U.S. Policy Influence on SAARC and BIMSTEC Dynamics: Regional Integration or Fragmentation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59890/0e4ds018Keywords:
Geopolitics, Strategy, Policy, Saarc, Bimstec, U.S.Abstract
This study describes the impact of United States foreign policy on the evolution and functionality of two major South Asian regional organizations like as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). In the backdrop of shifting geopolitical alignments, this study critically evaluates whether U.S. engagement in South Asia fosters regional integration or contributes to fragmentation. This research examine that how U.S. strategic interests and diplomatic engagements have affected the operational effectiveness and cohesion of SAARC and BIMSTEC. This research also seeks to U.S. policy preferences have developed inter-state collaboration or intensified bilateral tensions among South Asian countries. This research adopts a qualitative research method depending on document analysis and secondary data gather from government publications, think tank reports and significant relevant research articles. A comparative case study approach is applied to assess the contrasting trajectories of SAARC and BIMSTEC in relation to U.S. policy priorities focusing on key periods of diplomatic shift post-2001. This study outcomes that U.S. policy especially its Indo-Pacific strategy and counterterrorism collaboration has indirectly contributed to the marginalization of SAARC by strengthening bilateral ties with India while sidelining Pakistan. Conversely, U.S
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