BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

EXTRA-REGIONAL INFLUENCES AND SECURITY CHALLENGES IN SOUTH ASIA

Author: Nabiha Gul

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2012v33n3a4

ABSTRACT

South Asia has been under direct and indirect interventions and policy influence by major powers since long. The colonial legacy that South Asian states carried is embedded in their political structures and socio-economic fabric. Coupled with structural problems and inter and intra-state conflicts, the undermining impact of the confounding shifts and turns in international politics, particularly since the Cold War era, culminated into challenges to peace and security in the region. Consequently, security architecture of the region remains vulnerable to violence and stability, security and development appear to be unlikely scenarios. The assessment of the role of extra-regional actors and its deteriorating impact on the security and politics in South Asian politics forms the basic premise of this paper. Also, the humble intention is to highlight the intra-regional structural weaknesses and a room for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to deal with the issues of peace and security in the region.