“South Asia is the region where tidal waves of geostrategy and geoeconomics collide.”
– General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, NI (M)
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), Joint Staff Headquarters, Pakistan
South Asia, the fulcrum of geoeconomic cross currents, is now the emerging centre of power in a political universe which is more complex and fluid not only due to the growing multiplicity of nation-states, but also the potpourri of non-state actors increasingly in the mix. These include terrorists, 24/7 news channels, transnational businesses, social media, and civil society all impacting world affairs. And it is in South Asia, where all this is amplified by the flow of people, knowledge, ideas and money interacting with a constellation of forces impinging upon each other.
Kipling’s ‘The Great Game’ remains as real today as it was in the 1800s with the regional and global political landscape transforming at the speed of light. From the announcement of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2014 to Donald Trump’s South Asia policy in 2017; from the battle against the Islamic State and fundamentalist elements in Afghanistan to the threats posed by climate change and water scarcity to the sovereignty of South Asian countries; from the Indo-US strategic partnership to the ever estranged Pak-India ties and their inclusion in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – all these developments highlight the complexities of the international system and the role this region is playing in shaping it.
Volume Editor: Sarah Siddiq Aneel
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Introduction
PART I
Welcome Address
Ambassador (R) Abdul Basit,
President, Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)
Opening Remarks
Dr Jens Jokisch
Chargé d’affaires, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Inaugural Address
General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, NI (M)
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC),
Joint Staff Headquarters, Pakistan
Concluding Remarks
Omer Ali
National Programme Coordinator
Hanns Seidel Foundation (Pakistan Office)
Policy Imperatives: Lessons for the Future of South Asia
Sarah Siddiq Aneel
Editor, Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)
PART II
Regional Dynamics of South Asia
- Assessment of Socio-Political Trends in South Asia
Admiral (R) Dr Jayanath Colombage
- Pakistan and India’s SCO Membership: Potential Hurdles and Need for Political Wisdom
Dr Boris Volkhonsky
- Climate Change and its Threats to the Sovereignty of South Asian States
Biswas Baral
- The Rise of China and Shift from Geostrategy to Geoeconomics: Impact on South Asia
Didier Chaudet
Strategic Concerns in South Asia
- China Dream vs. America First: Is the Thucydides Trap Unavoidable?
Dr Wei Zongyou
- Accelerating Competition: The Risk of Regional Blocs in South Asia
Andrew Small
- Strategic Stability Challenges in South Asia
Professor Dr Syed Rifaat Hussain
- Russia’s Changing Policy towards South Asia: Options for Pakistan
Dr Shabir Ahmed Khan
Strategic Situation in Afghanistan and its Regional Implications
- Navigating Troubled Pathways: India’s Role in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Apprehensions Ambassador (R) Rustam Shah Mohmand
- Reconciliation Process in Afghanistan: Role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Vladimir Potapenko
Addressing Security Concerns in South Asia: A Way Forward
- Resolving the Jammu and Kashmir Dispute: An Imperative for Regional Peace
Professor Dr Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema
- The Role of Global Powers in Building a Cooperative Security Order in South Asia
Dr Christian Wagner
Annexures
Annex I: Authors’ Bios
Annex II: IPRI Publications
