Welcome South Asian accent on soft power

August 24, 2016, 7:56 pm 

The defenders of democracy in South Asia and indeed the world over are likely to have been greatly heartened on noting, on scanning the weekend newspapers, that Colombo’s Defence Seminar 2016 would be on the theme, ‘Soft Power and its Influence on Global Issues’. This amounts to a ‘coming of age’ of Sri Lanka’s security planners and managers and the seminar could prove a brainstorming moment for the intellectually alert. Soft power needs to be balanced with hard power if the world is to manage its security issues effectively and a dialogue on soft power is long overdue in international deliberations focusing on security and on questions linked to it.

So, the seminar, also referred to as ‘The 6th International Forum for Security Experts’, and due to be held at the BMICH, Colombo from September 1-2nd 2016, should be considered as being of central importance to South Asia and the world. Currently, when hard power and heavy-handed coercion are proving to be of pivotal importance in handling security and defence matters by the world, it could not have been timelier to pose soft power as a very viable option in conflict resolution.

Soft power is no stranger to modern South Asia and if the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru are being revered by the champions of peaceful conflict resolution the world over, it is because it is soft power and not hard power which comes more naturally to humankind. The ‘Apostles of Peace’ helped focus on the ennobling possibilities in humanity and for this they would be remembered forever, whereas the names of note of those who strongly advocated and are advocating hard power would probably be remembered in a not so complimentary manner.

Although the concept of soft power may be new to many Sri Lankans it is already part of public discussion in countries, such as, India, China and Pakistan. One of the latest books to come out on the subject in India is titled, ‘Communicating Soft Power - Buddha to Bollywood’ by Daya Kishan Thussu and is published by SAGE Publications, India (www.sagepublishing.com or marketing@sagepub.in). The book is a comprehensive and highly readable account of soft power and the bearing it has on India’s international diplomacy and peace-making.

The book, rightly, credits US political scientist Dr. Joseph Nye as having been one of the modern pioneers in the study of soft power and quotes him as saying that soft power is simply, "the ability to attract people to our side without coercion." Nye goes on to say that soft power is ‘not forceful or aggressive’ and is essentially all about "getting others to want the outcome that you want."

However, what is thought-provoking about soft power is that it has always been with humankind as part of the species’ essential nature. This largely accounts for the enduring appeal of the world’s greatest religions. Soft power is very much part of their main doctrines. Ahimsa, for instance, is an integral element in these religions and has always been at the disposal of humans for problem-solving.

It should be clear that hard power, understood as the application of coercive force, usually by state actors in conflict resolution, does not prove entirely satisfactory or effective in resolving issues. The horrific spiral of violence in the Middle East, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, for example, bears out this truth. Violence begets violence and there is no getting away from this reality. While state coercion, in particular, could help defuse conflicts in the short term, it is soft power that could bring enduring peace and stability.

However, it is not at all easy to arrive at the realization that soft power must be given a chance in conflict resolution. Humans usually tend to favour the use of stringent armed pressure in these situations because the deployment of the instruments of hard power, such as, military muscle and armaments, are seen, mistakenly, as bringing about ‘quick fix’ solutions to problems of a political kind. Whereas, all that one would end up with is ‘the peace of the grave yard.’ ‘Peace’ could be brought about temporarily through the use of hard power but this kind of ‘peace’ would not endure for long. This truth is seen today in the Middle East, for instance.

But what are considered political means of conflict resolution belong to the soft power category. In contrast to coercive and aggressive ways of resolving conflicts, the soft power approach favours dialogue and negotiations as problem resolution tools. These tools are in keeping with the soft power principle that peace would come only through the use of peaceful ways of resolving disputes. The value systems deriving from the world’s main religions – needless to say – endorse these principles. Considering that a political solution is yet to be evolved to Sri Lanka’s national question, it could be said that the conflict resolution process in this country has progressed only up to a point. Thus far, we have had in Sri Lanka the application of the hard approach only. The soft tools which could yield enduring peace are yet to be used fully.

Ideally, the limitations of hard power should figure at the upcoming defence dialogue in Colombo. The South Asian region needs to realize that the application of military muscle alone to conflict situations could not ensure lasting peace. Clearly, violence could only breed further violence. Once the back of recalcitrant terror groups is broken through the use of the hard option, negotiations should be opened by states with the relevant militant groups and their backers to address their grievances. Thus, could a permanent solution be found to the conflict through the use of soft power or negotiations aimed at achieving a win-win solution.

The principal states of South Asia are in a position to be complete exemplars of soft power. The consistent use of soft power by these states, including Non-alignment, could help in winning for them support from all over the world. Besides, more and more states would commit themselves to democracy or people’s empowerment, since they could see soft power at work. This is because humans by nature favour soft power to hard power., as mentioned. Ideally, India and Sri Lanka should clearly underscore their commitment to NAM, for, NAM has its roots in the Buddhistic way of life which is fully attuned to peaceful coexistence of countries and social groups.