This book traces economic and political issues through SAARC’s thirty-year journey. Topical and well-researched, this collection provides a comprehensive assessment of SAARC and provides policy directives for the future. The book points out the issues and constraints that have hindered regional cooperation in South Asia. It establishes that despite being democracies, there has been little effort by member nations to promote regional cooperation in the public domain. It stresses that in view of the increased role that countries wish to play in globalisation, economic cooperation is the way forward. The book further argues that political will is the pivot on which the prospect of regional cooperation revolves.

The text provides a comprehensive introduction to the SAARC, describing the historical developments that lead to its formation, it examines the institutional structure, objectives and effectiveness of the SAARC in its role as South Asia’s leading regional institution. Drawing on original research it offers a fresh and accessible account of SAARC, arguing that South Asia forms a unique regional security complex that enables certain forms of regional cooperation and bars cooperation on other issue areas

This volume studies the challenges of climate change in South Asia and examines the role of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in addressing them. It highlights the dangers posed by climate change in South Asia and underlines the need to strengthen and intensify regional cooperation to preserve, protect and manage the diverse and fragile eco-systems of the region. The book examines policies and initiatives of the SAARC in tackling these issues and also analyzes their implementation by member countries. Comprehensive and topical, this volume will be useful for scholars and researchers of South Asian Studies, environmental studies, climate change studies, public policy and governance, development studies, international relations, regional cooperation, and political studies. It will also be of importance to policymakers and NGOs working in this field.

India faces a defining period. Its status as a global power is not only recognized but increasingly institutionalized, even as geopolitical shifts create both opportunities and challenges. With critical interests in almost every multilateral regime and vital stakes in emerging ones, India has no choice but to influence the evolving multilateral order. If India seeks to affect the multilateral order, how will it do so? In the past, it had little choice but to be content with rule taking—adhering to existing international norms and institutions. Will it now focus on rule breaking—challenging the present order primarily for effect and seeking greater accommodation in existing institutions? Or will it focus on rule shaping—contributing in partnership with others to shape emerging norms and regimes, particularly on energy, food, climate, oceans, and cyber security? And how do India's troubled neighborhood, complex domestic politics, and limited capacity inhibit its rule-shaping ability? Despite limitations, India increasingly has the ideas, people, and tools to shape the global order—in the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, "not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially." Will India emerge as one of the shapers of the emerging international order? This volume seeks to answer that question.

India and Regionalism in Asia Genesis of SAARC (1980-85) India and SAARC (1985-90) Post-Cold War Developments and India's Role in SAARC(1990 Onwards): Economic Implications Post-Cold War Developments: Political and Strategic Implications on India's Role in SAARC.

The dramatic surge in regional integration schemes over the past two decades has been one of the most important developments in world politics. This book examines regionalism in South Asia, exploring the linkages between institutional structures, government capabilities, and domestic actors’ preferences to explain the dynamics of regional cooperation.

An integrated picture of India's global vision, its foreign policy, and the negotiating practices that link the two. In recent decades, India has grown as a global power, and has been able to pursue its own goals in its own way. Negotiating for India's Global Role gives an insightful and integrated analysis of India’s ability to manage its evolving role. Former ambassadors Teresita and Howard Schaffer shine a light on the country’s strategic vision, foreign policy, and the negotiating behavior that links the two. The four concepts woven throughout the book offer an exploration of India today: its exceptionalism; nonalignment and the drive for “strategic autonomy;” determination to maintain regional primacy; and, more recently, its surging economy. With a specific focus on India’s stellar negotiating practice, Negotiating for India's Global Role is a unique, comprehensive understanding of India as an emerging international power player, and the choices it will face between its classic view of strategic autonomy and the desirability of finding partners in the fast-evolving world.