| ID | 137120 |
| Title Proper | Re-invigorating SAARC |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Kumar, Yogendra |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | It is now universally recognised that the regional cooperation in South Asia is far less developed in comparison to other regions. There is irony in this situation, as countries in the region have very strong historical and civilisational links even as they occupy the same economic space. These regional commonalities were sought to be fleshed out through the establishment of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in December 1985. It was expected that these commonalities would provide a strong enough basis for significant regional integrationas, indeed, it was before 1947and for socio-economic progress, thereby strengthening regional political stability by keeping the negative tendencieslike backwardness, obscurantism and extremismat bay.
Yet, the sad reality is that other regional organisations, such as the European Union and the ASEANcomprising an even more diverse group of countrieshave been far more successful than SAARC. Indeed, the latter could, perhaps, be less favourably compared even with more recent organisations such as the African Union or the ECO. As an organisation, SAARC has underperformed throughout its history, and the level of regional integration is woefully short of its promise. Even its summits are becoming irregular. Perhaps, the unsatisfactory level of regional integration can partly be considered as a contributory factor in the prevailing situation where the region represents a microcosm of the range of security threats being faced by the world at large. This reality appears even more distressing, given the considerable ongoing movement of peoples in South Asia across borders, and the phenomenon of very easy social relationships overseas amongst members of the respective Diasaporas.. |
| `In' analytical Note | Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol.9, No.4; Oct-Dec.2014: p.320-325 |
| Journal Source | Indian Foreign Affairs Journals 2014-12 9, 4 |
| Standard Number | India |