ABSTRACT
This chapter examines four major challenges that have significant bearing on the growth of regional cooperation in South Asia: India’s hegemonic status and Pakistan’s continuing challenge to India’s position, existence of weak ruling coalitions, ethnic crisis, and nuclear issues. Specifically, I explore the following questions. How has India’s hegemonic status affected the regional cooperation activities in South Asia? Is India’s structural domination a “facilitating condition” for the growth of regional cooperation in South Asia? How has the strength of South Asian governments affected the process of regional cooperation? What are the implications of ethnic dynamics for national cohesion and regional accommodative diplomacy in South Asia? And finally, what are the implications of overt nuclear capability of India and Pakistan for regional stability and cooperation in South Asia?
