The Shashi Tharoor Speech Introduces the Importance of Cultural Influences

This Shashi Tharoor speech introduces the concept of "soft" power. Expressing his belief that the idea of world leadership is rather archaic, he explains the concept of "soft" power, which was invented by a Harvard academic, as the ability of a country to attract others because of its culture, political values and foreign policies. He explains how it emerges partly because of governance, but mostly despite it.

As the number of channels of communication continue to increase and countries continue to consume such large quantities of information from the Internet, technology will be responsible for sharing the stories of countries. Using the example of Bollywood, Tharoor demonstrates how film -- as a channel of communication -- can significantly influence the way a country is perceived today, and can often carry more influence and power than politics or money.