Revisiting South Asian Security Saga: A Nexus of Subaltern Realism and Human Security for Peace in 21st century

Abstract

Today South Asia is pierced with encroaches of violence, conflicts and instability. Endeavors to drag this region out of turmoil have not been aptly opted due to neo-realist tendencies in security calculus of this region. This paradigm further exacerbates the situation by keeping these internally fragile states active to combat with their external dangers and problems while being dormant towards interior issues. Shadow of “security dilemma” blurs their lens of security by detaching them with their historical context. In this paper, region of South Asia, a conglomeration of newly born, internally weak third world states has been scrutinized with a non-conventional lens. As compared to neo-realism, this perspective delineates that security dilemma is not an optimal security approach towards a region consisting of third world states because these states are still indulged in state making process and have not overcome their internal issues. Moreover intra-state problems have strong connection with inter-state clashes because these off-springs of colonial age have synthetic frontiers; therefore, there are ethno-linguistic bonds among people of surrounding countries. In this way, agitation or separatist demand of an ethno-linguistic group in one country could be spilled over to adjacent state having same ethnic group. Similarly disputed frontiers among states halt the process of state-making in each contestant state by hanging over fusion of all state areas under a political regime .i.e. the case of Kashmir and Durand line issue in early history of Pakistan and at present the issue of Greater Baluchistan. The subaltern Realist paradigm suggested by Ayoob adopts a state centric approach but still it deviates from realist and non-realist version of state centrism. For Ayoob states have to prioritize its internal stability by adopting a policy of state making. However this introvert approach asks for the legitimacy of a state acquired by seeking allegiance from its citizens. While on the other hand, in post-cold war years a new paradigm of human security also emerged that challenges the conventional security approach and focuses on human being as potential victim of multiple threats all over the world instead of state but the question that “who” will provide this all-encompassing security to human beings divided amongst state boundaries has not been settled yet. Some believe that it is an agenda of hegemonic intervention in disguise while others consider it a utopian ideal to be achieved only in a pacifist world. However, in order to achieve this utopia of individual’s security, the only known institution for the world is State. A powerful state that gives priority to development rights and securities of its citizen and is also in need of allegiance from its population can rise above the paradoxes of internal de-stability as well as interstate rivalry. The paper in hand will revisit the insecurity saga of two important states of South Asia i.e. Afghanistan and Pakistan. Although the states are typical examples of state failure described by Ayoob but both played a pivotal role in cold war security order. At dawn of new millennium these states are homes of all kind of insecurities defined by Human Security School. Both states are still vital for international and regional security orders. At the same time these states are considered to be a threat for regional and International Peace. Hence after analyzing the past and present scenarios of these two neighboring states we suggest a nexus of Subaltern Realism and Human Security for a peaceful future of South Asia.