Comprehensive Security In South Asia Economic Dimensions

It Was Presumed That After The Collapse Of The Soviet Union And The Subsequent End Of The Cold War; Conflicts And Discords Would Cease In The International Arena And A New Era Of Peace, Stability And Prosperity Would Begin. However, The Last Decade Has Witnessed An Unprecedented Rise In Inter And Intra-State Conflicts And A Phenomenal Growth In Violence Centring Around Ethnicity, Religion And Separatism. Moreover, Crisis Stemming From Refugee Flows, Malgovernance, Economic Downturn, Environmental Degradation, Etc., Has Posed Additional Problems In Safeguarding Human Freedom And Security. In This Insightful Volume, Eighteen Well Known South Asian Authors Dwell On A Range Of Issues Disturbing Statesecurity, Bilateral Relations And Regional Harmony In South Asia And Suggest A Range Of Propositions For A Subcontinent Free From Tension And Hostility.

Proceedings of a seminar organized by Delhi Policy Group, in January 2001.

The term comprehensive security goes beyond simplifications such as us and them; it accounts for all aspects vital to national stability; food, energy, environment, communication and social security. Confidence building methods, preventive diplomacy, energy security, second order cybernetics, transparancy of financial markets are all means to enhance overall stability. Comprehensive Security has become a concept particularly suited for a continent with many powerful countries. An important contribution to one of the key issues of contemporary (Asian) politics.

Ten years after the end of the Cold War, South Asia stands almost alone among regions where the potential for conflict remains high. The situation was further aggravated by the nuclear tests in the region in May 1998. This has led to avoidable tensions, high military spending and lack of economic co-operation among its member countries. As a result, South Asia is today among the poorest regions in the world, with human development indices even worse than Sub-Saharan Africa. It is imperative that this cycle of tension and conflict is broken. The only way out is to develop alternative approaches to security. One such alternative is comprehensive and co-operative security. Ideas which have emerged in recent years in Europe and Asia may be adapted usefully in South-Asia. This book is an attempt at understanding the security concerns of individual countries of South Asia.

Contributed articles presented at a seminar on May 2-3, 2002 conducted by the Delhi Policy Group.

Security studies in the twenty-first century entail a paradigm shift from the traditional concerns of national defense (military security) to other dimensions, namely the economic, environmental, and human security of nations. After September 11, the traditional notion of security takes on an anti-terrorist connotation, giving a new salience to homeland security. This study is a coherent explication of comprehensive security in the above-named dimensions.