South Asia : Dynamics of Politics, Economy and Security
Contents: Preface. Introduction. I. Dynamics of internal politics: 1. Governance in South Asia: problems and prospects/Baljit S. Mann. 2. Revolt in post-colonial Sri Lanka: dynamics and implications/Karori Singh. 3. Democracy in Nepal: bumpy ground and road blocks/B.C. Upreti. 4. Rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan: an international concern/Surendra Chopra. 5. Struggle for democracy in South Asia: case of Bhutan/Mathew Joseph C. 6. Track-five diplomacy: role of higher education in conflict transformation/Jane E. Schukoske and Manjri Sewak. II. Indo-Pakistan relations--a paradigm shift: 7. Indo-Pak relations and SAARC: retrospect and prospect/A.S. Narang. 8. Relevance of mediation for India-Pakistan peacemaking/P. Sahadevan. 9. Two states in one river basin system: conflict to cooperative co-existence/Mohd. Tajuddin and Muzaffar Ali. 10. The changing policy of the US in South Asia: impact on Indo-Pak relations/K.P. Vijaylakshmi. 11. Track-two diplomacy in Indo-Pak relations: problems and prospects/Happymon Jacob. 12. Genesis of Indo-Pak dialogue on sidelines of SAARC 2004/Harmeet Singh. III. Security in South Asia: need for rethinking: 13. South Asian security: India--Pakistan factor/Karamjit Singh Sidhu. 14. Foreign power involvement and regional security in South Asia: a roadmap to peace, development and balance of power system/Bishnu Hari Nepal. 15. Impact of Afghanistan crisis on South Asia/Surinder K. Shukla. 16. Energy scenario in South Asia: a case study of India\'s energy policy/Monir Alam. 17. Proliferation of small arms and light weapons in South Asia: impact on human security/Kulwant Kaur. IV. Regionalism and regional cooperation: 18. Political economy of Indo-Pakistan trade relations and SAARC/Ranjit Singh Ghuman. 19. Contours of conflict, co-operative regimes and critical mass: a study of the South Asian region/Anand Aditya. 20. Prospects of regional cooperation through SAFTA: an Indian perspective/Jasbir Singh and Aroon Sharma. 21. Regional cooperation in South East Asia: lessons for SAARC/Gurmeet Kaur. 22. Regional cooperation in South Asia--emerging trends/Parmjit K. Gill. Index.
"The book South Asia: Dynamics of Politics, Economy and Security is the outcome of a seminar on conflict and cooperation in South Asia, organised by the Department of Political Science, University of Jammu, Jammu. Numerous scholars from different parts of the country and Nepal attended the seminar and enriched the interactive debate with their comments and observation.
South Asia has witnessed cataclysmic changes in internal and external politics, which have initiated the process of political, economic and social transformation in the region. The structures of governance are being diversified and differentiated yet governance is the least priority. There is an economic transition in the South Asian region. Since 1990s the majority of South Asian countries have introduced globalisation as a measure to address their economic crisis by way of reducing poverty and thus improving governance. Globalisation has accelerated the process of growth but the development is still a mirage; the impact of globalisation has not been accompanied by reduction in poverty or improvement in human development through the formation of social capital.
The region is suffering from the syndrome of insecurity. Threats to their security are not only from within but also from outside the region. These states are confronted by the conventional and non-conventional threats. The non-conventional security threats like poverty, governance, water, food, energy and environmental security have become more pronounced, whereas, the hard and undemarcated borders have remained the major source of conflict in the region.
The above are some of the issues debated on in great detail which would be of immense use to scholars studying South Asia, Departments of Politics and Defence as well as policy makers who will benefit vastly from this valuable collection by eminent specialists." (jacket)
