US can't afford to encourage divisions in South Asia: Book

The US cannot afford to create or encourage divisions in South Asia as over the next 10-15 years, the region could be poised to play a pivotal role on the global economic and political scene, says a new book.

"The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighbourhood" by political and strategic analyst Shuja Nawaz showcases a marriage of convenience between unequal partners.

The relationship between Pakistan and the US since the early 1950s has been nothing less than a whiplash-inducing rollercoaster ride, it says.

With neighbours like India and Afghanistan, Pakistan does not wish to break ties with the US. Nor does it want to become a vassal of China and get caught in the vice of a US-China rivalry, or the Arab-Iran conflict, it says.

The author says the US cannot afford to create or encourage divisions in South Asia. "Over the next 10 to 15 years, South Asia could be poised to play a pivotal role on the global economic and political scene."
"Afghanistan also may well offer a springboard for a new regionalism, reverting to its historical role as the gateway to South and Central Asia. And Iran, if it can fully rejoin the global community, may successfully hook into South Asia's economy, while playing a key role in the stabilisation of Afghanistan and the neighbourhood."