Four Decades of SAARC (1985–2025): From Aspirations to Institutional Stagnation - Diagnosing Bottlenecks and Pathways to Revitalization

Abstract

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to promote peace, economic cooperation, social development, and regional integration among the countries of South Asia. After four decades, SAARC is usually regarded as one of the least unified regional organizations of the world. It has introduced a number of important initiatives, such as the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), the SAARC Social Charter. It also promotes cooperation in areas such as education, disaster management, and health. But the overall institutional performance has remained limited by so far. Political tensions, particularly the tension and mistrust between India and Pakistan serves as the major barrier to effective working of SAARC. The requirement of unanimous decision-making, weak institutional capacity, and poor regional connectivity have also presented the implementation of many regional commitments. This study examines the evolution of SAARC over the past forty years since its establishment and to identify the major factors behind its institutional stagnation and to also explore the realistic options for its revitalization. Secondary data was collected from official SAARC documents, reports of international organizations, and peer-reviewed academic literature to collect evidences. The analysis is guided by New Regionalism, Liberal Institutionalism, and Hegemonic Stability Theory to explain the political mistrust, SAARC’s institutional weaknesses, and changing regional strategies that have affected regional cooperation. The study finds that SAARC's limited progress is not only due to any single factor; rather, it results from interconnected political, institutional, and economic challenges. It also argues that the rise of alternative regional frameworks, such as BIMSTEC and BBIN, has somewhat reduced SAARC's central role in South Asian regionalism. The paper proposes a practical way for revitalization strategy based on institutional reforms, flexible cooperation mechanisms, and complementary engagement with other regional initiatives. These measures can strengthen regional cooperation while alleviating SAARC as the only regional organization that collectively represents all South Asian states.