BanglaBhoot
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The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985, is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of its founding. The enervated and impotent organization is holding its 16th summit meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan. Bhutan used to be client state of Bharat (aka India) and many thought that it would end up like Sikkima part of Bharat. Bhutan is hosting its first SAARC summit known as the talkshop. The exanimate organization has achieved no results and inspires no one. One wonders why the leaders of the eight countries took the trouble of traveling to the remote Himalayan kingdom.
Theoretically the moribund SAARC is one of the largest regional organizations in the world representing 1.5 billion people across Bharat, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives and Afghanistan. But inanimate Asian debating club has no achievements to its credit. Its leadership in Bhutan admitted that it was a failed association. The state of regional friendship in South Asia can be gleaned from the fact that Pakistani Premier Gilani flew to Bhutan via Nepal, using Chinese territory and avoided Bharati airspace.
There is no cooperation among the states. Bhutan chose the slogan Green and happy South Asia focusing on climate change as the theme of the summit. Many had hoped that the focus would have been an the agreement on trade in services. Intra-SAARC trade in South Asia remains low ignoring the agreed upon South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) that came into force in 2006.
It is no great secret that the Bharat-Pakistan rivalry hampers everything and is a huge impediment to its evolution into anything of importance. The bickering in South Asia is however not just limited to those two countries. Bharat has issus with each of the other members. None of the other members are contiguous to the other, so that they have to go through Bharat.
In the early 50s it used to be called the Indian Subcontinent. In the 60s it was called the Indo-Pakistani Subcontinent. It would now be true that that the euphemism of South Asia could be called the Chinese Subcontinent. Bharat is now rapidly losing its salience. Beijings growing dominance of the South Asian landscape is a fait accompli. China entered SAARC to fill the vacuum. It began its term as an observer in 2005, supported by most member states, except Bharat. Delhi resisted but could not challenge the majority. In the end it reluctantly acquiesced. Bangladesh and Nepal used to tow Delhis line. Things have changed. Now, much to Bharatss chagrin, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are supporting Chinas full membership in SAARC. Even Afghanistan has not opposed it. Chances are that SAARC membership is for Beijing ot have, if she wants it.
One would have to living in a cave to not see Chinas rising profile in the Subcontinent. It is not surprising to see diminution of Bharats rolewhat is astonishing is the rapidity at which Delhi has been forced to cede strategic space to Beijing. China is becoming the largest trading partner with all the SAARC states including Bharat. Delhi still thinks of South Asia as being its exclusive sphere of influence. Of course, no one even takes note of it anymore.
Pakistans all-weather friendship with China which is billed as higer than that the Karakorams, deeper than the sea and sweeter than honey. All this achieved without threats or hegemony. The reach of China in all other South Asian states has been extraordinaryrepresenting the low profile policies of the countries. There is never any bluster from Beijing. High profile bonanzas are shunned. Deals are signed at low-profile functions. Bangladesh and Lanka view Bharat building barriers against their exports than in spurring regional economic integration. Bharati politics certainly have not helped. Delhi is seen as an impediment to trade. Bharats protectionist policies have allowed China to be accepted as the leader of South Asia.All Bharat can do is sit and watch. Bharat could have emerged as facilitator of socio-economic development in Sri Lanka, Nepal Bangladesh, and Bhutan. It however missed the boat. Ephemeral success in the 90s gave it a swollen head, and it wa unable see the potential of building relationships based on mutual trust and equality. Beijing works in its own ways. Chinas developmental assistance to all countries have having a huge impact on the region.
Bharat tried to build counterweights to China, by inviting Japan, the US and Australia to the club. It had hoped that Afghanistan would be a key ally and support it like Sikkim used to do. Bharats attempts to keep China out of the subcontinent have failed. Delhi does not have the capacity to re-evaluate its South Asian policy. It is impotent to see the opportunities, and sees the world from a lens of hubris an arrogance. Chinas strategy towards Subcontinent is premised on its regional standing,global outreach and the obviousencirclement of its arch-enemy Bharat. China has successfully cut Bharat to size confining it within the geographical coordinates of the national boundaries. This strategy of building relationships began with Pakistan and has gradually evolved to include all the states in the region, including Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal.
China has entered markets in the Subcontinent more aggressively through trade, aid, grants and investment, improving linkages with all the South Asian states through treaties and bilateral cooperation. Beijing, flush with trade surpluses has been building colossal infrastructure projects constructing a ring of road and port connections in Bharats neighborhood. It has been deepening military cooperation with states in its neighborhood. China has firmly entrenched itself in the Subcontinent which at one time Delhi considered its backyard.
This under the radar idyllic, impassive imperturbability has allowed Beijing to assert its relationships with all its neighbors. Beijing thus allows the smaller countries of South Asia to play China off against Bharat. Pakistan was the first one to rebel against the Bharati dominationbut other states have taken a clue from this. Most states in the region now use the China card to balance against the hegemonic predominance of Bharat. Since China has no territorial claims against any of the states, it can move in with a trust factor. It also does not make demands. Almost all states have learned to ignore Bharat and build lucrative relations with China.
Bharats hubris, arrogance and attempted structural dominance build perpetual resentment against the big bully. Bharati leadership and the ability to show a vision is missing and has been missing for decades. There is talk af setting up another organization of smaller states without Bharat. Bharat has failed to counter Beijings rising star has made it even more unlikely that such cooperation will evolve productively.
China is the undisputed leader of the region. Bharat is an also-ran.
The religious Hinduists in Bharat have tried to use SAARC to resurrect the ephemeral Akhand Bharat dominated by Delhia sort of a British Indian Empire with Bharat as the center of the universe. Since all countries in South Asia struggled to et away from Delhis dominancethis is a not a good model The EU had most of its countries of similar size and none wanted to take over the smaller states.
In South Asia, the sovereignty dynamics between a larger Bharat and its smaller neighbors ensures that the road to economic and political cooperation will be a bumpy one. Many think that it will be impossible and SAARC wil wither away like the Warsaw pact.
A Chinese Subcontinent | Pakistan Patriot
Theoretically the moribund SAARC is one of the largest regional organizations in the world representing 1.5 billion people across Bharat, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives and Afghanistan. But inanimate Asian debating club has no achievements to its credit. Its leadership in Bhutan admitted that it was a failed association. The state of regional friendship in South Asia can be gleaned from the fact that Pakistani Premier Gilani flew to Bhutan via Nepal, using Chinese territory and avoided Bharati airspace.
There is no cooperation among the states. Bhutan chose the slogan Green and happy South Asia focusing on climate change as the theme of the summit. Many had hoped that the focus would have been an the agreement on trade in services. Intra-SAARC trade in South Asia remains low ignoring the agreed upon South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) that came into force in 2006.
It is no great secret that the Bharat-Pakistan rivalry hampers everything and is a huge impediment to its evolution into anything of importance. The bickering in South Asia is however not just limited to those two countries. Bharat has issus with each of the other members. None of the other members are contiguous to the other, so that they have to go through Bharat.
In the early 50s it used to be called the Indian Subcontinent. In the 60s it was called the Indo-Pakistani Subcontinent. It would now be true that that the euphemism of South Asia could be called the Chinese Subcontinent. Bharat is now rapidly losing its salience. Beijings growing dominance of the South Asian landscape is a fait accompli. China entered SAARC to fill the vacuum. It began its term as an observer in 2005, supported by most member states, except Bharat. Delhi resisted but could not challenge the majority. In the end it reluctantly acquiesced. Bangladesh and Nepal used to tow Delhis line. Things have changed. Now, much to Bharatss chagrin, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are supporting Chinas full membership in SAARC. Even Afghanistan has not opposed it. Chances are that SAARC membership is for Beijing ot have, if she wants it.
One would have to living in a cave to not see Chinas rising profile in the Subcontinent. It is not surprising to see diminution of Bharats rolewhat is astonishing is the rapidity at which Delhi has been forced to cede strategic space to Beijing. China is becoming the largest trading partner with all the SAARC states including Bharat. Delhi still thinks of South Asia as being its exclusive sphere of influence. Of course, no one even takes note of it anymore.
Pakistans all-weather friendship with China which is billed as higer than that the Karakorams, deeper than the sea and sweeter than honey. All this achieved without threats or hegemony. The reach of China in all other South Asian states has been extraordinaryrepresenting the low profile policies of the countries. There is never any bluster from Beijing. High profile bonanzas are shunned. Deals are signed at low-profile functions. Bangladesh and Lanka view Bharat building barriers against their exports than in spurring regional economic integration. Bharati politics certainly have not helped. Delhi is seen as an impediment to trade. Bharats protectionist policies have allowed China to be accepted as the leader of South Asia.All Bharat can do is sit and watch. Bharat could have emerged as facilitator of socio-economic development in Sri Lanka, Nepal Bangladesh, and Bhutan. It however missed the boat. Ephemeral success in the 90s gave it a swollen head, and it wa unable see the potential of building relationships based on mutual trust and equality. Beijing works in its own ways. Chinas developmental assistance to all countries have having a huge impact on the region.
Bharat tried to build counterweights to China, by inviting Japan, the US and Australia to the club. It had hoped that Afghanistan would be a key ally and support it like Sikkim used to do. Bharats attempts to keep China out of the subcontinent have failed. Delhi does not have the capacity to re-evaluate its South Asian policy. It is impotent to see the opportunities, and sees the world from a lens of hubris an arrogance. Chinas strategy towards Subcontinent is premised on its regional standing,global outreach and the obviousencirclement of its arch-enemy Bharat. China has successfully cut Bharat to size confining it within the geographical coordinates of the national boundaries. This strategy of building relationships began with Pakistan and has gradually evolved to include all the states in the region, including Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal.
China has entered markets in the Subcontinent more aggressively through trade, aid, grants and investment, improving linkages with all the South Asian states through treaties and bilateral cooperation. Beijing, flush with trade surpluses has been building colossal infrastructure projects constructing a ring of road and port connections in Bharats neighborhood. It has been deepening military cooperation with states in its neighborhood. China has firmly entrenched itself in the Subcontinent which at one time Delhi considered its backyard.
This under the radar idyllic, impassive imperturbability has allowed Beijing to assert its relationships with all its neighbors. Beijing thus allows the smaller countries of South Asia to play China off against Bharat. Pakistan was the first one to rebel against the Bharati dominationbut other states have taken a clue from this. Most states in the region now use the China card to balance against the hegemonic predominance of Bharat. Since China has no territorial claims against any of the states, it can move in with a trust factor. It also does not make demands. Almost all states have learned to ignore Bharat and build lucrative relations with China.
Bharats hubris, arrogance and attempted structural dominance build perpetual resentment against the big bully. Bharati leadership and the ability to show a vision is missing and has been missing for decades. There is talk af setting up another organization of smaller states without Bharat. Bharat has failed to counter Beijings rising star has made it even more unlikely that such cooperation will evolve productively.
China is the undisputed leader of the region. Bharat is an also-ran.
The religious Hinduists in Bharat have tried to use SAARC to resurrect the ephemeral Akhand Bharat dominated by Delhia sort of a British Indian Empire with Bharat as the center of the universe. Since all countries in South Asia struggled to et away from Delhis dominancethis is a not a good model The EU had most of its countries of similar size and none wanted to take over the smaller states.
In South Asia, the sovereignty dynamics between a larger Bharat and its smaller neighbors ensures that the road to economic and political cooperation will be a bumpy one. Many think that it will be impossible and SAARC wil wither away like the Warsaw pact.
A Chinese Subcontinent | Pakistan Patriot
