Paradiplomacy has the potential to not only strengthen the federal structure of the Indian state but also radically alter the trajectory of Indian foreign policy by helping regional governments to realise their potential in the conduct of cross border relations.

Can Donald Trump and Narendra Modi yoke their countries more closely together in a common fight against radical Islam? The early signs look promising, but there’s no guarantee of success. India needs to think more globally about the problem, while the U.S. must pay more attention to India’s regional concerns.

Soon after coming to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi prudently decided to emphasise India’s rich tradition of Buddhism in a soft-power approach to Asian geopolitics. Apart from countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Japan, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Mongolia and others, he even struck a direct chord with China to revive India-China ties. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be the mascot of ‘Incredible India’ campaign as the Tourism Ministry decided to do away with plans to rope in any Bollywood stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, for the role which was lying vacant after ouster of Aamir Khan earlier this year. [...] The ministry is planning to use -- for radio and audio release -- two types of videos of different durations where Modi had talked about the uniqueness and diversity of the country, the official said.

Twenty-first century statecraft, they say, is about “smart power”, the effective leveraging of both hard and soft power. [...] Leaving aside India’s soft power advantages and its hard power – both military and economic – which is poised to increase exponentially if it maintains its present trajectory, let us examine the concept of strategic communication within India’s policy structure. 

For their 2016 Best Countries report, Reibstein and his associates surveyed 16,200 business experts and ‘informed elites’ around the world and divided their findings into nine sub-rankings like adventure, quality of life, open for business, heritage, and cultural influence. India came in at No. 22 among 60 nations. 

The sarkari festival of India abroad has been forced to try a new template, with corporate contributions and a professional production company brought in, which could not have been easy at a time when the government is cutting spending on culture. Organising the Confluence Festival of India was a learning, and sometimes, a humbling experience, especially for Indian High Commissioner to Australia Navdeep Suri.

As India's economy has revived, its international trade and military posture around the world have grown. With the election of Narendra Modi, who has pursued an active foreign policy both within the South Asia region and around the world, India has emerged as an increasingly important player on the world stage.