ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the countries of South Asia and examines the reason for their successes and failures. Each of these nations is struggling to create a stable political environment that will allow for rapid economic growth and the resolution of its most serious problems. The book discusses the political heritage of the British era and examines the five largest countries of the region: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. At the end of World War II, the British were ready to give India its independence. Lord Mountbatten arrived in India in 1947 as the new viceroy and on June 3, 1947, announced his partition plan. The book addresses the interrelationships among the states in the region and their roles in the international system. The British did not rule the region as a single colony.
