Regionalism In South Asia
Where Does SAARC’s Future Lie?

By C. D. Bhatta

THE events and development of the recent months have brought South Asia into the international limelight. This has been accompanied by vigorously renewed interests in studies pertaining to patterns of cooperation and conflicts among the major South Asian countries. The main point to be noted here is that South Asia is still far from becoming a ‘region’ due to inadequate degree of harmony of interests among the South Asian states and the almost perpetual preoccupation with intra-state conflicts and crises leaving individual states with scarce time or resources to work towards regional solutions.

Basically, a region can be defined on the basis of certain specific indicators that confirm its existence. A set of countries in close geographical proximity with each other can be categorised as a ‘region’ when, first and foremost, they have certain commonalities of national interests. These interests could incorporate a whole gamut of social economic, political, cultural, historical, and other factors. Secondly, this set of countries should be sufficiently enlightened so as to understand the significance of placing cooperation above conflicts in the conduct of inter-state relation. This should be bolstered by collective desire to come together on a common plank to create some lasting mechanism for regional cooperation, which lacks in South Asian states, as is evident in years of lack-luster performance by SAARC. Following the conception of the SAARC in 1983 very little has been actually done to promote this sole existing mechanism for collective cooperation in the subcontinent.

Such a lack of ‘region-ness’ in South Asia can also be understood in terms of another related phenomenon, that is, persistence of myriad social, economic and political problems practically in each and every South Asian state. And, such intra-state problems are often either the cause of consequences of inter-state disputes and misperceptions as well. Thus, there emerges an inextricable connection between the internal and external relations of South Asian states with patterns that are further complicated by what has been succinctly explained as the pursuit of ‘order’ welfare and legitimacy.

Since the formation of SAARC, the pace of cooperation among the South Asian nations have not been up to the mark at all. Political and religious tensions scare at the height, particularly between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. To be honest here, every South Asian country is almost perpetually plagued by internal conflicts and crises based on narrow consideration of caste, religion, ethnicity, language, community and the like. This distorts the national integrity/unity and the overall order situation of the affected state or states. Moreover, constant and often excessive preoccupation with domestic problems within and between the South Asian states, have been hampering the sustenance of an environment wherein the basic needs for the growth of regional cooperation are fulfilled. Viewed from either the global or regional perspective, South Asia provides a disappointing picture in every social, economic and political context. This is due to the fact that South Asia is almost perpetually plagued by various intra and inter-state conflicts and crises stemming from myopic attitudes of the largely illiterate masses and the lackadaisical approach of the ruling elites toward resolution of such problems.

Today South Asia is known to constiturte one of the ‘critical regions’ in the world, primarily due to the varying degrees of inter-state disputes and conflicts. While the British imperial rule brought the South Asian countries within a common colonial system, it simultaneously sowed several seeds of discord that continue to plague inter-state relations in the area even today. The difference between India and Pakistan over the two nation theory and between Sri Lanka and India over the nationality of Tamilian are only two of the most outstanding examples in this regard. The final retreat of the British Raj and the ensuing bitterness generated between the ruling elites of the two major South Asian states gravely disrupted the traditional cohesion. Indeed, the historical fact that Pakistan and Bangladesh are the severed limbs of what was once a united India under the Raj bestows a unique complexity to the entire region.

The recent border skirmishes between India and Bangladesh, the contining infighting between Pakistan and India and the ongoing debate between Bhuatn and Nepal over the refugee issue, the irritants in relations between India and Nepal over the open border and other sporadic events have posed a serious threat to the growth of regional cooperation in the region. The deadlock on the SAARC Summit is a classic example that South Asian nations could not reach to the common plank for the growth of the subcontinent.

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