B. M. Jain. 2017. China’s Soft Power Diplomacy in South Asia: Myth or Reality?
| Author | Feng Renjie |
| DOI | 10.1177/2347797018799888 |
| Date | 01 December 2018 |
| Published date | 01 December 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
The New Arthashastra contributes to the public debate by making complex
issues related to India’s national security accessible to lay readers. The book’s
central message can be summarized as follows: India should leave behind territo-
rial obsessions and move to an interest-based understanding of national security;
India should overcome the Panipat Syndrome, that is, reacting to problems and
fighting battles on its own soil; India needs a third force between the military and
police to tackle low-intensity insurgencies; India should not hanker after (institu-
tional) status, which in its case will automatically follow the acquisition of hard
power; India should radically restructure its military-intelligence workforce; India
should build an inclusive, market-based knowledge economy; and liberal democ-
racy is both the means and end of national security. The lack of discussion on the
role of army, air force, soft power, emerging international trade corridors and
international institutions in national security is a key weakness of the book.
Several recommendations in the concluding chapter such as the suggestion to
build domestic and overseas infrastructure to act beyond the borders do not follow
from the preceding discussion. However, the lack of engagement with historical
experience and the consequent inability to deal with real future scenarios is per-
haps the biggest weakness. Notwithstanding these shortcomings, The New
Arthashastra will hopefully trigger debate and nudge the Indian government to
release a formal strategy document.
Reference
Kumar, V. (2018). Recovering/ Uncovering the ‘Indian’ in Indian diplomacy: An ‘ancient’
tadka for a contemporary curry? Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs,
5(2), 197–215.
Vikas Kumar
Azim Premji University, India
E-mail: vikas.kumar@apu.edu.in
B. M. Jain. 2017. China’s Soft Power Diplomacy in South Asia: Myth or
Reality? London, UK: Lexington Books, 153 pp. ISBN: 978-0-7391-9339-6
DOI: 10.1177/2347797018799888
The definition of power in international politics has been transformed since the
concept of ‘soft power’ in international politics was introduced by Joseph Nye in
1980s. Although ‘China International Cultural Association’ was established by
the Ministry of Culture, the notion of soft power was not much in the limelight
since the focus of attention at the domestic level was on economic development.
However, after China’s GDP became the second largest in the world in 2009, the
new generation of Chinese leadership has gradually realized the importance of
soft power for the rise of China. Hence, various initiatives have been launched to
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Book Reviews
revive Chinese traditional culture and construct China’s positive image, culminat-
ing in ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative announced in 2013.
A profusion of scholars has devoted efforts to develop the notion of ‘soft
power’ and its implication for US foreign policies. The intensive debates on soft
power in China occurred after China’s official document involved this notion in
2007. Chinese and foreign scholarship largely centred on how to...
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