Posts Tagged ‘South Asia’
16th SAARC Summit at Thimphu
The 16th SAARC Summit concluded in Thimphu, Bhutan last week. Two characteristics of South Asians strike me when leaders of SAARC nations meet. First, South Asians feel more comfortable in big crowds. Second, South Asians are highly entrepreneurial. The Thimphu Summit reaffirmed the impressions. Even though the SAARC Charter prohibits discussions on contentious bilateral issues, leaders of India and Pakistan feel most comfortable in conversing at sidelines of SAARC Summits. Despite slow progress of previously agreed cooperative projects, SAARC members do not shy away from undertaking new ventures at each summit meeting.
Robert Blake Enunciates Obama Administration’s South Asia Policy
Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department, delivered a key speech at the School of Advanced International Studies of the John Hopkins University on September 9, 2009.
The speech highlighted the usual and not-so-usual dimensions of the Administration’s South Asia policy.
Emergence of ‘New Bargainers’ in South Asia - I
Mainstream politics in South Asia is undergoing a major transformation. Recent developments in the region indicate that elements from the extreme left, armed factions, separatist groups and the ideologically marginalized are entering mainstream politics. Is this transformation reflective of wider democratization or radicalization of politics? Click to continue…