The Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion & Diplomacy (TPNRD) has released a new report on The Hindu Right and India’s Religious Diplomacy. Authored by Prof. Ian Hall, the report argues that India’s diplomacy has an increasingly Hindu character, reflecting the present government’s conviction that India is essentially a Hindu civilization that has much to teach the world. This paper examines the drivers of India’s contemporary religious diplomacy, its target audiences, its practitioners within and outside the government, and its likely influence. Key takeaways from the report include:
- In general, India’s religious diplomacy has assumed a markedly more Hindu character since Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party took power in 2014.
- However, the messages of India’s religious diplomacy vary depending on the audience at which it is aimed.
- Much of India’s religious diplomacy is both practiced by unofficial diplomats, including sections of India’s diaspora, and aimed at other Indians both at home and overseas.
- It is not clear that India’s religious diplomacy is ameliorating concerns about religious freedom or the condition of minorities within the country.