors are forced to react to situations/opinions formed as a result of media’s reporting and that creates a situation where media relations, media perception audits, media analysis becomes crucial professional skills that diplomats need.

As I had written before, the understanding of Public Diplomacy needs to be broadened and go beyond attractiveness of a nation’s brand, norms and values as explained by Joseph Nye. Perception includes all these and anything other than that. Public Diplomacy is not about charming alone, but also, has a lot to do with shaping and managing perceptions and INFLUENCE.

ATTRACTIVENESS → INFLUENCE

Indian policy establishment also need to move from focusing on “attractiveness” to “influence” if it’s serious about donning a larger role in the international system. Like global media, other elements like business, non-governmental actors, investment diplomacy et al need to co opted into a broader public diplomacy strategy. China is successfully doing it and results are there for all to see.

Suggestions/critiques welcome.

Madhur

China according to The Global Times

2009-09-27T10:47:00.002+05:30

I read the Global Times fairly regularly. I find it an interesting public diplomacy initiative of the Chinese. The Global Times, the Chinese say, is an attempt to promote an “accurate” image of China abroad since international reporting, especially the Western media, on China is often flawed, lacking in understanding of China and the Chinese culture. Almost Al-Jazeera like, its an attempt to get a share of voice in a world dominated by Western media conglomerates and present the Chinese viewpoint on important developments. Intended for an international audience/readership, the Global Times also tries to allay fears of a resurgent China threatening to disturb the present international order.

Editorials in the Global Times make it very clear that the newspaper has an agenda. Two editorials caught my attention recently: 60 foreigners who helped shape China's 60 years (Sep. 18, 2009) and Editorial: What China can contribute to the world? (Aug. 24, 2009) Both the pieces convey the image of a China that is open, freely engaging with the rest of the world, borrowing ideas to build itself and also actively contributing towards other cultures. Through such writings the newspaper argues China is not a closed society but has always been open and globalised … its just that the political system is unique when compared to the West, of which, the Western world, obviously has no understanding of.

The “60 foreigners” editorial was widely reported in the Indian press because Nehru and Tagore were included in the list of foreigners who helped shape modern China. The list was prepared based on an internet poll by the newspaper. It states, “Looking back on the nation's 60 years of tremendous changes, it's evident that foreigners have been much more than witnesses in the development of the People's Republic of China. Whether intentionally or accidentally, directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, they have become important pieces of the China puzzle – helping shape and globalize the nation… Marx and Lenin enlightened China; Richard Nixon and former Singapore president Lee Kuan Yew promoted China; Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton have impressed generations of Chinese; and Michael Jordan and Bill Gates became idols of young Chinese, to name a few.”

In What China can contribute to the world, the edit clearly aims to reassure the world that a rising China stands for a harmonious world and Chinese culture can enrich other cultures. Unlike Western cultures, Chinese culture is best suited to create “a harmonious world” as unlike Western cultures it doesn’t operate within the binaries of “good” and “evil”. The edit concludes: “The fundamental reason is that Chinese culture is advancing with the times and willing to absorb ideas from other cultures to enrich itself. It is open rather than closed; inclusive rather than exclusive. Chinese culture is part of Asian culture. With the rise of the Asian region, maybe it is time for Chinese culture to make greater contributions to the world. In the 21st century, what China could contribute to the world is probably not made-in-China products, but Chinese culture.”

Recently, there have been a plethora of articles in the newspaper that attempts to portray a China that is open with free flow of ideas unlike Western media’s perceptions of it being a closed society. It’s just a unique culture with a own unique political system that seeks to participate in the new world order based on the 2000 year old Chinese principle of “Harmony in Diversity.” What’s worrisome is the tonality in such articles which tends to assert, very subtly, the superiority of the Chinese culture. In politics it can be dangerous.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

Madhur

A Public diplomacy strategy for India

2009-09-22T21:58:00.009+05:30

In a recent speech - Why Foreign Policy Matters - An Indian Perspective, - Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Government of India observed that there is a need to “develop and exploit India’s considerable soft power, by making this integral to the work of (the) territorial divisions” within the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and called for the development of a “coherent public diplomacy strategy” that can bring together efforts of diverse institutions like the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Public Diplomacy Division within the MEA. He called for an effective diplomacy strategy and public diplomacy planning to increase India’s influence abroad. Nirupama Rao, India’s new foreign secretary who took charge in August, too, stated that Public Diplomacy should receive more attention from South Block.

India needs to be seen, heard, felt and India needs to woo, engage and ideate. Policy makers seem to have recognized this. Readers would recollect that I had written about the need for a Public Diplomacy strategy to promote brand India better abroad much earlier. In the 2008 Anholt’s Nation Brand Index India ranked a lowly 27^th and was ranked low in all categories like perceptions of culture, tourism, governance, Investment brand etc. At a time when India is aspiring to be a global power and when the focus of India’s military doctrine happens to be “power projection” there is a need to complement these efforts with an effective soft power strategy.

Dr. Tharoor, in his speech, took a limited view of Public Diplomacy and confined it to areas like music, culture, literature, food etc. Any strategy for India, should in fact try to widen this definition of Public Diplomacy and also include elements like foreign aid, bilateral co-operation especially in Southeast Asia, media relations, leveraging Indian media conglomerates, using social media etc. The goal should be to project power and dominate the sphere of ideas and increase mindshare among global audiences.

A limitation for India is the lack of strong think tanks, universities, thinkers practicing Public Diplomacy. The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) too, for long, has operated in silos with lateral entry & exchanges between government and academia being few and far between. Scholars of International Relations and Diplomacy in India have focused overwhelmingly on studying conflict and security rather than public diplomacy, dynamics of north-south relations, developing area expertise other than on Pakistan or South Asia, international relations theory, multilateralism etc. Coupled with this is the lack of good communication schools in India with interdisciplinary focus. The number of communication schools can be counted on finger tips and not all of them are engaged in communications research. If one looks at US, some of the leading Public Diplomacy schools like University of Southern California, Syracuse University etc. run their public diplomacy programs in collaboration with the communication schools in those universities. Indian foreign policy establishment should understand that that the theory and practice of public diplomacy is as much a function of communications as it is a function of diplomacy.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

Madhur

The Independent Florida Alligator: News - Demonstrators gather to protest Islam on Sept. 11

2009-09-15T10:12:00.002+05:30

The Independent Florida Alligator: News - Demonstrators gather to protest Islam on Sept. 11

A news piece I found while browsing. I have been thinking about the war of ideas between Islam & the West for sometime and wonder if developments such as these are helpful in any way.

With the wide reach of media nowadays (I am sitting in India - a country with the second largest Muslim population in the world - reading about some small towners in Florida protesting against the religion of Islam - 'Islam is of the Devil' - they are saying) I wonder how Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and American allies Saudi Arabia will react to this, considering the fact that the US government is on a mission to 'woo' Islamic nations and prove that it is not at war with Islam.

The bigger question is how will American Muslims react to this? The number of American Muslims is significant - estimated to be 7 million (President Obama's Cairo speech) (The Pew Research Centre however in a 2007 survey estimated it to be 2.7 million instead)

Also, is America a secular democracy or a Christian nation?

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

Madhur

Leveraging Web 2.0 to engage the Indian diaspora

2009-09-12T22:02:00.008+05:30

I have been writing about Web 2.0 and its potential (or the lack of it) as an effective 'engagement' tool. Last week I came across this really interesting Web 2.0 initiative by the Government of India to connect with the Indian diaspora overseas. Its called Global Indian Network of Knowledge (Global INK) which is a web portal for knowledge sharing and collaboration.

India has the second largest diaspora in the world (nearly 30 million strong) which meaningfully contributes to India’s development and progress. The World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief, recently found that in 2008, overseas Indians sent home $58 billion in remittances alone to India. Though the remittance flow has been consistent, FDI flows from the diaspora, however, is yet to grow in a substantial manner. The government of India, has woken up to the potential of what the diaspora has to offer, and, the need to build a framework to engage the Indian diaspora proactively to expand their role in India’s growth story. India now has a full-fledged Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MoIA), to look into policy issues and services related to the diaspora. Government of India, has also launched a PPP initiative Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to promote ‘diasporic FDI’ and tap the diaspora’s potential in contributing to India’s economic development.

OIFC, for its part, have launched an initiative called Global Indian Network of Knowledge (Global INK) which is a dynamic and interactive web portal for knowledge sharing and collaboration. The objective of Global INK is provide a platform that, “endeavors to turn into "brain gain" what was for long seen as "brain drain", by drawing upon the knowledge reservoir of the India Diaspora in diverse fields.” The Indian diaspora, especially the one spread across North America and West Europe, comprises of highly educated and qualified professionals, academics and entrepreneurs that can help India ideate, innovate, create and sustain the growth momentum. This potential was partly realized in the tremendous progress India has made in telecommunications and IT/ITeS sector. For example, people like Sam Pitroda were instrumental in the modernization and development of India’s telecommunications sector and was an important advisor in PM Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet. Global INK, therefore, aims to tap into this knowledge base. This is also one of the many initiatives of the government to ‘ready’ India to be a leading player in the knowledge economy drawing upon the skills, experience and knowhow of the diaspora in developed economies. (Another recent measure is the Global Advisory Council constituted in Jan 2009.)

The OIFC website mentions that: “The online web portal, Global INK as it evolves, will be a framework of moderated communities catering to different focus areas. The Communities will provide a context to connect knowledge experts with knowledge seekers. Its key features are:

· It will provide a powerful search engine to connect quickly with the knowledge artifact

· The Communities will provide an array of collaboration tools such as blogs, forums, online resource databases, etc

· It will be equipped with advanced professional networking feature, ‘Connect’”

Its encouraging to see that the government of India seeks to leverage Social media/Web 2.0 and all its elements – search, network, discuss, connect – to engage the diaspora. I also feel this would also serve as the funnel through which OIFC, will eventually bring the diaspora ‘in’ for investments into India. I would be really interested to know if other countries, with a large diaspora, have initiated such measures. Take a look at Global INK’s website www.globalink.in

Suggestions/Critiques welcome

Madhur

Two separate surveys reveal public opinion towards US remain negative in Pakistan

2009-08-15T23:52:00.005+05:30

The 2009 "Pew Global Attitudes survey of Pakistan" released on 13th August 2009, outlines fresh challenges for the US Public Diplomacy machinery. The report highlights the fact that growing concerns about Islamic extremism among Pakistanis have not resulted in a positive perception of US. In fact, the report mentions that, "Opinions of America and its people remain extremely negative. Barack Obama's global popularity is not evident in Pakistan, and America's image remains as tarnished in that country as it was in the Bush years. Only 22% of Pakistanis think the U.S. takes their interests into account when making foreign policy decisions, essentially unchanged from 21% since 2007. Fully 64% of the public regards the U.S. as an enemy, while only 9% describe it as a partner." Winning the war of ideas in America's war against terror will be a huge challenge.

The Indian press carried the story widely. The financial daily 'Mint,' quoted the strategic affairs expert C. Uday Bhaskar saying that “One of the abiding features of Pakistan is that in this region the highest incidents of anti-US protests and attacks have been on Pakistan’s streets. The paradox is that the Pakistani establishment is closely aligned with the US, so much so that it has been designated as the only non-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ally in the war against terror.” For US public diplomacy, the challenge will be to counter the view that the war on terror in Pakistani soil amounts to interfering with Pakistan's internal affairs. The war should go on without the US looking meddlesome.

The Hindustan Times, The Times of India, in the meantime, carried a PTI story -- Most Pakistanis see US as bigger threat than India: survey on 14th August, 2009. This story quoted another survey, commissioned by Al Jazeera News Channel and conducted by Gallup Pakistan (and not the one conducted by Pew). This survey "revealed that 59 per cent of respondents believed the greatest threat to Pakistan right now is the US. Eighteen per cent said that the greatest threat came from neighbouring India." So, these are two separate surveys with almost similar findings when it comes to attitudes about US. But, on the threat perception from India this is what the Pew Survey had to say, "And growing worries about extremism notwithstanding, more Pakistanis judge India as a very serious threat to the nation (69%) than regard the Taliban (57%) or al Qaeda (41%) as very serious threats."

The Pew survey reveals that "by a margin of 54% to 4% the U.S. is seen as favoring India over Pakistan." Conspiracy theorists in Pakistan have recently talked about a Indo-US-Israel nexus to dismember the country. For US public diplomacy the second challenge, may be, is to debunk such conspiracy theories. These have the potential to become an ideological rallying point against US, around the banner of Islam, possibly destabilizing the entire region from South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

Madhur

G-2 embassies in New Delhi

2009-08-15T18:02:00.007+05:30

The Chinese Embassy at Chanakyapuri, in New Delhi, is now surrounded by a barbed wire fence. It starts next to the pavement and is a good 6-7 feet away from the walls of the compound. It is an eyesore! It looks more like a compound housing a security agency/military outpost than an embassy at New Delhi’s beautiful diplomatic enclave.

Embassies in New Delhi, or for that matter anywhere in the world, take great care to project an authentic (or desired) perception of the country. When I first visited New Delhi as a 13 year old, I remember my parents taking me around the Diplomatic Enclave. That was quite some time ago and I was amazed by the wide boulevards, the neatly manicured lawns, “foreign cars” (India only had the Maruti to boast of then) which was so unlike the rest of Delhi. I remember loving the ‘cottage like’ Belgian Embassy and the Pakistan Embassy for its unique Islamic architecture with domes and all. But yes, every embassy I visited embedded in my mind an image of the country.Years later, when I happened to visit the US embassy, I could sense "power" - in its sprawling campus, high walls, layers of security surrounding the embassy, cumbersome and tiring security checks conducted by paranoid and angry staff. There are barricades, check posts in the lanes and roads leading to the embassy, there is a ring of security by the paramilitary forces (most likely the CRPF) and an outer layer of security of Delhi Police both outside the embassy and then there are layers inside. You realize, this is a country that takes itself really seriously. It was inaccessible and unfriendly. There was nothing “diplomatic” about it and you could sense the “empire.” In a way, the preeminent position of US in the world was being reinforced by its heightened threat perception.

The Chinese seems to be doing something similar. Is it reflective of its growing power in the world now? I don’t know exactly when this fence and layers of security came up around the Chinese embassy. Possibly, after the Urumqi riots with threats of attacks by Islamic terrorists the Chinese are being extra careful. However, contrast this with the Algerian Embassy, a country which has been a victim of Islamic terror for quite some time now. The Algerians don’t look so paranoid. The rest of the P5 - Russian, French and English - seem comparatively relaxed too. The Chinese are beginning to take themselves seriously or maybe I am taking the Chinese seriously! But as my colleagues and me drove by the Chinese embassy we could sense "power."

The G2 has arrived in New Delhi. Contrast this to a visit to the New Zealand High Commisssion or the embassy of Nepal for that matter. You will know what I am talking about!

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

Madhur

The Diaspora in Public Diplomacy - Indian & Chinese

2009-08-04T21:07:00.005+05:30

The Global Times carried the following editorial today "Overseas Chinese: time to boost image" The edit piece said - "China’s sons and daughters living abroad can promote the country’s international image as a powerful, responsible and respected nation ... This group has a lot to offer in terms of boosting China’s economic growth and overall development; that contribution will be more sustainable if these overseas Chinese enjoy a good image." In keeping with its ambition to a larger role in the world, China has drawn up extensive plans to harness what the diaspora has to offer.

India & China are two most populous nations in the world. Both these countries are home to half of the world's population and a huge number of Indians & Chinese live overseas. The diaspora of these two countries can play a huge role in boosting respective country's images. Number of Indians living overseas are estimated anywhere between 26-30 million across all continents. It will be interesting to watch how these two nations, potential rivals, attempt to leverage this advantage. From lobbying to cultural influence, the diaspora is crucial.

Significantly, Indians have different images in different countries. While in North America they might be seen as a "model minority" but in countries such as Nepal in its neighborhood, Indians are not a very welcome lot... even though their numbers are substantial. These subtle differences need to be taken into account in seeking to engage the diaspora in different countries. The Chinese seem to be more aggressive when it comes to reaching out to diaspora for virtually every socio-political development, and, do not mind making demands such as asking the diaspora " ... to unite around the Communist Party on the basis of "blood lineage" and to spread the "truth" about separatism in Xinjiang " (The Sydney Morning Herald). In the recent racist violence against Indian students in Australia, the Indian government made little efforts to involve the diaspora but kept it at government to government level. In fact, few Indian-Australians I know, refused to be dragged into this controversy as they did not want to be seen as "Anti-Australian," being Australian citizens now. How about getting the Australian diaspora to help Indian students, immigrants, settle down better in an alien land? Another interesting fact about the Indian diaspora is that most of the remittances come from the Gulf countries where Indians primarily work as service personnel, menial labourers, construction workers etc. and not from prosperous Indians in Western Europe or North America. So, can the diaspora be a all weather friend?

I also feel the digital is a good medium to engage the diaspora. The diaspora is quite possibly very active in the social media sphere networking, getting back in touch or simply checking for news from India. The medium has potential to connect, discuss, engage and influence the "digital diaspora." This is one area where Public Diplomacy 2.0 can potentially play an important role.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

Madhur

Web 2.0 in Public Diplomacy - Strategic mismatch

2009-08-01T16:04:00.004+05:30

There's much talk about using Web 2.0 for Public Diplomacy nowadays. As I have written in this blog before, I am a bit cynical about its potential right now. It might be a strategic tool for some nations but may not be of use for some at all. There is indeed a digital divide in international relations with possibly interesting consequences.

Let's take the example of India. Internet penetration is low but the number of Internet users are very high. As of September, 2008, India had 45.3 million active internet users. This is according to the I-Cube [Internet in India] Study conducted annually by IMRB International and Internet and Mobile Association of India [IAMAI]. These figures were released in January 2009. The study also found that the number of “claimed” internet users in September 2008 was 57 million - "Claimed Users" being those who have used the internet "sometime" but not in the last one month. This is however, just 1/6th of just the Indian middle class. From the "Web 2.0 public diplomacy" perspective there may not be a mass potential here. I propose this argument keeping in mind one of the core objectives of Public Diplomacy - to influence foreign public opinion to bring about policy, behavourial, attitudinal changes in the 'targeted' nation state. Out of 1.2 billion Indians merely 45 million are active internet users! My guess is that these 45 million are not very active voters as well to be able to enforce policy changes. Voter apathy of Indian middle class is well known. To bring about changes in India, a communications campaign has to look at the vast underclasses, nearly 800-900 million of them, who also 'vote' and thus matter to the political elite.

But if we look at developed economies like US or Europe, internet penetration and usage are high. So, for lesser countries with the capability and knowhow ( I mean India, China & Brazil) it will be a lot easier to influence Europeans or Americans in a focused way with mass out reach. In a way, the strategic advantage actually lie with these countries rather than the developed West when it come to Web 2.0 Public Diplomacy. Being on the wrong side of the digital divide may be beneficial for these states. To illustrate further, we all know about Iran "twittering away" few months ago... but these twitterers are very minuscule and do not form the huge popular support base for conservative Ahmedinejad. (Read my blog post "Public Diplomacy & Social Media" in June, 2009.) For Iran, it is easier to reach and attempt to influence an American audience rather than for US to reach Iranians via Web 2.0. Naturally, the tactics have to be different and a realistic assessment of Web 2.0 potential has to be made for each country.

Web 2.0, nonetheless, can be used by US and the West to influence policy makers, lobbyists, academics & analysts in countries with low internet usage and this is where it can be most useful. I am not discounting the potential of Web 2.0 Public Diplomacy -- This is just an attempt to look critically at it's possible use in the world as it exists now.

Suggestions/Critiques welcome.

-- Madhur

Indian "Peace Corps" - Can it be an effective Public Diplomacy tool for India?

2009-07-28T20:50:00.006+05:30

The updates in my twitter account recently had this really interesting bit of information about the launch of "World Friends Korea" (Source: Syracuse University's Public Diplomacy Blog). According to The Korea Times, World Friends Korea is - "a group of volunteers to strengthen (Korea's) goodwill activities in underdeveloped or developing countries around the world in an effort to become a more responsible member of the international community." The report further mentions that, "The volunteers will work with governments, schools, non-profit organizations and businessmen in various areas, including education, the environment, agriculture and information technology. They will also play an important role in promoting Korea's culture and food around the world." The UN has welcomed the launch of World Friends Korea which it believes will help to expand Korea's role in the global stage, build visibility, credibility and promote goodwill. Interestingly, it is modeled on the US Peace Corps.

The US remains the only country to send numerous volunteers abroad - under a state backed initiative - to work in numerous areas ( Education, Health & HIV/AIDS, Environment, Business Development, Agriculture, Youth Development etc.) The underlying objective is to promote peace & friendship and also build a positive perception of the country overseas. Currently the US Peace Corps has 7,876 volunteers and a dedicated Federal budget of USD 340 million for 2009.

The news made me think if it is possible to have something on similar lines in India. Such a move will complement India's global aspirations and can make India more visible globally. I feel this can be very relevant in India's neighborhood, including the Indian Ocean area, where India remains and will remain the dominant power. South Asia & Indian sub continent is a problem area of the world be it human development issues or terrorism. India, with its resources, know how and skilled personnel can definitely play a role in helping countries in the neighborhood by sending trained volunteers overseas. From the perspective of strategy, it will help counter some of the animosity harbored towards India by its neighbors (Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar etc.) because of India's alleged "Big Brother" attitude. It will increase people to people contact, will benefit India's youth - potential leaders of tomorrow - in understanding India's position in the region and the world.

I am sure lot of Indian volunteers work and are working overseas in different countries. What I am suggesting here is a "state backed initiative" with dedicated annual budgets that can serve as a potent strategic tool in India's public diplomacy. I also feel it may not be entirely necessary to raise a separate group of volunteers, rather groom India's acclaimed National Cadet Corps or the NCC for such international roles in South Asia. India can start by offering such an option to NCC cadets and maybe gradually move toward raising a separate group of volunteers. NCC cadets can learn languages, know cultures & gain a global perspective to become better leaders in a globalized world. It will foster better understanding of India, especially in the Indian Ocean region & South Asia. Besides, this will also imply that India takes it position in the world seriously and is committed to make a real difference in the world leveraging its strengths and resources. How's that for Public Diplomacy messaging?

Suggestions/critiques welcome.

-- Madhur

Northeast India in Indian Public Diplomacy

2009-07-22T19:38:00.008+05:30

India's Northeast remains a distinct cultural unit within India. The land, its people, languages, customs, cultural practices have lot in common with countries of Southeast Asia like Thailand, Myanmar etc. For example, Thai language, culture and customs are studied, preserved, promoted & practised extensively by the Ahom tribe - a dominant ehtnic group - in Assam. There are museums, cultural centres dedicated to such pursuits. Similarly, if you go to Moreh in Manipur you can just "walk over" to Myanmar at certain hours during the day when the borders are opened for sometime. Some Naga tribes are in Myanmar and not in Nagaland. Apart from similarities in physical appearances - the Mongoloid features - there are also similarities between languages and dialects of Northeast India to Southeast Asia. If you look at dietary habits, cuisines of Northeast are very "unindian" (Indian food for most people is Punjabi - tandoori chicken, paneer tikka or the occassional Masala Dosa!) There are some shared dishes and styles of cooking with Southeast Asian countries which one won't find in the rest of India. Besides, Tinsukia in Assam is 24 hours away by road from Bangkok but 40-50 hours away by train from New Delhi! Cultural alienation from the rest of India is not surprising. Coupled with the irrelevance of Northeast in Indian electoral politics, it feeds into the growing discontent in the region leading to militant movements against the Indian state.

Despite the similarities between India's Northeast and Southeast Asia, people to people contact between the regions remain minimal. This was recognised at the policy level by former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao during whose tenure India started its "Look East" policy to spread India's influence towards the east. This was also a strategic move to counter a rising China rapidly growing in influence in Myanmar, Nepal & Bangladesh. While trade ties and strategic ties have grown manifold people to people exchanges are not as frequent as they should have been. The direct Air India flight "Narmada," started from Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport at Guwahati to Bangkok has been scrapped. No international flights operate between India's Northeast to Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia remains low when it comes to 'mindshare' and Northeasterners look towards Delhi or Kolkata for ideas and inspiration. The media (TV programmes especially) rarely have content about/from Southeast Asia. Very few students from Northeast prefer to go for higher studies in institutes such as Asian Insititute of Management at Manila or Bangkok Institute of Technology, similarly very few students come to universities in Northeast from say Myanmar or Cambodia. The history curriculum in Indian schools too seek to downplay the links with Southeast Asia and talk about the region's evolution vis-a-vis North/South India and emphasise the ties with mainland India instead. Cultural exchanges remain few between the regions. A Cambodian/Thai cultural or food festival in Guwahati makes more sense than one in New Delhi. Similarly, ICCR and other such organizations should also strive to promote India's Northeast in these countries. It is yet to become a trade and cultural hub of India for Southeast Asia. The road to India's Northeast is still via New Delhi.

India's public diplomacy will do well to aggressively promote people to people contacts between these two regions. Instead of stage managing or institutional showcasing there should be an attempt to promote spontaneity and embed popular conciousness with ideas about each other. The government should actually make it easier for the Northeast to reach out to Southeast Asia and vice-versa. Cultural similarities between the regions should be effectively leveraged, and in the long run, this will only facilitate Northeast India's development & progress.

-- Madhur

"Caminho das Índias" - Brazilian Telenovela

2009-07-21T00:23:00.005+05:30

I read this really interesting piece in Hindustan Times regarding the Brazilian soap (telenovela) that is based on India. The writer mentions that it is "the strongest manifestation of India's appeal" and says that there is a growing interest and curiosity about everything 'Indian' in Brazil. The soap is called "Caminho das Índias" or Passage to India and is a real popular one on Brazilian TV. Read the article here : Made in Brazil.
There is also a website of the novela: http://caminhodasindias.globo.com/
Watch You Tube teaser :

Enjoy!

-- Madhur

Indian Public Diplomacy - Time to be assertive?

2009-07-19T23:26:00.005+05:30

Joseph Nye, the "Guru" of Public Diplomacy, had once stated that India (along with China) has adopted a foreign policy that made it more attractive in the eyes of others but have not been able to leverage its soft power resources like US, or Europe.

Very interesting point. Historically India has sought the moral high ground in international relations through non-aligned movement, the Panchasheel principles, Bandung Conference, membership of the Commonwealth etc. This to an extent generated considerable goodwill towards India internationally, projecting the image of a pacifist nation inspired by democratic values & Nehruvian vision of peaceful co-existence. It also helped India achieve the strategic objective of preserving it's sovereignty in a recently decolonised world mired in Cold War politics.

However, with ambitions of becoming a major world power, India now will be called on to take some pragmatic but 'hard' decisions. This might mean doing away with some of the "nice" image and being more assertive. For example, the vote against Iran in the recent past thus burying the prospects of a Indo-Iranian gas pipeline project was such a move. Such moves will result in strong reactions internationally (may be also internally) and India's public diplomacy strategists are likely to have their hands full.

The New York Times in an editorial - "Secretary Clinton goes to India" ( July 17, 2009) - on US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's visit to India said, "India wants to be seen as a major world power. For that to happen, it will have to drop its pretensions to nonalignment and stake out strong and constructive positions." The US wants India to take clear stands on international issues especially with a strong government in power now. The same newspaper in an earlier editorial - India's challenges - (May 18, 2009) had called for India to "use its considerable trade clout with Iran, Sudan and Myanmar to curb Tehran’s nuclear program, end the genocide in Darfur and press Myanmar’s junta to expand human rights."

With power comes responsibility. India's public diplomacy will have to be geared towards serving country's strategic interests and not just present a "fluffed up" image of the country. The US has done it very successfully by "owning" the "themes" of freedom and democracy and using these in all their communications to advance national interests.

-- Madhur

Changing cast of characters - Indian Public Diplomacy

2009-07-17T22:22:00.009+05:30

Traditionally, politics & the state played a significant role in shaping a country's image. Onset of information revolution & globalisation changed all that. There are significant non-state actors that play a crucial role in influencing and moulding public opinion. Most of these non-state actors now do that without any state patronage or direct encouragement from the state. A country should identify, recognise such groups and ensure that any public diplomacy strategy takes into account the existence of such groups. Sometimes, there are possibilities that such groups are acting in a manner that might be inimical to a country's interest or might indirectly promote a country's interests. A strategist should be able to anticipate and 'include' such possibilities.

For India, the 21st century will see the expansion of Indian corporates overseas significantly. These will be Indian MNCs, not necessarily outsourcing vendors, but also manufacturers and traders. These corporates with transnational interests will also be looked upon as "Indian" companies - projecting an image of India overseas. Case in point - Coca Cola & McDonald's - despite their global presence are still looked upon as symbols of 'Americanization' even though these brands adopted brand strategies in each country to 'localize' their product.

India's economic liberalization has meant more Indian companies are aggressively pushing for businesses overseas. Tata's acquisition of Corus, Jaguar, Landrover & Tetley Tea; Mahindra & Mahindra's forays into North America; the already entrenched position of Infosys, Wipro; ONGC Videsh scouting for energy resources overseas; Anil Ambani's tie up with Steven Spielberg to produce Hollywood movies etc. etc. Everyday we come across such stories in Indian & overseas media. What these companies will represent are Indian management style, work ethics, business values etc.

Interestingly, these issues were sharply brought into focus during the acquisition of Arcelor with Mittal Steel to create the biggest steel company of the world. The French CEO of Arcelor, Guy Dolle, is alleged to have made racial taunts against Indian businessman LN Mittal, also the 4th richest man in the world, and is alleged to have said Mittal was offering "monkey money" for acquiring Arcelor. This deal also resulted in the intervention of Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac and was widely covered by the press. The Indian government took notice as well. This is all documented in the book "Cold Steel". (Read)

Consider this article that appeared in Fortune magazine in November, 2007 - "Jaguar, Land Rover look to buyers in India" (Read) - it says "Bizarrely, two Indian companies are among the leading bidders. Tata Motors (Charts) is basically a maker of commercial vehicles that has been building passenger cars for only a decade. Mahindra & Mahindra, which specializes in agricultural and utility vehicles, is just starting to build passenger cars this year." I thought the use of the word "bizzarely" was interesting while talking about an "Indian" acquisition of Land Rover. But it just did not stop there. It went on to say "And how many Anglophile owners of Jags and Range Rovers are likely to remain loyal to their brands once title passes to the sub-continent?" - I don't know what it meant, it could be either - Indians are not cool enough, Indian carmakers sucks, Indian companies cannot ensure quality control - whatever, Alex Taylor III might seem to be an Anglophile after one reads this article. What's interesting is that this article followed one in October, 2007 - "India's firms build global empires" (Read) - in the same magazine. A very informative article that concludes with - "Increasingly, Indian dreams are shaping the reality of global commerce. Those dreams ... offer great potential as a force for future growth." Positive insights into the possibility called India. India also has 24 billionaires with a combined net worth of $107 billion. Four Indians were among the world's top 10 richest. (Forbes)

In what could a direct example of what I am trying to put forth here - Indian business has become a crucial actor in Indian Public Diplomacy - consider the following article "Australians praise Sachin, avoid Slumdog to win Indian biz" in the Times of India on July 3, 2009. India and Indians are being closely observed. World over.

Developments such as above foster debate, discussions and the country gets talked about; opinions are formed. These offer wonderful opportunities to spread India's influence overseas as well and claim a bigger say in running the world economy. But do we have a strategy yet to leverage this interest? What would be also interesting to see is how these Indian companies vie for influence with Chinese companies...

-- Madhur

Bastille Day Parade - Feather in the cap for Indian Public Diplomacy

2009-07-14T23:30:00.001+05:30

It was fascinating to watch the Maratha light infantry of the Indian Army LEAD the Bastille Day parade in Paris. It was full of symbolism that showcased the closeness of ties between France and India and also the importance of India in the new world order, where, just last week, the G-8 announced its own irrelevance and mooted the idea of a G-14 instead.

This symbolism will definitely give India an image boost in the West. Kudos to South Block mandarins for working towards it with the French. I am just curious to know the chain of events that led to it. How was the idea arrived at? Who mooted it first and why? Nonetheless, it does India's public diplomacy a lot good. I think it was a good 'stunt' to showcase the friendship, the relevance of India and also display a professional Indian army that can match the professionalism of the forces of a P 5 state.

There's a meeting of minds between France & India on a lot of issues:

Both support and strive to promote a multipolar world with both countries being one of the poles
France has been a defence supplier for India (Mirages for example) and now maybe the Rafale
The defence forces of both the countries share a healthy relationship and have participated in numerous joint exercises
France was also quick to sign a bilateral nuclear deal post the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation agreement
Both are stable democracies and France is supportive of India's candidacy for a permanent seat in the UN

Most Indian newspapers, including Hindustan Times and The Times of India reported that Manmohan Singh also became the first international leader to be invited to attend the parade at France (Sarkozy was the chief guest in India's republic day parade in 2008). However, it needs some verification. There were representatives from Cambodia and Germany too witnessing the parade. Nonetheless it was great honor for India indeed.

-- Madhur

China - Perception challenges & Public Diplomacy

2009-07-13T23:38:00.008+05:30

The recent riots at China's restive Xinjiang province presents a good opportunity to analyze developments that stretched China's public diplomacy machinery. The Global Times, in the meantime, has written a scathing editorial criticising Western press on their coverage of the Urumqi riots and for deliberately maligning China's image. Read it here.

A few other "perception" challenges of China in recent times include:

Western observers routinely talk about the fact that China’s economic success has not been accompanied by significant political reforms and the single-party regime remains in force, even as the public sector is being rolled up.
Taiwan's refusal to allow the path of the running of the Olympic torch through its territory.
It's censorhip of information and the country was in news recently when it blocked Google for an hour.
Its support for the government at Sudan. This was an issue that was raised prior to the Beijin Olympics in 2008.
The contaminated pet food fiasco in North America last year which put into doubt the credibility & quality control in Chinese companies.
Attacks on an oil installation in Ethiopia that killed 9 Chinese workers.
The riots in Jharkhand in India between local laborers and workers of Sinosteel.
It's abysmal human rights record and the Tibetan issue.

China, just few days ago, objected to financial aid from Asian Development Bank to Arunachal Pradesh in India disputing Arunachal's status as an Indian state. This was disapponting considering the recent efforts to build trust between the countries. This will also definitely not go down well with the Indian people who remain wary of the Chinese threat. Besides, China's support of Pakistan is well known. Does the Chinese establishment care about a charm offensive targeted towards Indians? Positive perception of China in India is crucial to ensure that conflict (be it political or military) doesn't disrupt the growth momentum of these Asian giants.

-- Madhur