Saksham GoelAIR 27 · CSE 2021 · 250 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening
SAARC was born out of the realisation of the need to integrate the South Asian region, which is one of the most underdeveloped regions in the world.
Reasons for a not-so-promising childhood and eventual failure
Body · points
(1) Economic integration of the region is minimal
(2) The psychological and political wounds of Partitions have not yet healed
(3) Each country feared the so-called "Big Brother" attitude of India.
(4) Rivalry of India-Pakistan and led to the SAARC being stalled multiple times.
(5) Lack of coordination led to lack of a Free Trade Agreement which prevented fruits of economic interdependence
(6) Countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka pivoted towards China.
(7) India pivoted towards its Bay of Bengal identity with convergence of BBIN-BIMSTEC and rise of Indo-Pacific geopolitical construct
(8) The SAARC satellite also largely went into limbo due to the disagreements between India and Pakistan
(9) Lack of people to people contact, imaginative policy making, combining efforts for joint front in UN, etc also led to the failure of SAARC
Need for revival
- "You cannot change neighbours"
- A.B. Vajpayee, former PM
- Need to cooperate on the Afghanistan issue
- Need to cooperate to counter influence of China, assert India's role in South Asia, re-imagine South Asian region, deepen neighbourly ties and emphasise India's strategic autonomy
- Economic gains of trade and connectivity must be reaped.
Close · a way forward
Way Forward Confidence Building Measures and optimistic and full blooded imaginative efforts are the way to go for the revival of the SAARC initiative.
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