Articles

Public Diplomacy: Lessons for the Conduct of Indian Foreign Policy

Madhavi Bhasin
Research Scholar, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
e-mail: madhavibhasin@gmail.com

The realist dictum that power struggle dominates relations between states still holds good. Conflictual relations and clash of national interests continue to involve states in different forms of diplomacy. As the contours of the power struggle change so do the tools of diplomacy. Public diplomacy which refers to the art of serving national interests by informing, influencing and understanding foreign audiences, is fast emerging as an essential tool for serving national interests in international politics. Educational, cultural, social and diverse media activities constitute the core of public diplomacy.

In May 2006, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) established its Public Diplomacy Division to educate domestic and global opinion on key policy issues and project a better image of the country. It is modeled on the Public Diplomacy Office of the US State Department. The target audience include domestic and international think-tanks, faculties in institutes of higher learning, press clubs and editors of local and foreign newspapers. The public diplomacy efforts by India have turned out to be an organizational refinement of the MEA, rather than a serious attempt at utilizing the benefits possible through public diplomacy. It is important for the MEA to appreciate some essential prerequisites for conducting public diplomacy before tangible results can be expected.

Public diplomacy is not merely a generic activity for disseminating data about India. It is not expected to be limited to detailing the economic growth and industrial potential of the country, and its democratic credentials. Public diplomacy is a target-oriented activity; both in terms of objectives and audience. The positive attributes of the country need to be projected through the right strategy at the right time in the right place to serve national interests. It is essentially pro-active rather than reactive. The purpose of public diplomacy is to prepare the ground for launching a policy campaign rather than being limited to explaining the details of the campaign. It does not merely seek to influence the public and governments of others countries but is also an exercise in informing the host government about the perceptions of others. Hence, such diplomacy is not limited to gathering laurels for policy choices but also examining the failures resulting from complicated strategic options.

The public diplomacy efforts by the Government of India have been cosmetic and hardly enlightening. The division has conducted conferences across the country on various themes with the declared objective of receiving a feedback from experts and providing information to the public. The agenda chalked out for these conferences and the speakers invited simply reassert the official thinking; hence they rarely attract attention. For example, the Public Diplomacy Division held a conference on 'Connectivity in SAARC' in Kolkata last year with the apparent objective of understanding the views of the eastern states on the issue, but invited the speakers from New Delhi.

The'Incredible India' banner on a hop-on, hop-off New York Bus depicts a roaring lion. The International Media Press Opinion section in the Ministry of External Affairs website shows no results for the year 2007 and 2008. The efforts of the India Brand Equity Foundation - a private-public partnership between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industries - are commendable as information providers on economic opportunities in India, rather than being a strategic public diplomacy tool. Can the activities of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, without centers in the US and China be compared to the British Council or Swiss Pro Helvetia? These efforts clearly show that the public diplomacy efforts by the Government of India are neither issue-oriented nor target-specific.

The Government of India has not used the tool of public diplomacy in meeting concerns on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Chinese actions in Tibet, Pakistan's assistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan, or the influx from Bangladesh. Dissemination of authentic data on these issues to serve India's national interests could help to garner more support for its policy choices. Public diplomacy offers an opportunity to create a favorable environment whereby tough decisions can be executed with minimum resistance. The concept of being an 'information warrior'and 'perception manager'which is gaining prominence in the US needs to inspire the conduct of public diplomacy in India. In an era where the most successful advertising agencies are running the public diplomacy efforts of countries like the US, the UK and China, efforts by India are rudimentary at best. Innovativeness, foresight, marketing blitz, strategic planning and psychological management are imperative for any successful public diplomacy effort. India needs to realize that public diplomacy is not simply an office space in the South Block, but a connecting link and strategic leverage in its foreign policy.  

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