New Delhi: The war in West Asia is an urgent reminder for regional partners in South Asia to collaborate on collective security and conflict-resolution frameworks anchored in the region, Alok Joshi, Chairperson of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), said Wednesday. His remarks came in the backdrop of the protracted conflict set into motion by joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February.
At the 10th Synergia Conclave organised by Synergia Foundation at Manekshaw Centre Auditorium in Delhi, Joshi said, “The crisis in the Middle East is a stark reminder of the need for robust collective security arrangements and conflict-resolution frameworks anchored in the region.”
Citing the example of the COVID-19 pandemic, the former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) added, “In the region, as we look ahead, we need to take inspiration from the day we came together during the COVID crisis.
“The coordinated response, the sharing of medical resources, and expertise can be demonstrated that the region has the capacity and the resilience to overcome the crisis. The same spirit of collaboration is going forward in the fight against conflict in the Middle East.”
Joshi, argued that the conflict-resolution frameworks he is proposing must be anchored in the region itself rather than relying solely on external structure.
In the context of the Indo-Pacific region, he noted that to navigate such complexities, diplomatic efforts must emerge from within the affected geographic and political landscape. This localised approach, he said, is essential to tackle the new global realities.
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Resilience & progress in South Asia
Beyond the crisis in West Asia, the former R&AW chief touched upon the recently concluded general elections in Bangladesh & Nepal, which he said offer a “renewed hope” for the spirit of democracy in South Asia.
Joshi said he viewed democracy as a means to cultivate trust and inclusivity, which binds communities together amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions.
While highlighting the significant hurdles, particularly challenges faced by the developing countries on the economic front, Joshi warned that economic stagnation leads to an unsafe society.
“Economic instability triggers migratory invasions, leading to the creation of human trafficking networks and providing occasional problems for radicalisation and criminalisation of vulnerable communities. It also leads to underlying tensions on shared borders,” Joshi added.
He concluded his speech by emphasising how climate change has been a common challenge for all nations in the region—annual flooding in Bangladesh that displaces thousands, melting glaciers in Nepal’s fragile mountain ecosystem, and the existential threat rising sea levels pose to the Maldives.
He advocated for a collective approach driven by data, techno-diplomacy, and artificial intelligence to create early warning systems.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)