Essay 35: Regionalism in South Asia: Trajectories, Achievements, and Potentials
Abstract
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to integrate the South Asian economies. Previously discussed at the Asian Relations Conference in 1947, the Baguio Conference in 1950, and the Colombo Powers Conference in 1954 (Malik, 1993 ), the idea of South Asian Regionalism was ultimately advanced with the proposal put forward by the then-president of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman, in 1980 (Iqbal, 2006 ). Founding members of SAARC include Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, and the Maldives, while Afghanistan joined the forum in 2007.
Fields of Study & Subjects
South Asian Studies and Conflicts
International Relations and Foreign Policy
Global Political and Economic Relations
Publication details
- Journal / source
- United Nations University series on regionalism
- Pages
- 361–367
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter