In an era of globalization, countries are facing enormous and multifaceted challenges. Incidents in a particular region of the world have trans-national ramifications. As a result, a single country cannot face the challenges effectively without the support or cooperation of other countries. What makes the situation even more daunting is the expanding scope of security, and the interconnection between traditional and non-traditional security concerns. The complex security situation around the world has compelled many countries in different regions of the world (for example, Europe and South East Asia) to adopt a cooperative security framework (CSF) to fight common challenges together. Of late, there has been some realization about the need to evolve a cooperative security framework in South Asia with the emergence of common challenges in the region. For example, Pakistan, which was hesitating to act against terror, has itself become a victim of it and displayed its willingness to be part of a common regional effort to fight terror under SAARC. The impact of climate change (flash floods, tsunami, drought, sub-continental cyclone, rising of sea levels in the Indian Ocean) has become so severe that the countries in the region are now working towards a common platform to mitigate that. However, no serious efforts have yet been made towards the evolution of a “cooperative security framework (CSF)” in South Asia.
Since the end of the cold war, some debates and discussions have taken place in the region on this theme. Available literature focusing on challenges argue that the notion of cooperative security in South Asia has not taken roots due to the following factors: absence of an external aggressor, peculiar geographical situation, historical baggage, fear of gradual Indianisation of the sub-continent, lack of trust amongst the countries in the region, perpetual enmity between India and Pakistan and last, but not least, the non-alignment movement in the 1950s. While the cold war contributed to and sharpened the process of regional cooperation in Europe and South East Asia, it fomented instability in the South Asian region. Instead of working together and developing a regional outlook, India’s neighbours have sometimes chosen to rely on external powers to augment their security. Efforts to tackle issues of common concern in a collective and cooperative manner were held hostage to mutual mistrust which also led sometimes to inter-state conflicts.
Some scholars have observed that SAARC could be the right platform towards this endeavor. Certain steps have already been taken. For instance, during the SAARC 2004 summit a resolution whereby terrorism could be discussed within the ambit of SAARC was passed. Progress on SAFTA and the India-Pakistan dialogue held on the sidelines of various SAARC summits also suggest that SAARC could be the right platform. However, others have observed that SAARC is inherently incapable of being a substituting for a much-needed common cooperative security architecture in South Asia. It does not deal with regional security issues and therefore it has focused only on non-traditional security issues. Most importantly, the debate on the CSF in South Asia is mostly centered on the problems between India and Pakistan and other issues are usually neglected. Much of the literature argues for the evolution of a comprehensive security system, which could provide a mechanism for identification of issues and challenges in the region. They do not talk about the need for any institutional mechanism for ensuring cooperative security in the region.
While the concept of collective security and collective self-defence evolved during the cold war era with the objective of mitigating traditional security concerns of states, concepts like common security, comprehensive security, and human security, mostly came to the fore in the post cold war period by bringing traditional and non-traditional security (NTS) issues together in international politics. Cooperative security as it is understood puts emphasis on interdependence and cooperation both at intra- and inter-regional levels.
Radical political changes have taken place in South Asia after the cold war. Almost all countries have adopted democratic structures and are making efforts to check the influence of non-democratic forces in their societies. Two major internal security challenges, i.e., the LTTE and Maoist insurgency in Nepal, have been, more or less, resolved. Except Pakistan and Afghanistan, other conflict theatres in South Asia are relatively under control. Terrorism has surfaced as a common challenge for all countries in the region, including Pakistan. Economic relations between South Asian countries, except between India-Pakistan, have improved. India is inviting its neighbours to participate in its growing economy and benefit from it. It has expressed its willingness to engage Pakistan despite subversive activities with known cross-border linkages. The fact remains that in spite of all this a workable cooperative security framework, which could enable regional cooperation on an expanding range of security issues, is yet to be developed.
However, with such positive political transformation taking place in different countries, the region might be at the cross-roads of a major change. The objective of the conference is to discuss various concepts relating to cooperative security, critically analyse such frameworks in different regions and explore whether it is possible and practicable in the South Asian region.
The 5th South Asian Conference being organised by the IDSA this year aims to bring together scholars, experts and analysts to reflect on the issues related to the prospects of evolution of a cooperative security framework in South Asia. Following research questions will be discussed in the various sessions of the conference.
- What is the status of debate on cooperative security architecture in South Asia and what are the various concepts related to it?
- What are the enabling factors for the emergence of a cooperative security framework in South Asia? What are the common challenges confronting the states and what steps they are taking at the individual and collective level to meet them?
- Given the history of conflict and cooperation in South Asia, is it practical to expect that South Asian states can evolve a cooperative security frame work in the region? What are the factors inhibiting progress towards cooperative security framework despite positive changes in the region and at the global level?
- What role can SAARC play to enable an effective dialogue on cooperative security in south Asia? Will Track-II initiatives be of any help?
- What are the existing models of cooperative security in different regions of the world? What model would be appropriate for South Asia?
