The Road to Peace in South Asia

As the world is reaching the next millennium, conflicts in the two important regions of the world, Middle East and South Asia, continue to destabilize global peace and security. The Middle East Peace Process, which was launched in the aftermath of the Gulf War, witnessed significant breakthroughs with the signing of PLO-Israeli accord in September 1993 and Jordanian-Israeli agreement in October 1994. But the change in the Israeli Government as a result of May 1996 elections and a new wave of terrorism led to the suspension of the PLO-Israeli agreement and the Syrian-Israeli peace talks. Although, pessimism has over-shadowed the Middle East Peace Process, the parties concerned have not abandoned the road to peace.

While Arab-Israeli and Indo-Pak conflicts are the legacies of Gold War era, an element of change is noticeable in both the Middle East and South Asia. There is an increasing emphasis on following non-traditional approaches to security. With the emergence of new concepts like globalization, information technology, soft power and geo-economics, a shift in the perception and approach of policy-makers on giving priority to economic progress and development is noticeable. It is this change which carries a hope for neutralizing extremist elements and promoting mutually beneficial relations. The findings and recommendation in this report focus on how a qualitative change for peace could be brought in South Asia and how India and Pakistan could learn from the Arab-Israeli experience in the peace process.

ISBN 969-8380-26-4