Squeezed between India and China, how does a nation expand its diplomatic footprint? For Bhutan, the answer lies in Buddhist diplomacy.

Confronted with domestic demographic shifts, Thimphu is actively deploying its spiritual heritage to secure its strategic interests and preserve its national identity.

The brief traces how initiatives like new temple developments in Lumbini and Rajgir, high-level royal diplomacy, and the flagship Gelephu Mindfulness City project are transforming cultural capital into normative influence and economic opportunity: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/between-survival-and-strategy-reading-bhutan-s-recent-buddhist-outreach