Gyan Evam Neeti: Indian Academia’s Diplomatic Potential for Viksit Bharat 2047
Keywords:
International Relations, Academic Diplomacy, Track 2 Diplomacy, Soft PowerAbstract
Academic Diplomacy is an emerging concept in the field of International Relations. Diplomacy generally occurs through the multi-track model, where Track 1 denotes formal channels, track 2 denotes non-formal channels and Track 1.5 denotes hybrid channels. The academia can also take part in the process of achieving a nation’s foreign policy goals in the Track 1.5 and Track 2 mode, especially pertaining to the sharing of knowledge as well as building channels of communication in academic and related institutional spaces. It can also play an important role in soft power and narrative setting. From the oldest times, India had multiple systems of knowledge creation and sharing, such as wandering monks and travelling scholars, who were an important part of spreading Hindu and Buddhist practices across the world. In the current era, India also has a vibrant academic community across various disciplines. By combining traditional and contemporary academic set-ups and with the right investment in educational institutions, India can develop a broad talent pool and a broad corps for academic diplomacy befitting its rising stature as part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 agenda.
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