Digital Diplomacy and Soft Power: the Case of India.

The two most populous countries in the world, China and India are both experiencing fast economic development and rapid social change, including in their communications sectors. Both these nations are part of the "BRICS" group of nations and they aspire to play a bigger role internationally, in culture as much as in politics, challenging traditional notions of power and the West. The Cold War period was characterized by an emphasis on hard power. The post cold war period has seen the growing importance of 'soft power' and information as well as several new models of international relations which have a bearing on international communications. The past two decades have also been characterized by globalization, with communications being both a cause and consequence of globalization, along with privatization and liberalization. Against this back-drop, what is the role of information vis-à-vis the world order? What role does media have to play in establishing India's soft power? Have traditional notions of diplomacy been replaced by mediated agenda setting in the context of India? Furthermore, is digital diplomacy emerging as important in a democracy such as India? While pondering these questions, countries such as India, China and Brazil are not only large consumers of media content, but they are also large producers of it, including entertainment programming. Information and communication has increasingly shifted to the digital domain. This paper explores these issues, taking as its central reference point, the theoretical framework of Joseph Nye's concept of 'soft power'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]