Does South Asia Exist?

Before 1947, South Asia was for the most part a single state. Multiple states emerged thereafter, and then moved apart politically, culturally, and economically. The resulting interstate tensions are manifest in the countless "negative lists"-items that may not be traded, tariffs that must be paid, transport lines that cannot be crossed-that govern these nations' daily interactions. Intermittent armed conflict in the region only intensifies feelings of distrust.

Rafiq Dossani is a senior research scholar at Shorenstein APARC and director of the Stanford Center for South Asia. He earlier worked for the Robert Fleming Investment Banking group as CEO of its India operations, and as deputy editor of Business India Weekly. His research interests include security, technology, and educational reform in India. Daniel C. Sneider is the associate director for research of Shorenstein APARC, directing the Center's project on regionalism and nationalism. A former foreign correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor and the San Jose Mercury News, Sneider reported from India, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and the former Soviet Union. Vikram Sood is vice president of the Centre for International Affairs at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based independent think tank that specializes in public policy. He earlier headed the Research and Analysis Wing of India's external intelligence unit, and regularly contributes articles to leading newspapers, journals, and magazines on international security and foreign policy.