India Europe And Conflict Resolution In South Asia

South Asia has been a region which has witnessed five full-scale interstate conflicts, where adversaries are major Asian powers armed with nuclear weapons, and where no country has been free from insurgencies and separatist movements. Containing eight essays by Indian and European experts, this volume examines the genesis, nature and features of the European Union’s policy of conflict resolution. It examines the causes, consequences and prospects of conflict in South Asia. It evaluates the role of the European Union in conflict resolution in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It also assesses Norway’s role in conflict resolution in Mynamar. The study will be of interest to all those engaged in the fields of political science, international relations, conflict studies, and Indian and South Asian politics and foreign policy.

Contributed articles presented at an International Conference on "India, Europe, and Conflict Resolution in South Asia" held during 1-2 March, 2012 at School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Despite a long historical experience of cultural, economic, political and social interaction with Europe, South Asia has never been a region of frontline policy for the European Union, which has gradually emerged as the largest trading partner of most South Asian economies, a major contributor of developmental aid, and home to a large diaspora, mostly in the United Kingdom. Containing nine chapters by emerging and leading scholars in the field, this volume critically examines the motivations, objectives and impact of the European Union’s development cooperation, economic and foreign policy towards South Asia. It raises and seeks to answers questions like – What role can the EU play in easing tensions between India and Pakistan in times of crisis? Is there an official EU policy regarding Kashmir or the challenge of terrorism? What is the nature and prospects of the India-EU strategic partnership? The book explores the European Union’s concerns and policies towards fostering democracy in the region. It assesses the crisis management capabilities of the EU in Afghanistan, its role in conflict resolution in Sri Lanka, and the patterns, characteristics and challenges confronted by the South Asian diaspora in the United Kingdom. The study will be of interest to all those engaged in the fields of political science, international relations, European politics and foreign policy and Indian and South Asian foreign policy.

This volume explores how we theorize, politicize, and practice peace and conflict discourses in the social sciences. As concepts, peace and conflict are intricately interwoven into a web of complementary discourses where states and other actors are able to negotiate, deliberate and arbitrate their differences short of the overt and covert use of physical violence. The essays in this volume reflect this eclecticism: they reflect on concerns of contemporary conflicts in world politics; the dissection of the ideas of peace and power; the way peace studies join with global agencies; peace and conflict in connection to geopolitics and identity; the domestic basis of conflict in India and the South Asian theatre including class, social cleavages and gender. Further they also process elements like globalization, media, communication and films that help us engage with the popular tropes and discursive construction of the reality that play critical roles in how peace and violence are articulated and acted upon by the elites and the masses in societies. This volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of political science, international relations theory, peace and conflict studies, public policy and area studies. It will also be a key resource for bureaucrats, policy makers, think tanks and practitioners working in the field of international relations.

Peace As A Political Value Is The Fundamental Strain Of This Book. Basing Itself On Essays Of Differential Nature, Method, Perspective And Strain, The Volume Attempts To Convey The Idea That Peace Studies Can Not Be Monolithic, And That Critical Peace Studies Will Have To Eschew The Absolute Polarities Of Realism And Ethics. It Is Only Contesting All Values Of Authority By Valorizing Dialogue, That Peace Acquires Its Own Value.

The South Asia region is one of the most populous and ethnically diverse in the world, but its social, political and economic development has been severely hindered by numerous inter-state and intra-state conflicts. This paper seeks to provide a more effective multidimensional framework for the analysis and management of internal conflict and security issues in this region, through the establishment of 'Peace Commissions'. These bodies could operate at national and regional levels in a similar manner to a human rights commission in order to establish effective institutional mechanisms to resolve social and political differences and so avoid violent conflict.

The volume examines the nature, dynamics and challenges of social integration and political participation by the Pakistani diaspora in the United Kingdom. It explores the political context that shapes both policy and discourse on immigrant integration with special reference to the Pakistani diaspora's lived experience in Scandinavian countries.

Continuing a widely acclaimed series, Searching for Peace in Central and South Asia provides critical background information, up-to-date surveys of the violent conflicts in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Ferghana Valley, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tajikistan, and a directory of more than 150 organizations working in the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the region. The book includes detailed, objective descriptions of ongoing activities, as well as assessments of future prospects for conflict resolution, focusing on efforts to make civil society an integral part of any peace process.