As the world is changes, many scholars, analysts, and policy makers agree that while governments need to confront external threats, creating sustainable domestic environments is an imperative policy priority. In the post-Cold War period, several bilateral conflicts-including the nuclear tests of 1998, and the post 9/11 world in which South Asia has become a breeding ground for terrorists-continue to make India and Pakistan a pivotal region.
This book will contribute to a deeper and more holistic understanding of policy priorities of major players in a pivotal region of the world. It begins by analyzing security policies of India and Pakistan that have emerged in the context of geo-political concerns based on realist calculations. It also looks at the policies of the two governments in key areas such as the economy, education, public health, and safeguarding against gender-based violence. Concern with human security prompts analyses such as the one adopted in this book to argue that governments should empower and protect their citizens from serious threats to their survival. Home to a fifth of the world`s population, large numbers of whom are reeling in poverty, where terrorism continues to be a concern, along with ongoing border disputes, India and Pakistan will find it imperative to make careful evaluations of this multipronged challenge to security. While it has relevance for regional policy priorities, this analysis also has broader implications for world powers such as the United States and China, for whom South Asia remains a key strategic area. |
