Time for the Asian countries to forge an alliance??

The situation in many parts of Asia, especially in the subcontinent, is highly volatile. While India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Srilanka are all under increasing stress to counter the rising tide of extremist and terrorist organizations, the scenario in Afghanistan remains as chaotic as ever. The Non-Alignment Movement has lost its relevance with the end of the cold war and the SAARC has increasingly become more and more outdated in the last two decades.

 The carnage in Pakistan is showing no signs of respite. After aiding and abetting terrorists acting against India for more than two decades, Pakistan finds itself at the receiving end. It would be foolish to assume that the forces led by the US will have any greater success in Afghanistan and Pakistan than it had in Iraq, especially since the western powers have never succeeded in winning the trust of the common man in these parts of the world. It is in this scenario that the need to have a military and strategic alliance of the Asian countries becomes evident.

 

The alliance should have shared resources and could be modelled on the NATO. If Russia, China, India, Japan, Pakistan, Srilanka, Bangladesh and other Asian powers could unite in the fight against terrorism, the results could be much better. India could take the lead in forging such an alliance. We have been waiting for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council for such a long time. On the other hand, in spite of being the driving force behind the formation of NAM and SAARC,  India has not made any efforts to keep the these multilateral bodies relevant and effective. Successive governments have been more interested in aligning with the western powers led by the USA. While it is imperative to have the western bloc on our side, I strongly believe the current trends amply demonstrate the need for the Asian countries to take the initiative.

 Sooner or later, the US will have to find an excuse to decrease its involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. When it does so, it will trigger an even greater disorder as is happening in Iraq now. The presence of a pan Asian alliance, which has the mandate of the common man and the backing of all the interested parties, could make a huge difference.