National narrative abroad

India’s Diplomatic Efforts

• India’s diplomatic efforts to explain its position on recent combats with Pakistan and the triggered terrorist attack raise questions about its legitimacy.

• The move is seen as a strategic effort to manage international perception and reinforce India’s standing as a responsible global actor.

• The need for such a move points to an underlying legitimacy deficit, as states must constantly perform their legitimacy before an audience of allies, media, and institutions.

Crisis of Credibility

• The era of misinformation and misrepresentation has amplified the vulnerability of India’s actions.

• The collapse of credibility in the news raises questions about the importance of verifiable information as a public good.

• The erosion of trust poses a philosophical crisis, as the end of credible news represents a profound loss.

India’s Diplomatic Campaign

• India’s diplomatic campaign is not just a strategic act of persuasion but also represents a battle to restore the conditions under which persuasion is meaningful.

• If this effort fails, the audience will no longer be capable of distinguishing a justified action from a manufactured illusion.

• The deeper question is whether the world still retains a framework within which such explanations are heard as truth and not dismissed as just another version of the story.