Forty years after its creation, SAARC’s biggest obstacle may not be institutions at all — but whether South Asians still think regionally.
In this episode of the SADF Podcast, Natasha Fernando speaks with Professor Imtiaz Ahmed, Professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka and Executive Director of the Centre for Alternatives, about the 40th anniversary of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Their conversation asks why SAARC has remained largely paralysed since 2014, even as India and Pakistan continue to cooperate in other regional forums.
Professor Ahmed argues that the deeper problem is a failure to build a genuinely South Asian mindset. He reflects on the original ambition behind the South Asian University, the missed opportunity to create thematic regional institutions, and the importance of culture, education, water, heritage and intellectual exchange in building a shared regional consciousness. He also points to China’s growing economic role and the rise of platforms such as BIMSTEC and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as signs that South Asia’s geopolitical environment has changed dramatically since SAARC was founded.
The episode also looks beyond crisis diplomacy. Humanitarian cooperation during pandemics, floods and cyclones shows that South Asian states can work together when they must. But Ahmed argues that the region needs a more ambitious vision built around connectivity, high-speed transport, education, opportunity and retaining young creative talent within South Asia.
The central question is therefore not simply whether SAARC can be revived, but whether the region can still imagine a shared future strong enough to overcome national rivalries.
Tags:
#SAARC #SouthAsia #RegionalCooperation #IndiaPakistan #BIMSTEC #ShanghaiCooperationOrganisation #SouthAsianUniversity #RegionalIntegration #CulturalCooperation #Connectivity #DisasterRelief #Education #Geopolitics #Democracy #SADF
