Around the globe, India has been known for its economic, military and nuclear power. Moreover, India has been largely known for its hard power. However, in recent years, there seems to be shift...Show moreAround the globe, India has been known for its economic, military and nuclear power. Moreover, India has been largely known for its hard power. However, in recent years, there seems to be shift towards soft power. The current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is a great advocate of soft power as can be seen in his implementation of soft power in his foreign policies. India’s soft power is a force to be reckoned with as it may even exceed the its hard power capabilities. From Bollywood to yoga to Buddhism, India’s soft power is making way for India to establish a diplomatic presence in the world order. Furthermore, its effects can be seen on the manner in which India implements and uses its foreign policy and diplomacy. Therefore, this Masters thesis will explore how the Indian government is using India’s soft power and how it has used it in the past, how it influences its foreign policy, and diplomacy strategy, why this shift occurred and how it has influenced its relations abroad.Show less
India’s ambivalent engagement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is often explained via the same dichotomy as the overall Sino-Indian relationship: either realist scepticism or liberal...Show moreIndia’s ambivalent engagement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is often explained via the same dichotomy as the overall Sino-Indian relationship: either realist scepticism or liberal optimism. Academic literature on the topic demonstrates the inadequacy of these paradigms in explaining India’s ambivalence towards engagement with the BRI. This thesis goes beyond the dichotomy of Realism and Idealism and incorporates the significance of the constructions of discourse and identity. The analysis employs a Post-structuralist discourse analysis based on the work of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, whose framework can be used to analyse both how discourses of national identity are constructed, and how they are connected to foreign policy choices. In this thesis, Laclau and Mouffe’s framework is applied to the discourse surrounding national identity constructed by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and its relation to the Indian engagement with the BRI. Modi’s speeches as Prime Minister will be analysed to evince three discursive channels that together construct India’s identity: ‘Multipolarity’, ‘Great Power Recognition’, and ‘Rule of Law’. Together these three discourses construct an image of India as a state that recently achieved great power status, a state adhering to the existing international norms and rules, a champion of the liberal international order, and a promoter of multilateral connectivity initiatives. Within these discourses, BRI is projected as an initiative that does not follow international rules and norms, has the potential to convert the region into a Chinese unipolar Asia, forms a threat to India’s great power recognition, and is constructed along the exact opposite values that India adheres to. The argument highlights the temporal, ethical, and spatial contradictions in the construction of this identity. Because of these discordant dimensions India employs a conflicting rationale behind its engagement with BRI. Thus far, its engagement has been marked by hesitance and can thus be interpreted by both realists and liberal thinkers as a form of competition or cooperation. The heart of Indian foreign policy is not a realist security nor liberal economic dilemma, but a Post-structural ‘identity dilemma’: who is India, and how does it see the world?Show less
This thesis aims at analysing the foreign policy paradigm shift that happened in India in the post-liberalisation period, by focusing on the transformation of the non-alignment strategy towards a...Show moreThis thesis aims at analysing the foreign policy paradigm shift that happened in India in the post-liberalisation period, by focusing on the transformation of the non-alignment strategy towards a multi-alignment strategy in order for India to preserve and further its economic interests, but also its maritime and energy security through various strategic partnerships and joint military action with the example of the Look East/Act East Policy, or the Indo-US nuclear deal.Show less
This thesis studies India's diplomatic relations with its western neighbours- namely- Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the context of increasing threats to its domestic and regional security, India has...Show moreThis thesis studies India's diplomatic relations with its western neighbours- namely- Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the context of increasing threats to its domestic and regional security, India has adopted a "soft power" approach in achieving its strategic interests. Through qualitative case selection, this thesis dwells into India's diplomatic approach especially through the study of water diplomacy in the case of Pakistan and public diplomacy in the case of Afghanistan. In this context, this thesis associate security concerns of the three countries with their national interests, particularly focusing on India. The underlying conclusion of this thesis is that while a hard power approach or use of coercion may serve as a base to further "soft power" approach, India needs to maintain a delicate balance between the two approaches for achieving regional stability and ensuring national security.Show less
