Pakistan stands at the 84th position, in a group of 121 countries, in the soft power index according to the Brand Finance 2023, trailing far behind the regional adversary India at 28th. In the hard power index presented by Global Firepower ranking 2023, Pakistan ranks 7th out of 145 countries, which may be a consolation for the country with limited resources and a mighty army. The country needs hard power, undoubtedly, but the glaring disparity vis-à-vis soft power resource is a cause of concern nationally as well as internationally.
Global soft power index is based on almost 40 metrics on “the quality of country’s political institutions, the extent of their cultural appeal, the strength of their diplomatic network, the global reputation of their higher education system, the attractiveness of their economic model, and a country’s digital engagement with the world.” Sliding from 63rd position in 2021 to 84th in 2023, it is indeed a downward slide.
Joseph Nye, the American political scientist, and the proponent of soft power, has summed up these various metrics into three basic resources of soft power: political ideals, culture and foreign policy. He defined soft power as the “ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion.”
Pakistan is at a critical juncture. It is high time the world continues to regard it as a tolerant and pluralistic democracy with a benign international influence and an emerging economy. It’s a long and arduous journey. The work must begin, seriously and consistently.
Since post-Cold War, the western countries have used soft power resources strategically to enhance their global position and achieve their desired foreign policy objectives. The US is considered the bastion of soft power with its liberal democratic order, cultural exports from Hollywood movies to pop singer Madonna, Google to Harvard, and Coco Cola to McDonald’s. American artists and musicians have acted as cultural ambassadors during peace and pandemics.
China utilised its soft power image by blending cultural with commercial appeal. With its Confucius institutes in 162 countries, the country sponsors educational and training programmes for foreign students. Despite an assertive foreign policy against the US, Taiwan, India, and Hong Kong, the soft power image of China could not erode, owing to its massive commercial appeal through multi-trillion dollar infrastructure and investment projects in Asia, Pacific, America and Africa.
India is making waves through Bollywood movies and music, IT services and tourism. South Korea is sweeping the world through popular boy band BTS smashing records, movies winning Oscars, dramas and skincare products. By enhancing cultural attraction and promoting democratic political ideals and strong economic models of development, a country promotes a credible image internationally, using the soft power resources to positively impact how people think or interact with them. Soft power gets into action when countries strategically tap their domestic core assets into specific foreign policy goals and establish moral authority to get what it wants from others.
Unluckily for Pakistan, its cultural appeal could not be enhanced around the world due to lack of support and direction from the government. Media and entertainment is a dying industry and tourism and sports is stifled due to worsening law and order situation. The political journey has been messy. The democracy has been trampled by military dictatorship. The civil supremacy remains the main casualty in such political crises. The trajectory of human rights has been abysmal, attracting ire of local and international media on issues like freedom of speech, media censorship, violence against women, custodial torture, contempt of rule of law, targeting political opposition and journalists.
Pakistan’s dire economic situation has damaged its soft power image globally. It has signed hundreds of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements with countries of the world but its exports are shrinking, rupee is devaluing, foreign currency reserves are depleting, entrepreneurial genius is nose-diving, and private investment is dwindling. After 21 IMF bailouts, the country sees no relief. The FAO-WFP reports, Pakistan is in danger of food insecurity, like Ethiopia, Kenya and Syria.
The country’s foreign policy objectives are either narrow or ambiguous. It is in dispute with almost all the neighbours. Public diplomacy is nonexistent and cultural diplomacy never took roots. With poor law and order situation, hosting international events is a challenge.
While the world is competing for soft power supremacy to achieve their desired foreign policy objectives, Pakistan is using its national capacity very poorly. Its multi-ethnic culture is hostile to others, political credibility is eroded at home and abroad, diplomatic networking is waning, and economy is in a default mode. Further, its foreign policy lacks legitimacy and moral authority.
Pakistan has tremendous assets in soft power area which must be developed in conjunction with hard power to augment legitimacy to the state’s power position in the global system. A strategic and sustained effort is needed by the government, along with private sector to promote cultural and public diplomacy. Social media can be used to engage, inform, and encourage participation on domestic and foreign policy fronts.
Pakistan is at a critical juncture. It is high time the world continues to regard it as a tolerant and pluralistic democracy with a benign international influence and an emerging economy. It’s a long and arduous journey. The work must begin, seriously and consistently.