HUMAN REGIONAL SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA: A DECADE OF CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS (2015-2025)

Abstract

The current paper examines Human Regional Security within South Asia according to multidimensional mixed-method research design in order to integrate quantitative measures with qualitative research design.

The study identifies four primary dimensions of human security, namely the economic, environmental, political and social dimensions of human security according to the statistics of the World Bank, UNDP, IPCC and Transparency International (2015-2025) in six South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri lanka, and Afghanistan.

The findings show that the long term average economic growth of South Asia is 5.8 percent annually but the benefits have not been distributed equally hence resulting in high poverty and inequality rates. Environmental insecurity, particularly the lack of water and calamities brought about by climatic change, complements the socio-economic instability. There are also problems of governance like corruption, inefficient institutions, and deterioration of civil liberty that are also disincentives to development. Empirical results of statistical findings showed that there is a negative relationship between defense expenditure and human development (r = -0.47) and gender equality as well as human development (r = 0.68) which validates Human Security paradigm over the old state-centric paradigms.

The analysis presents a proposal, namely, Integrated Human Regional Security Model (IHRS), as a definition of an understanding of the results founded on the theory of Realism, Liberal Institutionalism, Constructivism, and Human Security, which provides a linkage between the national stability and personal well-being with the collaboration between the regions. The researchers also point out the conclusion that it is not the militarization and economic growth of South Asia but investment in human development, inclusive governance, gender empowerment, and climate resilience that leads to the long term peace of South Asia.