DIPLOMACY also crosses the conventional boundary of words and official discourse far too often, normally existing in the form of gestures, which, symbolic though, pack colossal importance. This is the domain of the art of ‘photo diplomacy,’ a delicate line where the exchange of photography is not only taking a vessel of collective memory but even a propelling force in cementing the bond of bilateral relations. This great tradition is extensively used by global leaders in commemorating past meetings and cementing deals. Winston Churchill once put it pithily, ‘We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.’ And photo diplomacy, of course, is pictures which we employ and disseminate and which, in return, shapes the nature of diplomacy.
A bleak example thereof was recently witnessed in Thailand during a high-profile visit of India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s chief adviser to the interim government Muhammad Yunus. It was in this session that Yunus presented to Modi a photograph of a critical moment from the past— the presentation of a gold medal to Yunus by Modi at the 102nd Indian Science Congress session on January 3, 2015, in Mumbai. This exchange of photographic memory was not nostalgia but a powerful symbol of enduring respect as well as cross-understanding between two dominant figures. The monumental scope of photo diplomacy is how such common photographs are not only snapshots taken from history but also bridges of contact across different cultures and nations.
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Legacy of photo diplomacy
PHOTO diplomacy has a grand, extensive heritage as a testimony to the persuasive power of photographs in international politics. Again and again, they have captured historic moments, shifted popular perception and mapped diplomatic encounters. Such photos, generally representative of wider geopolitics, are history’s testament, yet powerful diplomatic tools.
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Cold war meetings and alliances
THE most famous photo-diplomatic meeting of the cold war was probably the 1959 Kitchen Debate. This was a spontaneous exchange of words between US vice-president Richard Nixon and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, forever frozen in a series of photographs and motion pictures in a model kitchen of the American National Exhibition in Moscow. Nixon and Khrushchev’s images of yelling at each other over the merits of their economic models were witnessed globally, symbolising the conflict between capitalism and communism. The photographs also offered an instant exchange of words between the superpowers, implying words and interaction could exist alongside their inherent animosities.
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Symbolic handshakes
YET another poignant moment in photography history was the handshake of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during the Oslo Accords of 1993. Between them stood president Bill Clinton of the United States, captured in perpetuity by a photograph. The photo was an internationally recognised symbol of hope for peace in the Middle East. The photograph exceeded mere documentation in being an instrument of strategy to engender a new account of potential reconciliation and co-existence between Palestinians and Israelis.
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Other examples globally
OUTSIDE these world-famous examples, photo diplomacy has also been leading the way in the following.
The Berlin Wall (1989): Images of jubilant West and East Berlin Germans chiselling and scaling the wall marked the end of decades of division in Germany and the global cold war. These images were symbolic because they represented the victory of democratic ideals over force.
Nixon-Mao Meeting (1972): Richard Nixon’s visit to China and shaking hands with Chairman Mao Zedong to greet him were photographed and used extensively to imply a warming up of Communist China-US relations, indicating a strategic shift of world diplomacy.
Nelson Mandela’s release (1990): Images of Nelson Mandela walking freely, arm in arm with his wife Winnie, marked a giant stride towards the elimination of apartheid in South Africa. They placed them on screens worldwide, symbolising hope, promise, and national reconciliation.
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Implications of Yunus’s photo diplomacy
MUHAMMAD Yunus’s demonstration of posing for a photo with prime minister Modi during their encounter in Thailand is more than mere ceremonial formalism. It is an indicator of the very nature of photo diplomacy, mingling the political and the private in a hope and a memory. This act carries a deep significance, especially in South Asian geopolitics, a sub-region that is famous for the multi-dimensional nature of its interstate relations and dichotomous levels of political tension and friendships.
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Personal and bilateral relations
FIRSTLY, Yunus’s move to gift Modi a picture from a special moment spent with him signifies these two men’s personal relations and friendship. In the context of international politics, such an individualised understanding of a person-to-person quality in a bilateral relationship can override traditional diplomatic processes and produce a healthier atmosphere for both sides. In the relationship between India and Bangladesh — geographical, cultural and with respect to shared historical realities joined states — a fortification of these personalised relations can bring about greater cross-nation cooperation across matters of a bilateral nature.
People-to-people diplomacy has a very important role, particularly when both nations are at the forefront in settling issues such as border management, the Teesta water agreement and the Rohingya refugee issue. Personal relationships between leaders can be more nuanced and concessionary agreements, giving way to new areas of co-operation and contact.
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Soft power and regional influence
SECONDLY, Yunus’s photo diplomacy is a master-stroke of soft power. Discovering a common heritage and mutual respect speaks volumes silently about a sense of harmony and continuity. On the larger South Asian geopolitics, as India us trying to project itself in the face of competition with geo-strategically located neighbours China and Pakistan, Bangladesh’s iteration of friendly relations with India through such lone gestures can help to achieve a more stable regional equation. This move is timely as India wants to show its regional leadership and deter its neighbours from being wooed into other rival blocs offered by regional forces. Through the cementing of their historical and current relations, India and Bangladesh can show a joint strength in attempting to keep away polarising foreign forces and promote regional stability.
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Promoting bilateral cooperation
ASIDE from symbolism, the iteration of amicable relationships in similar personal gestures can facilitate bilateral collaboration. It places a special emphasis on a sense of respect for past alliances — such as Modi awarding Yunus the gold medal, which implies respect given in return. This could be seen in larger diplomatic affairs as the two countries become more responsible and dedicated to each other, thereby complicating the negotiations.
As a gesture, Yunus offering Modi a photograph is as much a demonstration of respect as a move in the intricate game of South Asian geopolitics. It has several objectives, varying from consolidating bilateral relations and bolstering people’s diplomacy to using the soft power politics that shape regional stability. With both countries looking to establish themselves in the South Asian readjustment blocs, such gestures are significant in consolidating bilateral and regional ties. As Henry Kissinger put it so well once, ‘Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows,’ in global diplomacy, these kinds of relations could very well be the magic wand of the fairy godmother to sweep into peace and prosperity for the region.
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Dr Serajul I Bhuiyan is a professor and former chair of the department of business, journalism and mass communications at Savannah State University, Savannah, Georgia, the United States.