Prospects for South Asian Regional Co‑operation: Lessons from ASEAN

Abstract

There are few regions in the world made up of countries that share so much in com mon ? ethnic roots, socio-cultural values, political traditions and historical experiences ? as those in the South Asian region. Of the countries in that region that have numerous similarities, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan shared similar historical and political experiences until only forty years ago as one large political unit under British direct or indirect rule. Including prehistorical times, one could also subsume Nepal and Sri Lanka within a larger socio-political region sharing both friendly and hostile relations. But although the foundations for interaction are deeply rooted, no other group of countries has had to survive in an environment of suspicion and hostility ever since independence. How do countries garner the spirit of goodwill and strive for closer co operation despite the political separation and turmoil that have been characteristic over the years? The attempts that the various governments have pursued lately are in fact an indication that the desire for regional co-operation can overcome some differences and bring together countries that wish to collaborate on specific issues or in what some theorists refer to as functional co-operation. However, if ASEAN is any comparison at all, South Asian countries have a long way to go before arriving at a regional community in which mutual suspicion, hostility and violence cease to influence bilateral and multilateral relations, and in which mutually beneficial functional, political and economic relations are the basis for positive interactions. Peace and stability would then be the norm. This paper attempts to look at the regional peculiarities and experiences that both the South Asian and ASEAN regions have faced and distill some of the lessons that South Asian countries could learn from the ASEAN case to assure a measure of success in the formation of a regional association, and eventually, a community.1