India’s Soft Power in South Asia

Asymmetrical power relations and India’s contested leadership in South Asia are two major impediments to ensuring peace and stability in, and integration of, the region. After having unsuccessfully tested the hard power approach to impose its will in the region, India has turned towards soft power. It now tries to rebuild its positive image in the region and attract more neighbours into a vision of shared prosperity and peace through soft power. This essay presents an overview of the most recent initiatives aimed at improving India’s soft power in its neighbourhood and attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy. It finds that despite some flaws in this approach, it could bring tangible positive effects and has the potential to transform relations in South Asia in the long run.