BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

REGIONALISM AND SECURITY CONCERNS POST 9/11: A SOUTH ASIAN PERSPECTIVE

Author: Hosna Jahan Shewly

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2008v29n2a3

ABSTRACT

The September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington triggered a series of immediate, enduring and varied responses from nations to secure their sovereign territories from terrorist attacks or terrorism. At the same time, different regional organisations are also taking additional regional security measures. Since then the EU and the NAFTA have taken Counter-Terrorism Action Plan and security strategies to face new security threats. Therefore, the 9/11 event forced a reassessment of vulnerabilities and the realisation of the benefits of cooperation rather than unilateralism. The event of 9/11 is also significant for South Asia. In the post-9/11 reality, the region became the epicentre of the fight against international terrorism, and the region is experiencing sharp rise in terrorist activities including bomb blasts. Hence, SAARC is concluding different agreements or adopting safeguard measures to stop terrorism. In such context, this paper analyses South Asian security concerns in the post-9/11 period and the SAARC initiatives in response to new security environment. It also focuses on the implementation process of different regional security measuresand problems in quest for a new approach to security.