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.

Analyzing regional challenges and their implications for U.S. foreign policy This book is an impressive overview of security and governance issues in South Asia and their implications for U.S. foreign policy in the region. The focus is on major enduring issues that include India-Pakistan relations, India-China relations, conventional forces, and nuclear weapons. The book's contributors also tackle a number of often underexplored issues, including democratic backsliding in India, authoritarian hardening in China, and the international ramifications of both. The impact of Pakistan's political culture on democracy, and the insurgency in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, along with examinations of the internal security challenges in Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Maldives provide lessons for other states on how to counterviolent extremism and insurgencies related to identity and marginalization. Anyone interested in South Asian security and U.S. policy toward the region will be rewarded with new insights on these topics, written by academics and analysts specializing in the issues. The chapter authors were close colleagues or advisees of long-time Brookings Institution senior fellow Stephen Philip Cohen. Cohen was the first American scholar to work on South Asian security studies. He largely defined the field, trained and mentored many of its leading analysts, and was himself its most experienced and insightful scholar-practitioner until his death in 2019. This book is dedicated to Cohen in recognition of his contributions to scholarship and policymaking on South Asia.

This book is a collection of speeches and lectures delivered by political luminaries, practitioners and noted scholars on South Asian security at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.It offers interesting insights on the emerging security dynamics of South Asia. The issues covered are highly topical and include analyses of the conflict in Afghanistan, counter-terrorism in Pakistan, conflict management in Kashmir, post-conflict restructuring in Nepal and militarization in Asia. Some of the chapters provide in-depth analyses of the regional power politics and competing foreign policy priorities, with particular emphasis on India, the major regional power. India's foreign policy and defense relations with Southeast Asia, China and Russia are covered in detail in individual chapters.The book brings together insights from experts who have served at the highest levels of government as well as scholars and experts with firsthand experience in the field. It highlights some of the significant security issues that have a vital bearing on the future of South Asia and will be of interest to policy makers, students and observers of the South Asian security scene.

Zahid Shahab Ahmed evaluates the progress of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This study goes beyond economic integration to present a detailed appraisal of cooperation under the overarching themes of economic cooperation, environmental security, human welfare, and cooperation in security matters. According to the author, SAARC is making progress in addressing the myriad of issues on its agenda. The transition from agreements to actions and frequent interactions among the member states has boosted confidence. The progress of SAARC is more evident in the less controversial areas of human security, such as poverty alleviation, health and safety, human resources development, and higher education. Notwithstanding enthusiastic commitments reflected in agreements and action plans, there is a gulf between rhetoric and implementation most notably in sensitive areas relating to traditional security. In the light of the findings of this study, the author proposes that greater cooperation in common human security areas has a potential to pave the way for a cooperation on issues of a ’contentious’ nature, particularly terrorism.

Terrorism and low intensity conflicts are not new in South Asia but the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States suddenly gave the events a new dimension. From regional considerations, terrorism acquired global connotation and in this changed perspective, South Asian terrorism and low intensity conflicts needed to be explored afresh. The geographical region covered by the book includes predominantly the member countries of SAARC, Afghanistan and Myanmar, as also specific case studies including a few instances of terrorist activities from beyond the region. The papers analyse the societal, political and economic factors responsible for the rise and salience of terrorism; the challenges posed by terrorism and low intensity conflict on peace, stability and security of the nation-states and people; the international, regional and national regime against terrorism and perpetrators of mass violence; the motives, ideologies, strategies and activities of various non-state armed groups in South Asia; and thereby contribute toward meaningful policy options in tackling terrorism and activities of armed groups.

The book examines ASEAN's mechanisms in managing challenges and threats to regional security. Its extensive analyses of the ASEAN story of managing regional security cover the different phases of ASEAN's development as a regional organization and explore the perceptible changes that have occurred in regional mechanisms of conflict management. The book also examines the roles of relevant actors beyond the states of ASEAN and the key interactions that have evolved over time, which have been instrumental in moving regional mechanisms beyond the ASEAN way. The book argues that the ASEAN way has not been impervious to change. As the association finds its way through periods of crises and continues to confront the many challenges ahead, ASEAN and its mechanisms are already being transformed beyond the narrow confines of the modalities associated with the ASEAN way. The changes in the political and security landscape of the region, as well as the democratic transitions taking place in some member states, have set the stage for a much more dynamic set of regional actors and processes that bring into question the kind of regionalism that is now taking place in the region. the way regionalism is changing in Southeast Asia.