ABOUT THE BOOK

South Asia presents a picture of marked contrast in all fields-politically, economically, and military. Politically, the entire South-Asia region, with the exception of India, has witnessed convulsive politics in the last fifty years. Democratic political institutions if they had been allowed to mature could have contributed to building up of regional trust and confidence. Unfortunately, democracy has been an exception amongst South-Asian states rather than the rule. South Asia, in terms of economic development and regional economic cooperation, offers very attractive prospects due to the richness of natural and energy resources within the region and the potential for cheap hydroelectric power. Military, South Asia is a conflict prone region where the two largest countries fought four wars. This conflictual environment has largely affected the financial resources which could have gone for economic and social development. New military dangers grew in 1998 with the nuclear weaponizations of South Asia. Thus, the possibility of future conflict has become a cause of great concern which affects not only regional actors but also international actors. South Asia, therefore, present a picture of a troublesome environment so far military, political, economic, and social issues are concerned. Thus, conflict resolution in South Asia is a pre-requisite for establishing any meaningful regional co-operation and the ultimate emergence of South Asian Economic Community akin to the European Economic Community. South Asia, however, continue to be a prisoner of the past in political and military terms. The thrust of the book is on ``South Asia: Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Threatsâ??â??. It has been divided into two sections: (1) traditional security threats; and (2) non-traditional security threats. The book contains various articles contributed by distinguished scholars in their own respective areas.

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