INTERFACING TRADITIONAL AND NON-TRADITIONAL SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA

This article argues that South Asia’s security agenda must integrate traditional state-centric concerns—deterrence, borders, conventional force balance—with non-traditional threats such as terrorism, pandemics, natural disasters and climate stress. It explains how the region’s nuclearized rivalry increases the premium on reliable hotlines and incident-prevention, while the same militaries are increasingly called to support civilian disaster response. The analysis proposes practical bridges: shared risk assessments, civil–military coordination protocols, and information-sharing on transboundary hazards. It emphasizes that investments in public health, early-warning and resilient infrastructure are not separate from national security; they are enablers of stability that reduce escalation incentives during crises.

The body traces the widening security concept since the 1990s and situates South Asia within that evolution. Section One reviews crisis episodes and lessons for escalation management, including transparency measures and communication drills. Section Two analyzes terrorism and insurgency as cross-border phenomena, highlighting intelligence cooperation, financial tracking, and community-based prevention. Section Three turns to disasters and climate risks: cyclone early-warning, flood forecasting, and heat-health action plans, with examples from Bay of Bengal littorals. Section Four maps institutional interfaces—NDMAs, health ministries, armed forces headquarters—and proposes joint exercises and standard operating procedures that respect civilian primacy. Section Five outlines metrics to evaluate integrated security: response times, mortality averted, and continuity of essential services. The conclusion calls for a doctrine that treats human security as complementary to strategic deterrence, creating a more resilient regional order.