The corona virus crisis has proved that the member states of the SAARC community can set aside rivalries and egos and put in motion a common front to fight the pandemic.
While the measures discussed among the leaders of the region during their recent video conference are symbolic at best and far away from being capable of erecting a shared firewall against the virus as they lack a strong set of actions and a truly joint approach to the crisis, the fact that a discussion at least has started, is undoubtedly a first important step towards revitalizing the main regional mechanism that has been “out of service” for too long over the last past years.
Rather than keeping pursuing cooperation only through sub regional groupings that might have a practical impact only on the short term as an alternative to the existing official channels provided by the SAARC regional framework, the corana virus crisis offers India an opportunity to start rethinking its overall strategic approach to regional integration by reconsidering the way she has been driving such process since its outset.
As biggest nation in the region and the greatest contributor to the SAARC, it is natural that India always felt uniquely positioned to lead the region, invested not only with a unique mandate but also with a specific mission to act as a “primus inter pares”, a “stronger and better than others” style of dealing with the neighbors countries.
This is a very different way of leading from a more balanced “peer to peer” modality where all other members, including Pakistan, are treated as equal partners not only in the formality but in the real substance of each day to day work.
It is high time India started taking some step backs not because of lack of strategic interest and engagement but out of a bigger vision that could truly project the regional bloc towards higher ambitions, matching its geographical and population scale with actions that can help create common prosperity among the citizens of South Asia.
What happened in the last years is that India dragged its feet in promoting regional integration due to the endless disputes with Pakistan, stalling, as consequence, the entire SAARC machine.
The other member nations, a part from few and scattered symbolic calls for unity, have been too reluctant and too weak to form a joint pro-integration coalition capable to influence the complex dynamics between Pakistan and India.
India taking some steps back does not imply isolation and the abandonment of the process of regional integration but instead it means the opposite: taking charge of it by leading from behind.
India should start creating a more conducive environment where the smaller nations of the region can feel in a position to contribute meaningfully, with the confidence to believe that their voices do count too.
Such strategic shift implies India not investing less but more and differently;
It implies India to put not less energy in the SAARC but more of it and strategically, acting as an enabler and broker rather than the arrogant kingmaker.
It is about leading but in a different way, creating space for new initiatives that can flourish, letting go of its attitudes of superiority and boosting and encouraging efforts coming from the people from the region, from a stronger SAARC Secretariat and from the smaller member nations.
Leading from behind means that a truly engaging and exciting people to people framework could be imagined.
I am not talking here about setting up a regional parliament, this is something extremely important but over ambitious for now.
We need now to restart reimagining South Asian with small but symbolically important “win-wins” that can directly benefit the people of the region, starting from its youths.
For example, having a regional SAARC university is not enough.
Local schools and universities throughout the region should be put at the center of such “rebuilding” exercise, unleashing the creativity of their youths in rethinking how and what a more united region would mean to them.
Certainly, all over the world, there are examples of incredible and impactful cooperation among universities and their students.
Let’s look at what the European Union has been doing in this field.
Far from being a perfect union itself, the Europeans were able to cement the idea of a community of people because investments were and are being made to foster the idea of a common European citizenship alongside the national ones.
The SAARC could also come up with its own TAGORE exchange program inspired by the European Erasmus program.
Youths from the region can be mobilized through a common volunteering scheme that allows south Asian youths to volunteer in a hosting country within the region.
What about a massive scholarship program that can transform the lives of thousands of south Asian students?
The youths of the region should feel empowered to re-imagine what it means being South Asian, investing in actions that will bear fruits in a decade, laying the foundations of a new concept of regional citizenship.
For all this to happen we need India to lead from behind by investing, politically, diplomatically and financially, in the creation of a SAARC civil service that would run an emboldened Secretariat.
Investing in a centralized structure will also work as confidence and trust building measure as only a deeply committed, inspired and professional regional bureaucracy can run the show impartially, resisting the member nations’ narrow interests.
For a stronger Secretariat for a truly ambitious regional community of citizens, a stronger and more vocal leadership at its helm will be indispensible.
Having the SAARC Charter amended will fit this purpose, allowing a different type of Secretary General to be appointed where only former heads of governments or former foreign ministers with a solid track record would be eligible.
For such restricting to happen, India would need to spend its political capital to get the buy in of all the member states for such move.
To create trust and good will, for example, there could be an understanding that the first new Secretary General will not be an Indian and priority will be given to other nations for the choice of the right candidate.
Let’s also be frank and honest.
The rivalry between India and Pakistan will not go away in the foreseeable future.
Let’s not get bogged down with unrealistic calls to hold the SAARC Summit at the presence of all heads of governments.
It is most probable that it will not happen any time soon.
Obviously the involvement of the leaders of each member nation is essential to drive the process in the long run but now we need a simpler, faster and more pragmatic formula to re-boot the SAARC.
Let’s allow other configurations of ministerial meetings happen, starting, for example, from periodic gatherings of all the ministries of health and home affairs to knock down the corona virus pandemic.
Having ministries coming together it is easier on many fronts and such meetings have already happened in the past but now they must have a much stronger consistency and regularity.
Lastly the leaders of Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka (Afghanistan is too busy in sorting out its own mess) will also have to step up and assume a very important responsibility: create a common joint front to push both India and Pakistan to let go of their tight grips over the process of integration and allow it to advance no matter their ongoing bilateral disputes.
For this to happen and finally lay the foundations for a different community of citizens with a shared pathway to a more prosperous future, India needs to tone down its hegemonic instincts and start leading from behind.
Galimberti is the Co-Founder of ENGAGE, an NGO partnering with youths to promote social inclusion in Nepal. He can be reached at simone_engage@yahoo.com
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