In diversity of candidates for UK’s next PM, a soft power lesson for India

Source: The post is based on an article “UK’s next PM, a soft power lesson for India” published in the Indian Express on 14^th July 2022.

Syllabus: GS2 – International Relations

Relevance: Soft Power, Importance of Indian Diaspora

News: At more than half of the contenders (Nadhim Zahawi, Rishi Sunak and others) racing to become the leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the UK, are from immigrant, non-white, and ethnic minority community. It opens up a possibility that the next British PM may be brown or black.

Important personalities with Indian roots in the western countries

(A) Political leaders

(1) The US: Barak Obama who was elected as the first black President of the United States was born to a Kenyan father. Further, Kamala Harris who was appointed as the first black and woman Vice-President of the United States was born to an Indian mother and Jamaican father.

(2) In addition to above, Leo Varadkar, whose father is Indian, became the Prime Minister of Ireland.

(3) There are several senior members of the UK government who do not belong to the white community.

Others

There are several black and brown people who have gained prominence in sports, media, arts, medicine, and to a lesser extent in business, in the UK. For example, Nasser Hussain who captained the English cricket team as far back as 1999 was born to a Tamil Muslim father in Chennai.

What is the significant change in the western countries, particularly Britain, in terms of soft power?

There has been maturing of the British public’s views on race, religion, and even nationality. There is an increasingly relaxed attitude towards the identity of the contenders. Therefore, it has redefined itself as an inclusive and multicultural society over the past two decades. For example,

(1) The British political classes, media, and public at large, do not mind to embrace a non-white, non-native as the head of the UK Government.

(2) In addition, there is virtually no discussion on the faith or religion of the contenders. For example, most of the runners and riders belong to a Hindu, a practising Buddhist with Hindu-Catholic roots, etc.

The ongoing development has emerged as a key source of the UK’s soft power. This will give the small island global influence.

What are the reasons behind such development?

British universities have attracted the brightest mind from around the world. Further, they are now working in the corridors of multinational companies and global institutions.

English has become the lingua franca of the world, relative to other languages such as French or German. It has absorbed and transformed words and usage from other languages across the world.

What are the challenges in front of India?

Indian society has been open and accommodative to multiple faiths and traditions, and has remained peaceful in nature.

This dimension has badly eroded over the past decade as the world due to various incidents in India. For example, right-wing movement

India’s soft power is being degraded in the context of the growing threat from China in our neighbourhood.

Way Forward

India’s global moral and cultural influence is perhaps the only dimension of power where we vastly outperform our northern neighbour. For example, there are a number of Indian-origin CEOs of leading Western companies.

India should not move from its heritage of inclusiveness towards a narrow, religio-cultural nationalism. India should learn from Britain’s shift towards multifaceted identity having global advantage.