EXPANSION OF SAARC: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOUTH ASIA

This article investigates the policy consequences of SAARC’s enlargement in the mid-2000s, asking how widening membership alters incentives for regional cooperation. It reviews the political economy of admitting Afghanistan and the observer arrangements that followed, examines institutional capacity within the Secretariat, and evaluates whether a larger tent helps or hinders problem-solving on trade, connectivity and human security. The paper argues that while expansion increases SAARC’s visibility and links South Asia more closely to adjacent regions, it also raises coordination costs, diversifies threat perceptions and complicates consensus-based decision-making. Using insights from regional integration theory, the analysis differentiates club goods (e.g., information sharing) from collective goods (e.g., transit protocols) where unanimity can stall progress. It concludes that calibrated widening paired with streamlined procedures and empowered technical bodies can prevent dilution of ambition.

The body first outlines SAARC’s founding principles and core modalities—consensus, non-interference and step-by-step functional cooperation—before tracing debates over enlargement. Section One profiles new entrants and observers, mapping their strategic interests and potential contributions to energy, trade facilitation and counter-terrorism networks. Section Two applies comparative lessons from ASEAN and the EU to show how widening affects agenda-setting, committee workloads and dispute management. Section Three analyses trade: it assesses SAFTA tariff schedules, sensitive lists, and the rules-of-origin regime, arguing that progress depends on pruning exemptions and digitising customs to reduce documentary friction. Section Four turns to connectivity, detailing why transit remains a binding constraint and how sub-regional platforms can complement SAARC without fragmenting standards. Section Five considers human security—health surveillance, disaster response and labour mobility—where information-centric cooperation benefits from broader participation. The article closes with governance proposals: leaner ministerial tracks, qualified consensus for technical measures, and a results dashboard to align widening with credible delivery.