ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC: A critical study of Regionalism in South Asia:

Challenges and Perspectives (A case study SAARC)
Submitted to: Sir Dr Amir Ullah

Submitted by: Abdullah

Aristotle: the celebrated Greek philosophe, says that humans are political animals. Humans
are political because of their interdependence upon each other for the fulfillment of their
needs. As like individual in society, the same phenomena of interdependence reflect among
the state as well. No state is self-sufficient. Like humans states also have to progress in
association with other states. That is why we see different international organizations
established for regulating the smooth functioning of relationship between and among
states. Nations works in group to achieve their objective of ensuring security, economic
development and social progress. Some organizations are established with the sole purpose
of ensuring security, for example NATO. While other organizations are established for
promoting trade and economic opportunities, like NAFTA. Regionalism is a growing wave in
international politics in the relationship of mutual interdependence among states.
Regionalism has become a pervasive feature of international relations. In the last several
decades it has challenged the traditional centrality of states in international relations.
Organizations like European Union has intertwined different states of Europe under one
political umbrella. However, Regionalism do accept the independent identity and sovereign
equality of states.

Regionalism
Development of institutionalized cooperation among states and other actors on the basis of
regional contiguity as a feature of the international system.

OR
The expression of a common sense of identity and purpose combined with the creation and
implementation of institutions that express a particular identity and shape collective action
within a geographical region.
Though it is not necessary that all the states of a particular region may be part of regional
organization. However, for an effective and strong regional organization to work
cooperation based on shared benefits is indispensable. Regional integration provides in a
well-defined geographic region and techniques of conflict resolution and possibilities of
pursuing common foreign policy objectives within a regional context. The successful working
of European Union provided an incentive for other regional organizations. Envisioning the
same ideals of cooperation among the states of South Asia, South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation was established in 1985. The chief architect behind this idea was the
then president of Bangladesh President Zia-Ur-Rahman.
SAARC as a Regional Organization
SAARC was founded on 8 December 1985. Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The
organization consists of Eight members. They include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It comprises 3% of the world’s area, 21% of
the world’s population. The core objectives of the organization ae to increase the socio-
economic growth among the members through the agreed areas of cooperation. In order to
take full advantage of the organization, it was decided to institutionalized SAARC. In 1985
Dhaka Summit concluded the implementation of the SAARC Charter.

CHALLENGES
(A) Political challenges: One of the biggest challenges to
the smooth functioning of SAARC is the political conflicts among the
member countries. These conflicts are of different aspects. It includes
conflict over bordering territories, political ideologies, differing
policies of member states in international politics and other.

(B) Economic challenges: