
The central theme of the book is the changing paradigms of conflict and conflict resolution after the events of September 11. It also considers options for the South Asian countries to respond to challenges which they face in the dichotomy of US-led war against terrorism, the relevance of peace process and confidence-building measures in order to resolve inter and intra-state conflicts in the region. Paradigms of conflict resolution are passing through a transitory phase but it is a temporary phenomenon.
Women, Bangladesh and International Security purports to do two things. Firstly, it is an attempt to relate the life and living of Bangladesh women with the domain called international security. Seldom is there an understanding that the women of Bangladesh are actively engaged in the organization and reproduction of international security. Secondly, it is a theoretical intervention to the debate as how best to understand the engendered relationship between the national and the international.
Currently the country is witnessing a growing debate on the role of external aid in the development of Bangladesh. Development economists and aid watchers contend that external aid received by Bangladesh since independence exceeding $29 billion. This has had no visible impact on the economic and social development of the country and that benefits of this aid did not reach the poor constituting the vast majority of the population of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh-India bilateral relations is perhaps amongst the most important and sensitive elements in the foreign policy of both the countries. It has been influenced by common history, traditions, cultural affinity, as it is the closest neighbour of Bangladesh sharing a border of more than 4000kms, and most importantly, for India's role in Bangladesh's War of Liberation in 1971. The relations between the neighbours have seen many a ups and downs.
In tracing the plight of the Rohingya refugees, the study shows that the Rohingya refugee problem was created in the course of several historical trajectories. It has been demonstrated that the Rohingyas are both stateless and refugees. First, they became stateless in their homeland and then eventually they had to embrace the status of refugeehood under conditions of persecution, discrimination and torture. The Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have remained stateless amid their refugeehood.
This book is an effort to deal with various aspects of US-Bangladesh relations. It examines the US attitude towards struggle for liberation of Bangladesh, and the delay caused by the United States in granting recognition on the pretext that Bangladesh was not yet sovereign because of presence of Indian troops in Bangladesh. The first bilateral agreement was signed between the United States and Bangladesh in May 1972 followed by establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Issues related to nuclear non-proliferation in South Asia arising from the nuclear programmes and ambitions of India and Pakistan have long been the subject of emotive policy debate and intense scholarly research. Both Islamabad and New Delhi acknowledge that they have the capability to build nuclear weapons and the need to retain the 'nuclear option'; at the same time, they also deny having actually done so. The complexities arising out of such ambiguities are compounded by the fact that neither India nor Pakistan have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Small States and Regional Stability in South Asia is a study of the status and role of small states in international affairs, particularly in the region. The book highlights the constraints and potentials of small states in contributing to regional peace, security, stability, and development. It presents the perspectives of the small states on the issues of nuclearisation in South Asia, globalisation and economic security, the global war on terrorism, common solutions to common problems, and democracy as a conflict management mechanism.
The end of the Cold War has induced fresh thinking on approaches to security. The focus is on non-conventional aspects, particularly economic strength, interest and interdependence of nations. As distinct from the notion of security mainly focused on military power, the idea is to consider a more expanded agenda. Regional Economic Trends and South Asian Security examines the scope and policy implications of such rethinking in South Asia.
The third Bangladesh-India dialogue for young leaders reaffirmed the belief that good relations between the neighbours would play a pivotal role in working for a stable and constructive environment in South Asia. The discussion sessions organised by Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) in January 2006 brought together Journalists, Academics and Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum from both the countries. This volume presents seven thematic papers, each indicative both of current problems and future opportunities between the two countries.