SAARC and the Limits of Cooperation in South Asia

This chapter evaluates the performance of SAARC and the limits of South Asian regionalism. It analyses its achievements and failures. SAARC is largely viewed as a dysfunctional organisation and its achievements mostly, as noted above, are ‘on paper’. However, it should be noted that SAARC has some achievements which will be explored in this chapter. But, as will be analysed, its failures are more visible than its achievements. This chapter provides a nuanced, in-depth analysis of the successes and failures of SAARC and their causes.