World Affairs

Vol. 3, Number 3 (Jul.–Sept. 1999)

Letter from the Editor
By Harish Kapur

 

The framework of this issue is wide-ranging. Though it continues to maintain its global vocation, the focus this time is on Asia. It opens with regional cooperation in Southeast Asia, examines the post-Soviet decade of the Russian Federation, looks into the ‘talibanization’ of Pakistan, evaluates the real credibility of India’s nuclear option, and dissects the myths and realities of Japanese developments.

Regional cooperation in Southeast Asia is perhaps the most successful experiment in the third world. It has already reached an advanced level in economic interaction among its 10 members, and is now striving to meet its security needs through the Asian Regional Forum established in 1994. Realising that in this globalised world security concerns are closely interlinked, the members of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) have wisely involved all the principal actors of the international system with their security concerns by making them members of the Asian Regional Forum. No one has been left out—not even China which is generally feared as a potential adversary.

The base of the regional architecture that we have designed in this issue is an extensive interview with Rudolfo Certeza Severino, Jr, the Secretary General of ASEAN who discusses the economic, political and strategic aspects of regional cooperation. The pillars of this regional construct are four analytical interpretations by four experts on what is happening to the region and where it is heading.

The article on Russia highlights the disorganised and uncoordinated nature of reforms in the country. Transition to democracy, after more than 70 years of totalitarian rule, is by itself a painful and difficult process. It takes time, it needs enormous patience, and it demands great determination. But, more than anything else it requires a thoughtful, dedicated and consensual leadership. This is sadly lacking in Russia where different and conflicting centres of power and economic interests have emerged dragging the country in different directions.

The second article is on Pakistan. The country is in turmoil. In fact, it always was, even during the most sedate period of its political history. But now with its increasing ‘talibanization’ the country is spinning out of control with its institutions threatened, and its transition to democracy grinding to a halt.

The nuclearisation of India is the third topic dealt in this issue. Now that the country has taken the nuclear option, the foremost question that we are confronted with is: can India really make it? Does it have the financial capacity and political determination to become a viable and credible nuclear power? Nuclear tests—though undoubdtedly important—are not enough. For India still has a long way to go to acquire such a status.

Japan is the other subject on which the journal focuses attention. The discussion here is neither about its international status nor its process of technical modernisation. What is at issue is the perceptual, cultural, and institutional gap that separates it from the Western world.

As usual, we terminate the issue with some documents—the most significant of which are on the European Union—a Union which is increasingly showing determined signs of activating its role in the international sector, in Latin America, in the Balkans and in Asia.

Harish Kapur
Geneva
August 1999