The future of regional cooperation in South Asia: Lessons from the EU and ASEAN

Since the organisation’s inauguration in 1985, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) integration process has yet to exceed the bare minimum, regional observers find that the organization yields too few practical results. In stark contrast, the ASEAN member states recently embarked on their most ambitious integration project yet: the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Moreover, they set their sights on a true “Asian Union” in the future. Despite the ambitious agenda of the AEC - which represents the most developed economic platform in Asia - they continuously look to expand and eventually hope to build a borderless community. While ASEAN’s regional integration steadily progresses, it is increasingly worrisome to behold the lack of parallel evolutions in South Asia. This paper aims to identify areas that that lend themselves to closer cooperation based on lessons and successes of the EU and ASEAN