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In the shadow of Dragon: Globalization and Fractured Future of South Asia
Sunday, 28 June 2020

South Asia needs to have more connectivity between the countries of our region. South Asian countries are doing different things for their development, but the most important thing is to get involved with each other. Success will come only if everyone works together by increasing connectivity among themselves. It is necessary to move forward not only regionally but also considering the global situation. South Asian countries must first understand where the region is heading. They should further enhance political and economic harmony among themselves. These are the opinions expressed in a webinar by the keynote speaker and the panelists. 

The webinar titled “In the shadow of Dragon: Globalization and Fractured Future of South Asia” was organized Centre for Governance Studies on Sunday, 28 June 2020, from 10.00 AM -12.00 PM (Bangladesh Standard Time, BST). The webinar was organized under the Road to BoBC (Bay of Bengal Conversation) special webinar series. Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) is an international conference, first of its kind in Bangladesh that is scheduled to be held on February 13-15. Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) will be a platform to bring together the stakeholders. 

Subho Basu, Associate Professor, Department of History and Classical Studies, McGill University, Canada, and External Fellow at the Centre for Governance Studies was the keynote speaker and presented the keynote paper. Dr. Ali Riaz, Illinois State University, USA, Dr. Sanjay K Bhardwaj, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Ambassador Nasim Firdaus, Bangladesh Alliance for Women Leadership (BDAWL), Dr. Adnan Rafiq, United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement, Muhammad Amir Rana, Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) were the panelists in the webinar. The webinar was moderated by Mr. Zillur Rahman, Executive Director, CGS.

Dr Basu said in his keynote speech, “The region had the connected history of the evolution of civilization for 5,000 years but had a fragmented presence and fractured future” “The future of South Asia would be determined by its interaction with China. And it would be a critical contest between elephant and dragon whereby both elephant and dragon would be dragged down by wider globalizing forces”, he added.

Dr Basu also said, "China has created a market for its products in the world, especially in Asia” and pointed out that increasing its connectivity with other countries, the country is also working on various megaprojects around the world. However, such a connection is absent among South Asian countries. So some countries are moving forward while the others are lagging. 

Professor Ali Riaz, professor of political science at Illinois State University, said the rise of China and its influence on South Asia has put India in a difficult situation as smaller countries of the region are being drawn towards China because of its lucrative economic offers under the Belt and Road Initiative. However, such a connection is absent among South Asian countries. So some countries are moving forward while the others are lagging, Dr. Basu pointed out.

Dr Pramod Jaiswal, research director at Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement, expressed his concerns on the relation among the south Asian countries and said that India and China should maintain a balanced approach so that the region can integrate. Dr Sanjay K Bhardwaj, Assistant Professor in Centre for South Asian Studies at School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, shared the relevant views with Dr Pramod Jaiswal and opined that South Asia needs to have a balanced approach.     

Muhammad Amir Rana, security and political analyst and the director of Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), focused on the approaches and strategies and said that South Asia needs to review these. Nasim Firdaus, Former Ambassador, Founder, and President of Bangladesh Alliance for Women Leadership opined that South Asia needs to reconsider about the connectivity and approaches in this pandemic situation. 

Among others, the webinar was attended by Canadian High Commissioner in Dhaka Benoit Prefontaine, Norwegian Ambassador in Dhaka Sidsel Bleken, and Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan.