As part of America`s "smart power diplomacy" initiative, 15 American artists and collaborative artist teams will visit 15 countries including India to engage in people-to-people diplomacy through the visual arts.

As a burgeoning, boisterous democracy and a growing economic power with a tradition of nonalignment, India has tremendous assets that can be put to work in its public diplomacy; but it should re-orient its strategy to reach out to the world in a way that leverages its strengths and national values rather than simply inviting other nations to sample its rich culture and diversity.

India's different approach...stems to a large degree from the fact that it is politically, economically and even culturally more akin to Latin America than communist China is. Increasing frictions with China are a big reason for the region's increasing interest in dealing with India. Washington, of course, is also happy ...the U.S. considers New Delhi less a threat to its interests in the hemisphere than is Beijing.

APDS Blogger: Jerry Edling

It envisages a region where stability and cooperation prevail, marked by maritime security for all and a collective ability to deal with sources of non-traditional security threats. Besides, India is set to enhance its hard power and also deploy soft power assets to deepen its links with littoral states.

Rapid development and industrialization have forced the movement of populations into cities... For others, the transition offers new opportunities for business, education and eventual quality of life improvements. In India, this transformation is increasingly apparent

Our research will assess the role of each of these actors: public, private, and nonprofit, as well as media and academia—and seeks to understand how they create the public diplomacy ecosystem in India. We will survey a wide range of ‘diplomacies’—from cultural to economic...

A ‘strategic partnership’ agreement was signed by Afghanistan and India. For all these years India has been identified with building roads, hospitals and schools in Afghanistan. India is also keen for economic engagement...India has been exhibiting its “soft power” standing in the region.