SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION A CASE STUDY OF SAARC AS A FAILED REGIONAL GROUPING (original) (raw)

One of the important features of the modern political system is the rise of regional groupings and regional arrangements comprising of nation states. Even though the main aim for such arrangements is usually cooperation in trade, it also resulted in greater cooperation among the member states in various other areas as it is increasingly realized that cooperation is the preferred way over conflict. The European Union that evolved from the ruins of the Second World War is among the only regional arrangements that had achieved a high degree of cooperation and integration. Despite the mushrooming up of similar arrangements elsewhere, many of them could not survive long due to various reasons. South Asian region also experimented with a regional cooperation by setting up an arrangement called the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).