Title: India's soft power in Afghanistan: a case study of health initiatives

Authors: Shri Prakash Singh; Shantesh Kumar Singh

Addresses: Department of Political Science, University of Delhi, India ' Department of Political Science, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, India

Abstract: With the return of Taliban in Afghanistan, the infrastructure of the country is deteriorating, the quality of people's life is low, and basic services for instance healthcare are lacking. The post-Taliban Government in Afghanistan has made an effort to rebuild the healthcare system, but it still depends significantly on foreign help. To attain peace in post-conflict systems, large entities such as nations or blocs, or small entities like community groups, require multi-track actions at different levels, in which health plays an integral role. In the last few years, the issue of global health assistance has become an essential element of India's policy initiatives of soft power, and its importance is growing rapidly. Along with its more extensive aid program, India prioritises bilateral health assistance over multilateral approaches. Afghanistan is now the second-largest recipient country of Indian aid, according to government figures. India, the tenth-largest aid provider to Afghanistan, is largely seen to be preparing for an even bigger involvement in the Afghan peace initiatives. This paper seeks to investigate India's contribution to Afghanistan's peace-building efforts through health initiatives.

Keywords: soft power; aid diplomacy; public health; human security; India; Afghanistan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRCS.2024.141712

International Journal of Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, 2024 Vol.11 No.4, pp.346 - 356

Received: 11 Mar 2023
Accepted: 14 Apr 2023
Published online: 01 Oct 2024 *

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