Enthusiastic Diaspora welcome PM Modi at the Philadelphia Airport.on Sept. 21, 2024 / PMO India

From America’s use of jazz music to counter communist propaganda during the Cold War to South Korea’s promotion of pop culture through K-pop music to bolster its economy, the use of soft power across the world has been an effective branding strategy and means to influence domestic and foreign policy.

Soft power has been defined as “a country’s ability to influence others without resorting to coercive pressure. In practice, that process entails countries projecting their values, ideals, and culture across borders to foster goodwill and strengthen partnerships.”

Whether it's the gift of Yoga and Ayurveda, rooted in Hindu Dharmas, to the world, vaccine diplomacy during Covid-19, or the promotion of Buddhist tourism to Southeast Asia, perhaps no country has used soft power more effectively than India in recent years. India’s greatest soft power asset, however, has been its diaspora, which has attained economic success and contributed immensely to whatever country it migrates to, thereby organically serving as positive brand ambassadors for their country of origin. 

This is not a new phenomenon per se, but more of a return to India’s historic and traditional role as a global influencer via trade routes, economic migration, and through its exportation of Dharmic philosophies, science, and culture.

And that’s exactly what Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming trip to the US represents - a celebration of India’s soft power and particularly the diaspora, a celebration of the Indian American experience, and a celebration of the partnership between our two great democracies - the US and India. 

Specifically, the trip underscores the diaspora’s success of integrating into their new environs while simultaneously maintaining deep connections to and affection for India. This can be seen through the vibrant cultural organizations, festivals, and development of socio-religious institutions which allow them to continue their traditions far away from home and across generations. 

More importantly, the diaspora has historically played an important role in advocating for strong US-India relations, and increasingly does so today in a more organized and systematic manner. Notably and contrary to what some would falsely assert, the diaspora and diaspora organizations engage in this advocacy to further their own charitable missions as proud Indian Americans and not at the behest of a foreign Indian government pulling their strings.

Despite its success, the diaspora has also been demonized and maligned by some in the media, academia, and government as extremists and Hindu nationalists, in an attempt to silence them and undermine their growing influence. This includes witch hunts and accusations of dual loyalty against Indians and particularly Hindu Americans who seek nothing more than to build bridges between their janmabhoomi (land of their birth) of India and karmabhoomi (land of their actions) of America.

What these individuals and institutions fail to understand, however, is that their actions have only further galvanized the Indian American community. Indians and more specifically Hindus come from an extremely resilient civilization that has withstood attacks over thousands of years and not just survived but thrived. So these latest attacks are only distractions from the larger Indian American story and will neither alter the course of the community’s ascent nor significantly impact US-India relations over the long term.

Notwithstanding some hiccups along the way, the US-India bilateral relationship should continue to grow across multiple sectors from economic cooperation and trade, to technology and healthcare, to defense and security collaboration. 

And as long as the US recognizes and respects India’s strategic autonomy and refrains from intervening or lecturing India, often in a misguided manner, about its internal affairs, the future remains bright. As Akhil Ramesh and I argued in an article earlier this year in The National Interest, “as a postcolonial society, India is particularly resistant to any intervention by a Western power that challenges its hallowed self-determination and autonomy.” 

Only time will tell, but over the long term, betting on the US-India partnership and the Indian American diaspora is a smart bet to make.

 

The author is the managing director of Policy & Programs, and Co-Legal Counsel at the Hindu American Foundation.   

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad)