Abstract
‘Transforming South Asia, Imperatives for Action’, Rajiv Bhatia, Swaran Singh and Reena Marwah (Eds), is a compilation of 13 articles by eminent academicians, researchers, analysts and government officials. The themes considered in the book are wide-ranging; however, regional integration, focussing on the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), remains its primary leitmotif.
The first chapter titled ‘Regional Integration in South Asia: A Nepalese Perspective’ by Tika Jung Thapa and Shreedhar Gautam provides a comprehensive background of the many problems which plague South Asian countries, among which abundance of poverty and lack of cooperation have been identified as two of the gravest issues. Energy potential of the region and Nepal’s climate-change-related predicaments are appositely dwelt upon in the chapter. The inadequacies of the SAARC have been highlighted, and it is impressed upon that the member nations along with Myanmar and China can pursue economic cooperation and Track II and Track III diplomacy which will enable countries to transcend bottlenecks plaguing their bilateral relationships. In the chapter titled ‘Transforming SAARC: Preparing South Asia for a New Age’, Shambhu Ram Simkhada elucidates some key constraints preventing the realisation of cooperation, poverty alleviation, checking terrorism and overall progress in the SAARC member countries. A deficit of ideas in tackling issues of South Asia is expounded upon along with the dichotomous development of ‘Globalization of Economics and Localization of Politics in South Asia’, both of which are severely hampering the member countries from overcoming important challenges. Mindless borrowing of ideas from other civilisations is proving to be a bane in South Asia, as borrowed ideas fall short of local requirements. The queer situation in Asia, with some states emerging as economic and political powerhouses of the world while others reel under stress of all kinds, is mentioned. However, it is stressed that only a restructured mind can successfully ensure an improved overall structure in South Asia. Suggestions for a new political, economic, social and security/foreign policy architecture have been put forward in this chapter.
In the chapter titled ‘Forced Migration and Security Challenges in South Asia: Issue of Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal’, Rajan Bhattarai evaluates the manifold dimensions of Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal from a theoretical perspective. The dire situation of the Bhutanese migrants in Nepal has been underlined, and the complexities preventing a durable solution to this issue are aptly considered in the chapter. The manner in which the ‘Bhutanese refugees in Nepal’ issue has complicated relations between India, Nepal and Bhutan has also been alluded to in order to provide a contextual perspective to the problem at hand. Refugees’ joining extremists out of sheer desperation is seen as the gravest threat that may emerge from the situation, and the author suggests that the SAARC is best placed to offer durable solutions to this security–diplomatic–political predicament. In the chapter titled ‘Regional Cooperation for Connectivity in eastern South Asia: The Issue of Infrastructure’, Muinul Islam provides copious details about recent advances in India–Bangladesh infrastructural cooperation. Islam makes a case for pursuing greater regional cooperation between India and Bangladesh and views such cooperation as indispensable for achieving peace and prosperity in the larger South Asian region. The inadequacies of transport and communication structures linking Bangladesh and India are emphasised. Chittagong Port is treated as a lynchpin to greater regional cooperation in South Asia. The political impediments to providing India transit through Bangladesh are lamented upon, an impediment preventing many opportunities and prospects for the region.
The chapters on Afghanistan by Haroun Mir, Omar Sharifi and Abdul Ghafoor Liwal together provide an insight into the unfolding situation in Afghanistan which is in the throes of transition which has the potential to trigger a series of domestic, regional and international changes, unless managed effectively, most of them threatening dark prospects. All the chapters provide a thorough groundwork of the existing challenges in Afghanistan with ample historical backdrop. Reconciliation with the Taliban and transition of political power in 2014 have been suggested by Mir as the two most significant immediate challenges in Afghanistan. A rosy, a dark and a probable scenario are etched out by Mir in order to provide a glimpse into the country’s not so distant future. Sharifi delineates the manifold developments in Afghanistan which have occurred in the past 10 years ranging from institutional, human and infrastructural. However, it is mentioned that the security framework remains glaringly lacking in every conceivable sense. It is suggested that a successful transition of power will be best guaranteed if a strategic agreement between Afghanistan and the United States and its international allies including India is generated, as well as a transition of generational in-charge in Afghanistan is created. The geo-strategic boon or bane (depending on one’s perspective) of Afghanistan is the leitmotif of Liwal’s chapter. It provides an astute narrative of the manner in which the geography of Afghanistan has decided much of its fate as well as great power and neighbouring power involvement in the country throughout its history. The importance of the SAARC in ensuring the stability of Afghanistan is meticulously dealt with in the chapter underlining the fact that regional organisations are to be the lynchpin on which the future of South Asia rests.
In the chapter titled ‘A Key to the Future Commonality, Divergence and the path to Convergence’, SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda explores the commonalities in the South Asian countries as well as the divergences and convergences which are present among the countries of this region. The author places consensus as the key in discovering convergences among the countries of South Asia and stresses that the Indian Ocean is where the interests of India and China converge the most, and this mutuality should be harnessed to ensure greater cooperation among these two countries which will be beneficial to South Asia as a whole. In the chapter titled ‘South Asia: Overcoming Terror with a Regional Commitment to Peace’ by Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, the overwhelming presence and impact of terrorism in South Asia are examined in a country-wise analysis. Apart from providing a thorough analysis of the local and regional reasons which underlie terrorism in these countries, the chapter also dwells upon the issue of regional institutions, a possible instrument for halting and reversing terrorism. Moreover, the attributes of good governance are discussed in the context of combating terrorism. The chapter also addresses the root causes of terrorism and explores several methods of defeating terrorism.
In the chapter by Nabiha Gul titled ‘SAARC and the Regional Integration in South Asia’, regional institutions as a prominent feature of contemporary world politics have been thoroughly examined, with special reference to the SAARC. The dominant view of the SAARC as a failure is busted by the author who provides several insights into the functionality of this organisation. Limits to regional integrity are discussed along with challenges which the SAARC faces which prevent further integration of its member countries. Among the strengths of the SAARC, the visa liberalisation regime, the South Asian University and the South Asian Free Trade Area are mentioned. The author ends the chapter by asserting that the SAARC provides ample opportunities for partnerships among the member states which would help them transcend their bilateral disagreements and hostilities. In the chapter by Human Baqai titled ‘New Trends and Paradigms in Pak-India Relations: A Perspective from Pakistan’, the author has attempted to discuss India–Pakistan relations from the context of the democratic transition in Pakistan, the changing Pakistan–US relationships, the situation in Afghanistan and imperatives of economic globalisation. There is an effort to determine how these seismic shifts may lead to a better relationship between India and Pakistan.
Partha Ghosh in the chapter titled ‘Intimate Strangers or Distant Neighbours South Asia’s Experience with its Migrants and Refugees’ provides a historical perspective of the movement of migrants and refugees between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The social, political, cultural and economic impacts of such human movements are discussed in laborious detail by the author. Ghosh has attempted to study migration as a complex phenomenon with cultural, economic and social undertones instead of migration merely as the resettlement of people. A.N. Ram and Sheelkant Sharma in the chapter ‘Pathways for Engagement’ suggest several astute methods of furthering cooperation and engagement in South Asia through the SAARC. They underline some of the historic and current issues which impede engagement between the SAARC member countries and predict that pressures are likely to increase with human-security-related issues continuing to challenge much of the South Asian population. It is suggested that regional cooperation between nations can form the best defence to any such conflicts which may arise in the future.
This book not only provides a historical understanding of several regions and issues in South Asia but also endows the reader with nuggets of information regarding the contemporary cooperative measures being undertaken between the SAARC countries. It puts the SAARC into perspective from a historical and contemporary point of view and from the social, cultural, economic, diplomatic dimensions as well. The issue of regional integration is systematically examined, elaborated and processed throughout the chapters providing the book with a unified and holistic overtone.