Soft-Power Diplomacy An Urgent Need

Foreign relation is a vast field of statecraft with equally large assortment of policy tools to further diplomatic functions. Soft power diplomacy, which was first coined and popularised by Joseph Nye in 1990s, is one of such tools which has gained currency in modern diplomatic discourse. According to him soft power diplomacy is an ability to affect others to obtain the outcome one wants through attraction rather than coercion. Foreign policy is understood as an extension of domestic policy.  In line with this understanding, countries aspiring to achieve economic prosperity and a respectable pedestal in the community of nations, attach as much importance to foreign policy issues as they accord priority to domestic affairs. Every country, big or small, has its foreign policy priorities which are always aligned with national goals. The governments of these countries make use of proper policy tools to get international attention to their priorities.  

Leverage

Rich countries with military might have multiple options in their diplomatic tool box. The rich countries try to subjugate weak countries through the use of grants, assistance or investment in mega projects.  If this does not work, they do not hesitate to play hard ball diplomacy to extract what they want. But the luxury of choice is limited for weaker and smaller countries. They can only use soft power diplomacy to gain international visibility, win empathy, forge common stand on international issues and attract development partnership. Like many developing countries of the world, Nepal is endowed with some rich resources and historical advantage of being one of the oldest countries of South Asia which it can use as its soft power to further international diplomacy. These resources can be used as a leverage to enhance Nepal’s international influence, shape the perception of foreign countries towards us and attract them to engage with us and become our development partners.

In Nepal’s context, soft power diplomacy is often equated with economic diplomacy. But in reality, it covers far wider areas of engagement. It is rooted in self-sustainability of economic resources and projection of value systems represented by culture, education, tourism, religion and a host of other factors including geo-political location which come into play in dealing with international community for serving national interest. In a complex geo-political context of the region, moving pieces in the diplomatic chessboard is not easy for a country like Nepal.  Surrounded as we are by two giant adversarial neighbours with incompatible expectations from us, we cannot afford to make single wrong move nor can we stay stuck in stalemate. The best course for us is to navigate our pieces through the traps and temptations towards a win-win situation. 

For this we need to groom a corps of competent, knowledgeable, communicative and academically sound diplomats who are patriotic, conversant in international languages and well aware of their countries potentials to be tapped by mobilising domestic and external resources or gaps to be bridged through capacity enhancement. Our diplomats should be sharp-eyed to detect emerging geo-political dynamics and help the concerned stakeholders to prioritise and suggest proactive actions to resolve polemical issues of international politics. Diplomats deputed in foreign countries should be media savvy and well connected to strategic leaders of the host countries and the diplomatic community at large. A diplomat’s job is to be always on the look out of unfolding events and to be quick to use relevant forums to amplify the voice of the nation.

In recent years, small countries like Qatar and Singapore have enhanced their stature in international politics by enhancing their convening capacity for resolving international disputes. The successful mediation of Qatar in securing release and repatriation of abducted Ukrainian children from Russia and its tough negotiation with Israel and Hamas for freeing Israeli hostages has provided it a high perch disproportionate to its size.  It shows that peace deal can be clinched even through seemingly intractable situation if a neutral country with nuanced understanding of the geopolitical intricacies and credible diplomatic record comes forward to take risk. 

As discussed above, the existence of a core group of qualified diplomats in foreign missions and  a far-sighted political leadership capable of mobilising them is the most strategic and cream component of soft power diplomacy. But there always are other national assets which can be processed, enriched and showcased to attract foreign investors, development partners, visitors and admirers, helping put the country’s core competence on international spotlight. Nepal is a country which has fairly large tracts of fertile agricultural land and is endowed with diverse climate zones appropriate for production of diverse food crops, fruits and vegetables. Abundant availability of perennial running water makes agricultural prospects alluring. At a time when global hunger stares hard in the face of humanity, we have every possibility of showcasing our agricultural sector as our soft power. 

Overseas employment

About 4 million Nepali youths are working in overseas employment markets around the world.  The remittances we receive from them are sustaining our national economy. These youths are priceless soft power of Nepal.  We could change the entire perspective of how the world views at Nepal’s work force if we could provide them opportunity to enhance their technical skills and language efficiency required at the workplace of the host countries. 

Similarly, the Himalayan mountains peaks, rivers, lakes, beautiful landscapes together with pristine trekking routes can attract hundreds of thousands of expeditioners, adventurers, trekkers, artists and litterateurs from around the world. Similarly, our cultures,  bio-diversity,  the aura of mysticism surrounding our temples, mosques, monasteries, old palaces, rites, rituals and  ceremonies are all the soft powers of Nepal  which can help establish Nepal’s unique identity in the global society.   

In conclusion, soft power diplomacy represents a vast array of possibilities for Nepal in building relation, overcoming barriers, promoting dialogue, shaping perceptions towards us and help garner support by winning empathy from the international community. This is a tool, which, if used properly, will transform Nepal into a prosperous, peaceful and democratic country with an enviable position in the community of nations.

Dr. Bharadwaj is former ambassador and former chairperson of Gorkhapatra Corporation. bharadwajnarad@gmail.com