Comparison of India and U.S.

India’s growth has been greatly supported by the meticulous influence of Soft Power and it has taken India miles but we cannot eliminate other important factors that have been slowly budding India’s spheres of Influence in the last twenty years. These are such as the political economic and military ascension which rate India as an emerging super power. Soft power alone could not position India in that position but in relation to the factors above they have gradually contributed to India’s growth.

In the 1990s, China changed its foreign policy from an aggressive approach to a more pro active approach. This contributed to china to give more emphasis on bilateral agreements and regional multilateral organizations therefore improving its image. It has also portrayed a system that has become a model of economic development by which countries use to decrease poverty and increase economic growth. Due to corruption and corruption, inequality lack of democracy, lacking human rights observation and rule of law. The authoritarian system of leadership has led to a snails pace development of Chinas soft power. Though China has tried to control and influence using Soft power it cannot be compared to India’s pace and gains. This is because India being a democracy has been able to cooperate with many democracies hence promoting its soft power event to its enemies such as Afghanistan which is a security concern allover the world (Nye, 2005).

China has tried engaging in soft power and it has benefited from the decline of United States decline in soft power in the Southeast Asia region since America has over emphasized its war on Terrorism and the effects of this on their foreign policy. In this process China hosted the 2008 China Olympics, which was an opening to multilateral relations and it was a breakthrough for China to market its Soft power. They did not only use this event to show sporting prowess but also their potential. China has also developed keen interest in teaching Mandarin to the rest of the world. Though China has adjusted its diplomacy, it can also be gauged that its soft power still has a long way to go. China has not developed cultural industries such as Bolllywood and Hollywood, and it does not export education as much as India and the United States. As much as China superiority cannot be compared to America’s power we cannot ignore the fact about the gains they have made and the development they have achieved economically, politically and militarily. It is steadily becoming a force to reckon globally (Kurlantzick & Pei, 2006).

The United States underestimated the strides these two nations (India and China) have made since they are viewed to have a deficiency in administration and the systems. Where as China took advantage on Americas spirited fight against terrorism which severed its relations with many democracies and resulting to shift in the foreign relations thus a deep fall in its foreign market for soft power where as India positioned itself to make the kill when there was an opportunity therefore relaxed relations between the United States and India made it more convenient for the infiltration of the Indian culture to Americas zones that had been severed by the Bush Foreign policy of aggression. Hence the rise of Soft power for India and China is greatly attributed to the rising anti- Americanism (Kurlantzick, 2007).

India like the United States has a very large population and America prides in having Hollywood and India developed its Bollywood industry which has stolen a great show in the entertainment industries. It is viewed by double the audience of the Hollywood movies.Indian actors are also given the superstar platform similar to their American counterparts. This is seen when the Slum Dog Millionaire movie won the Oscars award which is not like the old days when only American movies would feature on the awards list. In the food culture we can not compare the two countries since the culture developed by the Indian cuisine is incomparable but the fashion and music we see a blend of Bhangra with pop working out well in the market. India has worked very had and it can be proven that they have achieved lot in a short period of time compared to America which took ages to reach where it is in Entertainment and fashion (Singh, 2006).

It is evident hat United States uses tremendous soft power and it is in the form of companies that originate from America. We see the influence of coca cola in many countries being dependent o the relationship of the United States and that country. The American Film industry, television and music industries have enjoyed global presence and it has won them the support of the United States Government. Through this venture they have tried to use radio stations in the Middle East to win over Muslim youths using American songs. MTV is widely watched and American fashion has dominated for a good while and movie superstars from Hollywood have dominated the pack but a new image of America is developing (Nye.jr 2004). The election of Obama as the President of the United States has a potential in reviving the world superpower in its image. This is a source of power as it is translated by a great sense of democracy allowing an African American to rise to the top most seat of power globally. This event is a also enticing as a source of soft power that leaves many admiring the American democracy which tool a long time to break from the bondage of Racism (Fraser, 2005).

The United States has enjoyed the position of a freedom and democracy and a standard setter which was admired by many. This is why they raised high in relation to industries such as Nike, coca cola, and their universities were destinations for the global elite who wanted to pursue higher education. The block buster movies from Holly wood were admired by every one to mention but a few.

Although America enjoyed solitary influence using soft power, in the recent past we have seen a decline in the ability of the United States to attract followers by the legitimacy of their policies without payment or coercion. This is because of the attitudes that have developed globally on issues such as America’s insensitivity to protecting the Environment, maintaining peace and poverty eradication. Therefore we can dully reason that there will be a tremendous fall in the influence of America’s soft power (Singh, 2009). Use of soft power has led to more Anti Americanism and led to losing popularity to America’s foreign policy. This America maybe headed to a down fall if there are no amendments to their foreign policy but the Government is adamant saying there is no way soft power cannot guide foreign policy. This is clearly seen on the target of terrorists. It is said that most foreign citizens are transferring their anger at the United States Government and anger at their businesses (Kurlantzick, 2005).