What is soft power?

Joseph Nye defines soft power as the power of attraction or ability of a state to attain its objectives through attraction or cooption rather than coercion.

Hard power on the other hand is based on the use of coercion through military power or inducement through economic aid.It is basically the strategy of stick and carrot policy.

What constitutes soft power?

As per Nye a country’s soft power can come from three resources: its culture (in places where it is attractive to others), its political values (when it lives up to them at home and abroad), and its foreign policies (when they are seen as legitimate and having moral authority).

For example,The post cold war era between 1990-2010 saw  the ‘’American values’’ being imbibed by the non western world .Everyone wanted to vote ,everyone wanted free speech,everyone wanted jeans and Hollywood.

Shashi Tharoor goes beyond Nye’s characterization of soft power and says that a country’s soft power emerges principally from the world’s perceptions about that country is all about. In other words, the associations conjured up in the global imagination by the mere mention of your name is often a more accurate gauge of your soft power impact than some analysis of your foreign policy.Hard power is exercised, soft power is evoked.

What traits the countries need to enjoy soft power?

Such traits can be found in what is popularly phrased as ‘American way of living’.There can be similar themes found in Francis Fukuyama’s ‘End of History’theory.According to this theory, Fukuyama argues that, following the ascendency of Western-style liberal democracy following the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, humanity was reaching "not just  the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government"

Debunking certain myths about soft power

1.It is more humane than hard power-Like any form of power, it can be wielded for good or ill. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, after all, possessed a great deal of soft power in the eyes of their acolytes.As joseph Nye observes If I want to steal your money, I can threaten you with a gun, or I can swindle you with a get-rich-quick scheme in which you invest, or I can persuade you to hand over your estate as part of a spiritual journey. The third way is through soft power, but the result is still theft.

2. Military Resources Produce Only Hard Power-Military power is essential ingredient of hard power but can also enhance the soft power of a country . Military prowess and competence can sometimes create soft power. Dictators such as Hitler and Stalin cultivated myths of invincibility and inevitability to structure expectations and attract others to join their cause. As Osama bin Laden has said, people are attracted to a strong horse rather than a weak horse. A well-run military can be a source of admiration. The impressive job of the U.S. military in providing humanitarian relief after the Indian Ocean tsunami and the South Asian earthquake in 2005 helped restore the attractiveness of the United States. Military-to-military cooperation and training programs, for example, can establish transnational networks that enhance a countrys soft power.

What is India’s soft power?

According to Shashi Tharoor India’s soft power is multidimensional and includes sports,music,art,films,yoga,food tourism etc.India’s anti colonial history,democratic institutions,free press,significant Indian diaspora abroad are also part of this soft power