Antagonistic States in Multilateral Forums: India and Pakistan in SAARC and SCO
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38154/CJAS.2024.65Keywords:
antagonistic, SAARC, SCO, India, Pakistan.Abstract
This research paper examines India and Pakistan's divergent behavior displayed within two regional organizations, namely the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Despite their longstanding animosity, both countries actively participated in SCO summits while demonstrating reluctance to engage with each other within SAARC since 2019. By investigating the underlying reasons for this divergent behavior, we analyze the implications for SCO in the context of the Indo-Pak arch rivalry. Employing game theory, precisely the prisoner's dilemma, we examine the dynamics of cooperation and conflict. Through this analysis, we uncover the distinctive functioning of multilateralism within SAARC and SCO, providing insights into the influence of India-Pakistan relations on these regional institutions. The findings of this study enhance our comprehension of the complexities surrounding multilateral cooperation and the significant role arch rivalry plays in shaping regional dynamics.
References
Adil, Hafsa. 2023. ‘Did India-Pakistan “Performance” Steal Limelight at SCO Summit?’ Al Jazeera. May 8. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/8/at-sco-summit-india-pakistan-squabble-over-kashmir-terrorism.
Akiner, Dr. Shirin . 2006. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization: A Networking Organization for a Networking World. London: Global Strategy Forum.
Alimov, Rashid. 2018. ‘The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: Its Role and Place in the Development of Eurasia’. Journal of Eurasian Studies 9 (2): 114–24. doi:10.1016/j.euras.2018.08.001.
Bailes, Alyson J. K. 2007. ‘Regional Security Cooperation: A Challenge for South (And North-East) Asia’. Strategic Analysis 31 (4): 665–74. doi:10.1080/09700160701559342.
Chaudhury, Anasua Basu Ray. 2006. SAARC at Crossroads: The Fate of Regional Cooperation in South Asia. New Delhi: Saṁskṛiti.
Chung, Chien-peng. 2004. ‘The Shanghai Co-Operation Organization: China’s Changing Influence in Central Asia’. The China Quarterly 180 (December): 989–1009. doi:10.1017/S0305741004000712.
Fair, C. Christine. 2014. Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War. New York: Oxford University Press.
Fravel, T. M. 2009. ‘Strong Borders, Secure Nation: Cooperation and Conflict in China’s Territorial Disputes’. Choice Reviews Online 46 (09): 46-5290-46–5290. doi:10.5860/CHOICE.46-5290.
Fredholm, Michael, and Birgit N. Schlyter, eds. 2013. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Eurasian Geopolitics: New Directions, Perspectives, and Challenges. Asia Insights 2. Copenhagen : Abingdon: NIAS Press ; Marston [distributor].
Hussain, Ross Masood. 1996. ‘Saarc 1985-1995: Review and Analysis of Progress’. South Asian Survey 3 (1–2): 7–23. doi:10.1177/097152319600300102.
Inayat, Mavara. 2007. ‘The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’. In In Regionalism in South Asian Diplomacy, edited by Alyson J. K. Bailes , 12–24. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Karrar, Hasan H. 2017. ‘Shanghai Spirit Two Decades on: Language, Globalization, and Space-Making in Sino-Central Asian Cooperation’. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 2017 (247). doi:10.1515/ijsl-2017-0024.
Keohane, Robert O. 1992. After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press.
Kupriyanov, Alexi. 2020. ‘The SCO and the Conflict between India and Pakistan’. Observer Research Foundation. https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/sco-conflict-between-india-pakistan/.
Lal, Rollie. 2006. Central Asia and Its Asian Neighbors: Security and Commerce at the Crossroads. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corp.
Lipson, Charles. 1984. ‘International Cooperation in Economic and Security Affairs’. World Politics 37 (1): 1–23. doi:10.2307/2010304.
Martin, Lisa. 1999. ‘An Institutionalist View: International Institutions and State Strategies’. In International Order and the Future of World Politics, edited by John A. Hall and T. V. Paul. Cambridge University Press.
Mukherjee, Rila. 2006. ‘The Long Hand of History: Regional Cooperation in the 21st Century’. Society and Economy 28 (1): 61–79. doi:10.1556/SocEc.28.2006.1.4.
Murthy, Padmaja. 1999. ‘Pakistan and Saarc’. Strategic Analysis 22 (10): 1537–60. doi:10.1080/09700169908458902.
Muzalevsky, Roman . 2015. ‘Unlocking India’s Strategic Potential in Central Asia’. OMB No. 0704-0188. The Strategic Studies Institute. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA623563.pdf.
Oye, Kenneth A. 1985. ‘Explaining Cooperation under Anarchy: Hypotheses and Strategies’. World Politics 38 (1): 1–24. doi:10.2307/2010349.
Pandit, Rajat. 2023. ‘Quad, Aukus Attempts to Contain China: Russia’. The Times of India, April 29. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/quad-aukus-attempts-to-contain-china-russia/articleshow/99856653.cms.
Pant , Harsh V. 2023. ‘Opinion: India’s Struggle within the Sco’. NDTV.Com. May 6. https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/indias-struggle within-the-sco-4010887.
Pattanaik, Smruti S. 2004. ‘Indo‐Pak Relations and the SAARC Summits’. Strategic Analysis 28 (3): 427–39. doi:10.1080/09700160408450146.
PMO India, dir. 2017. PM Modi’s address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit (SCO) Summit, Astana, Kazakhstan . YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nIzOrlTrQ4&t=45s.
Raghav, Pooja, and Trishna Rai. 2020. ‘India’s Strategic Interest in SAARC Countries: Soft Power Approach’. Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities 10 (10): 14–24. doi:10.5958/2249-7315.2020.00018.0.
Schofield, Victoria. 2003. Kashmir in Conflict: India, Pakistan and the Unending War. New ed. London: I. B. Tauris.
SCO. 2018. ‘List of Documents Introduced for Signing at the Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’. file:///C:/Users/lenovo/Downloads/List_of_documents_introduced_for_signing_at_the_meeting_of_the_Council_of_Heads_of_State_of_the_Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation%20(1).pdf.
Shah, Khalid, and M Kriti. 2020. ‘Kashmir After Article 370: India’s Diplomatic Challenge’. Observer Research Foundation. https://www.orfonline.org/research/kashmir-after-article-370/.
Sridharan, Eswaran . 2014. International Relations Theory and South Asia: Security, Political Economy, Domestic Politics, Identities, and Images. Oxford University Press.
Stein, Arthur A. 1982. ‘Coordination and Collaboration: Regimes in an Anarchic World’. International Organization 36 (2): 299–324. doi:10.1017/S0020818300018968.
Stewart, Alexander J., and Joshua B. Plotkin. 2012. ‘Extortion and Cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma’. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109 (26): 10134–35. doi:10.1073/pnas.1208087109.
Svensson, Ted. 2022. ‘Transcending Antagonism in South Asia: Advancing Agonistic Peace through the Partition Museum’. Peacebuilding, December, 1–17. doi:10.1080/21647259.2022.2154121.
Tellis, Ashley J. 2001. India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture: Between Recessed Deterrent and Ready Arsenal. Santa Monica, CA: Rand.
The Week. 2019. ‘SCO Summit: India-Pakistan Ties at Lowest Point, Says Imran Khan’. The Week, June 14. https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2019/06/14/sco-summit-india-pakistan-ties-at-lowest-point-says-imran-khan.html.
Varshney, Ashutosh. 1991. ‘India, Pakistan, and Kashmir: Antinomies of Nationalism’. Asian Survey 31 (11): 997–1019. doi:10.2307/2645304.
ZeeNews, dir. 2017. Watch: Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif Addresses SCO Summit. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyoGw-SuNgU.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Mohmad Maqbool Waggy, Dr. Khalid Wasim Hassan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the Creative Commons 4.0 CC-BY Licence, you can share (copy and redistribute in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon) the material, for any purpose, even commercially.
CJAS does not revoke these freedoms as long as you follow these license terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.