Creation, evolution and objectives

Why was SAARC created?

Historically, the nations within the South Asia region have had frequent regional conflicts over territorial disputes, illegal migration and access to resources, particularly rivers. Between the years of India gaining semi-independence from the British Empire in 1947 and full independence in 1950, and the formation of SAARC in 1985, the South Asia region had been host to four major wars and an array of other smaller conflicts, with India being a primary actor in all conflicts, due to its status as a dominant power within the region.   

Major Wars and Conflicts in the South Asian Regions before SAARC and the Years they were fought

Year	Major Wars	Other Minor Conflicts
1947-1948	India-Pakistan (First Kashmir War)
1950		India-Pakistan (Territorial Dispute over Kashmir)
1962	India-China (The Sino-Indian War, disputed Himalayan border)
1965	India-Pakistan (Territorial dispute over Kashmir)
1967		India-Pakistan (Territorial Dispute over Kashmir)
1971	India-Pakistan (Formation of Bangladesh/ Bangladesh Liberation War)
1982-1983		India-Bangladesh (Territorial Disputes)
1984-1985		India-Pakistan (Siachen conflict)

(Data from Bajpai K. P., (1990), The Origins of Association in South Asia: SAARC 1979-1989)

Soldiers during The First Kashmir War

It is clear that South Asia was an unstable region containing states that were prone to conflict with one another, particularly with the two major actors in the region, India and Pakistan. So to understand why the SAARC organisation was formed it is important to first analyse this basic question:

Why do states associate?

According to Kanti Bajpai from the University of Illinois states ultimately associate for three primary reasons.

1. Because others states do.
2. Out of affinity for other states.
3. And to better protect or advance cherished values, pre-eminently states, welfare, and security.

With states as politically, religiously and economically diverse as the eight SAARC nations, located in a region known for its volatility and frequent bilateral conflicts, it is obvious that these states did not form an organization based upon cultural affinity for one another. So why then would they come together to form a coalition for regional cooperation?

What are the aims of SAARC?

A likely factor in establishing a regional forum is that the SAARC nations were looking to ‘emulate other regions’, in particular to the geographically close Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), formed in 1967, located in South-East Asia and the Arab League formed in 1945, located predominantly in the Middle East and Northern Africa. A bloc of states such as ASEAN and the Arab League allows for greater economic bargaining power in trade and provides an opportunity for nations within the region to resolve disputes or conflicts, which was an ongoing concern in South Asia.

However, the principal motivation for the founding of SAARC was due to the final reason, ‘to better protect or advance cherished values, pre-eminently status, welfare and security’ (Bajpai K. P., 1990).

The official aim for the establishment of SAARC was ‘to support the regional states so that they may emerge as developed countries undermining their long history of enmities’ (Jabeen M et al., 2010). This was established in Article I of the SAARC Charter of 1985 which states its objectives as:

Article I

OBJECTIVES

a)    To promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of life.

b)   To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region

and to provide all individuals, the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potential.

c)    To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia.

d)   To contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems.

e)    To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural,

technical and scientific fields.

f)     To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries.

g)    To strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interest.

h)   To cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.

 (Taken from the Charter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)

SAARC Charter

For further information, visit  http://www.wipo.int/edocs/trtdocs/en/saarc/trt_saarc.pdf

While the discourse in the SAARC Charter focussed on multilateral economic development and promoting the welfare of the people of South Asia, the states were ultimately motivated to join the SAARC organization as a means of preserving their status and security. According to Bajpai, this arrangement had two significant objectives for the security of the countries involved; to serve as a ‘means of containment’ where the smaller, less powerful states such as Bangladesh, Nepal etc. sought to counterbalance India’s power in the region, and India sought to ‘contain the small states’ links to extra-regional powers’, particularly China and the Soviet Union. It also served as an ‘arena for intra-regional conflict resolution’.

Prior to the formation of SAARC the intra-regional conflict was resolved mainly between the two states in conflict. In this ‘strictly bilateral basis’ states are unlikely to cooperate with each other and in the SAARC region, states had shown ‘little inclination to cooperate’. However, they are much more likely to cooperate in an ‘ongoing and multilateral association’ (Bajpai K P., 1990). Hence, the aim was that by boosting economic interdependence, growth and cooperation between the states, this would encourage states in the SAARC region to build trust with one another and hopefully this would allow SAARC to provide a platform for resolving conflicts within the region. Thus providing the security that the states needed to be able to further develop economically and help the welfare of their people.