Raja-Mandala: Faith and Diplomacy

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks common ground with his foreign counterparts and one of those includes religion, specifically Buddhism. That religion began in 624 BC in a stretch of northern India that is now Nepal – and spread throughout Asia. “Modi went beyond the notion of promoting India’s soft power to highlight the importance of Buddhism in dealing with the contemporary political challenges before Asia and the world,” writes C. Raja Mohan for the Indian Express. “For one, he insisted that the spiritual values of Buddhism are deeply connected to the principles of democracy.” This is a break from India’s past which did not mix religion and foreign policy. Just under 80 percent of Indians reported to be Hindu; about 15 percent are Muslim. There’s a trend among world leaders to emphasize religion as a force for peace rather than conflict. Mohan urges leaders to use religion for engagement but avoid favoring one system of beliefs over others. – YaleGlobal