Ambassador Tariq Karim’s book on ‘Evolution of SA Regional Cooperation’ unveiled

Dhaka, 11 Feb -- A book titled ‘The Tortuous Evolution of South Asian Regional Cooperation: Bangladesh's Travails for Sub-Regional Cooperation', authored by former ambassador Tariq Karim, was launched on Tuesday.

The Association of Former Ambassadors (AOFA) in collaboration with University Press Limited (UPL) and the Global Studies and Governance Department of Independent University Bangladesh arranged the publication ceremony of the new book at the Foreign Service Academy here.

This publication provides deep insights into Bangladesh's journey within the region's frameworks and lays down key pointers for the way forward. The book is a must-read to understand the challenges and opportunities in regional and subregional cooperation in South Asia.

Addressing the function, former ambassador Farooq Sobhan hoped that this book would inspire the younger generation to think about what their role might be and how they can reach out, promote and propagate the ideas of regional cooperation in South Asia.

Former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury said this book is a very useful toolkit for the country’s young diplomats as it would help enhance their negotiation skills.

Former ambassador Shahed Akhtar said this book is more than an academic treasure. “His works (book) shed light on Bangladesh’s persistent and forward looking efforts to strengthen subregional cooperation,” he said.

Chair of Global Studies and Governance Department in Independent University Bangladesh Dr Marufa Akter said this book is a diplomats' firsthand account. It is a firsthand account for policy formulation, diplomatic negotiation and regional complexities, she said.  

AOFA President Ambassador Abdullah Al Hasan, former bureaucrat Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, Professor of the Graham School of Management at Saint Xavier University, Chicago Faisal Rahman, International Relations Professor of Dhaka University Dr Lailufar Yasmin, International Affairs Analyst Syed Shahnawaz Mohsin, Former Rector of Foreign Service Academy Mashfee Binte Shams and UPL Managing Director Mahrukh Mohiuddin also spoke on the occasion.

Tariq Ahmad Karim, is the President of the Bay of Bengal Institute, a prominent initiative under the Cosmos Foundation.

Tariq Karim in his book describes how the Indian subcontinent morphed from having been the most integrated region in the world, for millennia, to be known as South Asia, the least integrated region, overnight.

He also describes how the former British colonies acquired statehood and emerged after colonial Britain's exit as post-colonial neo-Westphalian states that had all the attributes of a state in the new world order but lacked stability as states and provides a theoretical framework explaining why this happened.

The author then describes how these newly partitioned states tried to come together to form a regional grouping for cooperation (SAARC) and why that attempt failed. Through three case studies of the EU, ASEAN and SAARC he makes a comparison between the different forces and dynamics in Europe and Southeast Asia that led to their success in forming regional groupings for economic cooperation and contrasts them with the forces at work within the SAARC states that led to their failure.

On the perceived failure of SAARC, some are engaged in a different route to regional cooperation by their attempts at subregional cooperation within SAARC such as the BBIN initiative, which has yielded mixed results.

He explains this process in detail through his own personal involvement from the inception of the idea of subregional cooperation in the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry and later close involvement in working for the region's economic integration as a consultant to the World Bank.

Tariq Karim describes in detail the various stages of the process, in which some identified goals have made some progress and others none at all and explains how domestic political dynamics and different foreign policy compulsions can have a negative fallout for everyone trying to engage in such subregional cooperation.

The former ambassador then examines the possibility of subregional cooperation of the BBIN countries linking eastwards, within BIMSTEC and beyond, and its possibilities of success.