Application of Democratic Peace and International Law in South Asia

SOCIAL POLICY
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Introduction
In this paper, emphasis shall be put on the examination of the application of democratic peace
and international law in the region of south Asia. South Asia comprises of countries like
Bangladesh, Nepal, india , Pakistan and Sri Lanka. These countries have gone and are still
undergoing through various social, political and economic developments. There are also still in
the category of developing countries.
How democratic peace, might apply to the region of south Asia and its challenges going
forward
In the area of south Asia, the prospects and challenges of democracy has been a subject of
interest of policy makers and scholars in the field of international relations and diplomacy. The
major focus is enhancing the overall level of democracy with little or no chance of engaging in a
war given that it has been rare for democratic countries to engage in war on one another1.
Therefore the area of south Asian is one of the regions where democratic peace benefits are of
great interest.
In the year 2000 president Clinton, the United States president by then put up some important
highlights defining south Asia as a region challenged with chronic instability2. This was further
exemplified by the Kashmir events that show huge tensions between Pakistan and India
following the 2001 December attacks on the Indian parliament by Islamic militants. Thus the
south Asian region is highly complex and volatile when it comes to democratic peace.
1 Ahmed, S. The uncertain future of Pakistan’s democracy. In Chakma, B. (Ed.). South Asia in transition:
Democracy, political economy and security (pp.50-69). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. (2014).
2 Banerjee, D.. India-Pakistan strategic relationship: Its impact on regionaltransition. In Chakma, B. (Ed.).
South Asia in transition: Democracy, political economy and security (pp.247-266). New York, NY: Palgrave
Macmillan. (2014).

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Additionally, the region has high with poverty levels on top of nuclear and conventional risks in
security3.
None the less, there some democratic rule remarkable tradition when compared to other
developing countries of the world. Following the transitions and revolutions in Bangladesh,
Nepal and Pakistan that show dictatorial regimes being toppled off, by the year 1990, south Asia
was being reffered as one of the biggest regions that respect and uphold the values of democracy.
Moreover in the area of south Asia, religion plays a crucial role in its politics meaning that
political institutions in the area are intertwined with various non western civilizations. For
instance in the siralanka constitutiuon, there Buddhism, Hindu and Islam are popular in
Bangladesh and Nepal. Therefore one can assert that when compared to other regions, the south
Asia region is committed in ensuring that its respective model of democracy is implemented and
appreciated. Economic liberation and democracy are on great consensus in this region. As
opposed to community rights, the countries in this region do their level best to ensure that
individual liberties are given firm attention however the democratic peace debate in this region is
affected by the ambivalent image of poverty and conflict. It is imperative to note that the theory
of democratic peace holds that as quoted "countries with liberal democratic ruling do not fight
wars against each other" and play a vital role in understanding various issues in the area of
international relations and diplomacy.
All states that respect liberal ideas are considered as liberal democratic countries. In other words
competitive elections and the relevance of civil rights are underscored by the interalia of
3 Goldsmith, Benjamin E. Domestic political institutions and the initiation of international conflict in East
Asia: some evidence for an Asian democratic peace. (2013).International Relations of the Asia-Pacific 14 (1): 59–
90. Available at: http:// irap. oxfordjournals. org/content/ 14/1/59.full.pdf+html.