A Constructivist Explanation of India's Soft Power in Central Asia Through Sufi Diplomacy During the Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi

Document Type : Original Article

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Department of Regional Studies, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jices.2026.415411.1113

Abstract

In the contemporary international system, states increasingly draw on soft power resources to achieve foreign policy objectives through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion. Possessing a rich civilizational and cultural heritage, alongside diverse soft power instruments, India has actively sought to deploy “Sufi diplomacy” towards the Central Asian republics. Employing a qualitative methodology with a descriptive–analytical approach based on library and documentary sources, this study addresses the following central question: how has the government of Narendra Modi utilised Sufi diplomacy to advance India’s national interests? In response, the study tests the hypothesis that India emphasises shared elements of tolerance and diversity between ancient Indian culture and Sufism, foregrounding the principles of compassion and forbearance in their mutual heritage. By doing so, New Delhi attempts to construct a shared identity discourse that serves as a “counterweight” to political Islam and religious radicalism in the secular states of Central Asia, thereby enhancing the appeal of its governance model to the region’s secular regimes. Framed within the conceptual boundaries of soft power and constructivist theory, the findings only partially confirm this hypothesis: while India’s Sufi diplomacy has found resonance among Central Asian political elites, its overall efficacy remains constrained by the growing contradiction between New Delhi’s external pluralist rhetoric and its domestic Hindu nationalist shift.

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