Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Opinion

Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani

Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani

South Asia as a region presents a scene of both hope and confusion. The region is characterized by a strong thread of underlying natural unity whether it is geographic, economic, and ecological or natural resource distribution. The great rivers of the region for example provide the basis for ecological unity that can hardly be ignored. But it is also a source of cultural diversity that nevertheless forms— the basis of what could be labeled as the South Asian civilization. From the high mountains of the Himalayas to the southernmost tip of the sub continent and beyond there is an invisible thread of a South Asian civilization that seems to provide an invisible link in defining the region. South Asia at the same time is also a region that has seven sovereign political states with their own concept of national interests and identity. Economic interactions and spiritual search through the ages has to be viewed within the canvass of political diversity that is also one of the most crucial defining characteristics of the present. The logic of national interests of each individual nation that is in harmony with the collective interests of all the seven nations emerges as the most crucial element in defining a vision for the region.

The seven nations in South Asia range from one of the smallest to one of the largest nation in the world. Out of seven two are landlocked and two are island nations. Mass poverty is one of the defining characteristics of the region and yet the human and natural resources available make it one of the most promising areas of socio-economic transformation in the decades to come. The gap between potential and the reality remains wide and the nature of tension and conflict that have characterized the region have acted as a great damper in generating a capacity for collective action. The results so far has been a record of regional trade, capital flows, industrial cooperation, natural resource utilization, and infrastructure development etc. during the last fifteen years of efforts towards regional cooperation testify to this point. The political mindset of the ruling elite has yet to internalize the fact that the seven nation configuration of the region and the resulting seven vectors of national interests need not be viewed as road blocks for cooperation in a whole range of areas ranging from infrastructure and natural resource utilization to poverty alleviation and trade. This is because there is really no South Asian vision of regional cooperation that is sustained and supported by necessary values, structures and processes.

The vision for regional cooperation has to start with the basic premise that it has to be a win win situation for all the countries both in political and economic terms. Only then can we expect powerful stakeholders in each country to emerge-groups that will actively advocate for the cause for regional cooperation. The need for regional cooperation in this sense has to be viewed as a strategic objective of the region rather than a tactical gesture to be pursued more as a fashion of the hour.

The Vision

Before 1980 the seven countries in South Asia, even though neighbors, geographically shared a mind set that veered towards a position of benign neglect of each other as much as possible and ignored the benefits that could be harnessed through a proper appreciation of the economics of neighborhood. In 1980 a beginning was made by Bangladesh to change this position with the idea of South Asian Association of Regional cooperation. Soon meetings on this theme were held and the SAARC became a reality in the first South Asian summit (1985) held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The objectives of the Charter stressed among others the promotion of the welfare and the improvement in the quality of life of the people of the region. There was a call for rapid economic and social development and an emphasis on promoting mutual trust and confidence as well as understanding each other’s problems and constraints.

The idea of regional cooperation including a willingness to understand each other’s problems and constraints was a bold idea especially when we consider the fact that in the preceding thirty years all the countries in the region seemed more interested in asserting their links with countries outside their region. This was one way to affirm their independence in decision-making Vis a’ Vis the bigger power India which was in many cases viewed as the big brother not always sensitive o neighboring problems and aspirations. As a region South Asia was then and still remains not a peace zone but a conflict zone. Trying to promote a new era trust and cooperation that will affect positively the lives of citizens of all countries in a region characterized by issues of hard core emotional conflict and tension was indeed a courageous move that qualifies as a vision.

A vision is the expression of a state of affairs that is worth striving for. It is a continuous process that acts as a beacon towards the future path to be taken to achieve something worthwhile and meaningful. A vision for South Asian regional cooperation has to be conceptualized on a tight rope of conflicting objectives and emotions. On the one hand the new vision should encompass the welfare of the people of the whole region as its focus of action that implicitly implies a willingness to transcend political boundaries if necessary in many areas that many affect the productivity of national economies. But there is also the absolute reality of seven plural sovereignties that are extremely sensitive to their sense of nationhood and the right to independent decision making without interference from neighboring sources. A South Asian Vision of regional cooperation in this setting has to be a imaginative, creative and also a moral statement that is sound in the context promoting human dignity, strengthening national sovereignty providing adequate ideological space for mutually beneficial regional economic integration over time in a setting that is peaceful and secure to all the people in the region. But transformation of this nature is not possible to contemplate unless we are also clear about the values necessary for the process to move forward. This indeed is the most difficult part because as it is aptly said: old values die hard. But old values must change if the new vision is to materialize. A vision that is divorced from a commitment to the necessary values faces the danger of turning into cheap and even hypocritical slogan that can only generate cynicism, fatigue and a new cycle of tension over time. In the case of SAARC this should be a major issue of concern.

Values are in many cases normative conditions for dynamic stability and could be institutionalized over time as operative codes that are naturally referred to when making decisions. The values must be in line with the vision and then there must also emerge over time the structures and the decision processes that support the vision. Any break or weakness in the chain will only go to make the task of regional cooperation that is meaningful to the people Of the region that much more difficult.

The Two Reports

After the establishment of SAARC studies, seminars and workshops on South Asian economic and social development have been held both at the governmental and the non-governmental level. For the seven countries it has been a process of trying to work out new strategies of development that has both a national and a regional focus. In this context, two important studies have been sponsored by the leader of the SAARC nations officially to outline strategies for poverty alleviation in the region. The first one titled The Report of the Independent Commission on Poverty Alleviation - stressed social mobilization and participation of the poor in the process of development. Mobilize the poor through institutions owned and operated by the poor for increasing saving and investments in the countryside was the overarching theme of the report.

As a follow up of the Colombo Summit in 1991 it was decided to take a fresh look at the poverty eradication problem at the eleventh summit in Kathmandu since it was felt that the world had moved ahead rapidly towards globalization after the first report was prepared. The second report prepared by the Independent South Asian Commission on poverty Alleviation “Our Future, Our Responsibility” outlines six strategic areas of action that included: (i) mobilizing the power of the poor, (2) prudent macroeconomics, (Mainstreaming the informal economy, (4) enhancing gender and Other equities (5) sustainable development (6) and effective harmonious all round cooperation among the countries of the region. The report suggested a number of regional initiatives but most of them were concentrated on experience and technology sharing rather than on hard core issues of economic integration of the region for the benefit of all the participating countries. The report remained reluctant to discuss the notion of “effective harmonious all round cooperation among the countries of the region.” If one were to go by the two reports, the focus of SAARC even now is not orientated towards concept of economic integration. However, the move towards SAFTA indicates that this attitude is going to change.

The Values

South Asian regional cooperation so far has not progressed beyond the survival stage. All nations want to be seen as promoting a new era of regional cooperation in improving the social and economic condition of the people but the values implicit in this commitment has not been seriously examined with the result that regional cooperation is surviving more as a concept than an operational plan of action. It is still in a survival rather than an action mode. Occasionally there is a new burst of new ideas and programs but it looses its momentum soon after the declarations in the summit are announced to the press. The fact remains that South Asian Regional Cooperation is not in the priority agenda of most nations. The state apparatus in all the countries spring into action normally during the period of summits and then revert back to its attitude of benign neglect. The organization structure established to stimulate regional cooperation-the SAARC secretariat reflects this attitude and it generally finds itself languishing cool and composed, waiting for new initiatives from member countries collectively to move forward in a meaningful manner.

For South Asian regional cooperation to advance forcefully so that it becomes a force for the improvement in the lives of the people of the countries in the region there will have to emerge a certain level of commitment to values that sustain the vision. A beginning in this direction can be made if we are able to agree on certain value propositions for the future.

Excerpts from the author's paper presented at a regional seminar held last year in Kathmandu-ed.

 TAF Single-Largest Public Opinion Survey Ever Conducted in Afghanistan

 Afghans Give Opinions on Security, Democracy, Poppy Cultivation, the Economy,    and the Roles of Islam and Women in Society in First of Three Polls to Be Conducted Through 2008  Today, Nov. 9 , The Asia Foundation released findings from the single-largest, most comprehensive public opinion poll ever conducted in Afghanistan.  The poll, "Afghanistan in 2006: A Survey of the Afghan People," reflects perceptions of democracy, security, poppy cultivation, and the 2005 parliamentary elections -- as well as attitudes towards governing institutions, the role of women and Islam in society, and the impact of media. It was conducted between June and August 2006 and consists of a random sample of 6,226 in-person interviews with Afghan men and women, 18 years of age and above, from different social, economic, and ethnic communities. Rural and urban areas in 32 of the 34 provinces were covered, with Uruzgan and  Zabul -- representing approximately 1.1 percent and 1.2 percent of the population, respectively -- excluded due to extreme security conditions.  A copy of the 2006 survey in its entirety can be accessed at www.asiafoundation.org.

The survey is separated into seven different categories and opens with findings on the overall national mood in Afghanistan in 2006, which states that 44% of Afghans think the country is headed in the right direction, 21% feel it is moving in the wrong direction, 29% had mixed feelings, and 4% were unsure. This is in comparison to The Asia Foundation's 2004 survey, "Democracy in Afghanistan," when 64% of Afghans believed the country was headed in the right direction, 11% felt it was moving in the wrong direction, 8% had mixed feelings, and 16% were unsure.

    The survey's findings will be scrutinized by experts in a companion, analysis document due to be released in December 2006.     The 2006 poll -- which was funded through The Asia Foundation's  ongoing cooperative agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development -- was designed, directed, and edited by the Foundation, with all

in-person interviews completed by Afghan men and women employed by the Afghan Center for Socio-economic and Opinion Research (ACSOR) in Kabul. This year's poll builds on the 2004 Foundation survey, with two more set to be conducted in 2007 and 2008, allowing for the measurement of changing opinion among average Afghans.  

    About The Asia Foundation in Afghanistan    The Asia Foundation re-established its office in Kabul in February 2002 after the fall of the Taliban. For 26 years, from 1954 to 1980, the Foundation actively supported projects in education, law, commerce, export agriculture, civic participation, and women's affairs.  After the Soviet invasion, the Foundation continued through the 1990s to support the Afghan people through an office in Pakistan. Since 2002, the Foundation has assisted in efforts to establish a new Afghan government, reform the legal system, develop a constitution, register and inform voters, assist Presidential, National Assembly, and Provincial Council elections, and support various governance, education, and women's empowerment initiatives.  The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open  Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance and law, economic reform and development, women's empowerment, and international relations.