The U.S. and South Asia: Partners of Convenience; Global Neighbors of Necessity
Abstract
South Asia is so vast, so varied and so complex that it repels would-be geopolitical strategists. Its sheer dimensions are intimidating nearly one billion souls in India alone, dozens of languages and thousands of dialects, demographic growth rates that are a Malthusian's nightmare, and ethnic conflicts and political disputes as convoluted and unyielding as can be found anywhere in the world. The subcontinent defies rational analysis One is continually reminded of the parable of the blind men and the elephant the dimensions are so grand that one can focus only on the element at hand For some, South Asia is perceived to be a cesspool of teeming humanity laden with colonial burdens, its infrastructure broken-down, primitive or non-existent. It is a dangerous place, the naturalist world of Rudyard Kipling gone awry, polluted chaotic and violent in short unmanageable. And yet this geopolitical pachyderm has carried a rich varied and dynamic civilization on its back for more than 4000 years It is home to the world's largest democracy and a high-tech province that some predict will become the computer software capital of the world in the coming decade It is a region that indigenously has produced nuclear weapons capability and sophisticated missile and satellite systems It is also an important commercial partner for the United States, with more than $12 billion in two-way trade in 1996. In short, the subcontinent defies categorization, but it cannot be ignored. What happens in this region is important to long-range U S interests.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA441479
Entities
People
- Deborah K. Jones
Organizations
- National War College