Strengthening Cooperation and Security in South Asia-Post 9/11

The terrorist attack at the heart of America on 11 September 2001 has had a profound impact on the course of world events. 9/11 called for fresh thinking on devising a new strategy for security and cooperation among nations. There is a call from both governments as well as civil society for cooperative security since no nation wishes to be the hostage to its nonstate actors. The present volume is the outcome of two workshops attended by a cross-section of promising young researchers, eminent scholars, and professionals from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka held in Dhaka in July and September of 2003 under the auspices of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI). The volume includes ten chapters in total along with comments of designated discussants. Studies show that deprivation of the legitimate aspirations of people and denial of social justice, discrimination against linguistic and ethnic minorities, prolonged territorial disputes or illegal occupation of territory and control over natural resources become the breeding ground for nonstate actors who resort to violence and acts of terrorism. One way to curb interstate terrorism is by finding solutions to the existing bilateral and regional problems. An active civil society in each country could also play an important complimentary role in achieving this goal .