UNDERSTANDING THE DRAGON’S ENTRY TO SOUTH ASIA: REVISITING THE REGIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX THEORY

• Authors: Senanayake Harsha
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The regional security complex theory scrutinizes the security complexes including the security complex of South Asia grounded on security interdependency among states situated in a geographically coherent group which could be penetrated by the external powers. The formation of the regional security complex of South Asia was shaped by two major factors: 1. The rivalry between India and Pakistan; 2. The dependency of small nations over the regional hegemony of India. However, the massive plan of economic growth and connectivity- BRI introduced by China have changed these dynamics of the complex. The BRI changed the traditional understanding of the regional security complex of South Asia and forced to contemplate China as an internal member of the complex rather considering China as external power. The purpose of the study is to capture these changes and alter the theory to understand the South Asian security complex sophisticatedly by considering the smaller states of South Asia (Sri Lanka and Nepal). The case study method has been employed to derive influences from the BRI, and it is based on a wide range of sources, both primary and secondary. BRI has changed the traditional patterns of security interdependency of the smaller states of South Asia vis-à-vis big brother India while elevating the Chinese ability to redefine, reorganize, reshape, and reconstruct the security patterns of South Asia and establishing Chinese military supremacy in Indian backyard. The traditional security complex theory did not capture these changes and yet, the paper argues that the regional security complex can be understood comprehensively by transporting external powers into a given complex based on the criteria, to be qualified as an internal actor. To validate this claim, the paper will consider the case study of Chinese led BRI projects and the regional complex of South Asia.

Keywords

EN

Regional Security Complex Theory, Barry Buzan, BRI, Sri Lanka, India, China, South Asia

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu. Wydawnictwo UMK
• Journal: Torun International Studies
• Year: 2020
• Issue: 13
• Pages: 73-91

Contributors

author

Senanayake Harsha

References

• AIS Marine Traffic. (2019, December 24). Marine Traffic Global Ship Tracking Intelligence. Retrieved December 24, 2019, from https://www.marinetraffic.com/
• Aliff, S. M. (2017). Indo- Sri Lanka Relations after the LTTE: Problems Prospects. Oluvil: South Eastern University.
• Bhandari, P. (2018, September 25). The Growing Chinese Presence in Nepal (para. 2). Retrieved January 29, 2019, from https://theasiadialogue.com/2018/09/25/the-growing-chinese-presence-in-nepal/
• Bhattarai, K. D. (2018, July 7). Rise of China in Nepal (para. 4). Retrieved March 1, 2019, from https://tibet.net/2018/07/rise-of-china-in-nepal/
• Bougon, F. (2018). Inside the Mind of Xi Jinping. Landon: C. Hurst & Co.
• Buzan, B. (1991). People, State and Fear: An Agenda for International Security Studies in the Post Cold War Era. Colorado: Lynne Rinner Publication.
• Buzan, B., Rizvi, G., & Foot, R. (1986). South Asian Insecurity and Great Powers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Buzan, B., & Waever, O. (2003). Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Buzan, B., Waever, O., & Wilde, J. D. (1998). Security: A New Framework For Analysis. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
• Chalise, B. (2017). China’s Belt and Road Reches Nepal. Canberra: East Asian Forum.
• Dahal, G. (2018). Foreign Relations of Nepal with India and China. Journal of Political Science, XVII(I), 46- 61.
• Dahiya, R., & Behuriya, A. (2012). India’s Neighbourhood: Challenges in the Next Two Decades. New Delhi: Pentagon Security International.
• Dixit, A. M. (2017, July 21). China’s Belt and Road Comes to Nepal, The Belt and Road Could Help Nepal Reduce its Economic Dependence on India (para. 5). Retrieved January 31, 2018, from https://thediplomat.com/2017/07/chinas-belt-and-road-comes-to-nepal/
• Epa. N. S. (2016). Foreign Policy of Sri Lanka under Mahinda Rajapaksa 2005- 2015. Colombo: Arjuna Publications.
• Freitas, G. D. (2018, July 6). State Visit to China Triggers a Bumper Crop of Nepalese BRI Projects (para. 1-2). Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://beltandroad.hktdc.com/en/insights/state-visit-china-triggers-bumper-crop-nepalese-bri-projects
• Friends of the Earth U.S. (2016). China’s Belt and Road Initiative: An Introduction. Washington D. C: Friends of the Earth.
• Grace, T., & Hao, C. J. (2018). The Belt and Road Initiative: Politics, Potentials and Partnership. Singapore: National University of Singapore.
• Groves, S. (2014, September 22). India and Nepal Tackle Border Disputes: Under Narendra Modi’s Leadership, India is Addressing Outstanding Border Discrepancies with Nepal. Retrieved March 31, 2019, from https://thediplomat.com/2014/09/india-and-nepal-tackle-border-disputes/
• Hariharan, R. (2013). China’s Strategic Presence in Sri Lanka. Scholar Warrior, 1(2), 33-39.
• Jacob, J. T. (2015). China- Sri Lanka Ties in Post Rajapaksa Era: Major Changes Unlikely. Analysis. Institute of Chinese Studies Analysis, 26, 1-8.
• Jaishankar, S. (2017). Forward: Wither Indian Ocean Maritime Order. In Y. Kumar (Ed.), Wither Indian Ocean Maritime Order? Contributions to a Seminar on Narendra Modhi’s SAGAR speech (pp. 3-9). New Delhi: KW Publishers.
• Kandaudahewa, H. (2014). Indo- Sri Lanka Bilateral Relations: Analytical Review of Political and Cultural Relations Since 2005. In N. Sirisoma (Ed.), KDU International Research Conference: Vol. 14. Social Sciences and Humanities (pp. 80- 85). Rathmalana: Kotelawala Defense University publishers.
• Konings, J. (2018). Trade Impact on the Belt and Road Initiative: The Major Global Trade Boost Which Could Come From Significant Cost Reductions, And What Might Get in the Way. Singapore: International Trade Analysis.
• Macaes, B. (2019). Belt and Road: A Chinese World Order. New Delhi: Thompson Press India.
• Miller, T (2017). China’s Asian Dream: Empire Building Along the New Silk Road. London: Zed Books.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (2014, September 17). Sri Lanka and China Sign Agreements for Cooperation (para. 1). Retrieved December 09, 2018, from https://www.mfa.gov.lk/tam/sri-lanka-and-china-sign-agreements-for-cooperation/
• Niharika, & Goyal, A. (2017). India and China in the Indian Ocean Region: Countervailing Powers. In B. N. Patel, A. K. Malik and W. Nunes (Eds.), Indian Ocean and Maritime Security (pp. 53- 63). Oxon: Routledge.
• Odell, J. (2001). Case Study Methods in International Political Economy. International Studies Perspective, 2(1), 161-176.
• Pandalai, S. (2018). Post- Doklam: India Needs to Watch China’s Bullish Economics Let the Cultural Embrace of South Asia. New Delhi: The Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis.
• Peoples Daily Online. (2006, October 24). National Anthem China (para. 1). Retrieved December 10, 2019, from http://en.people.cn/china/anthem.html
• Regmi, B. (2017, June 5). China’s BRI and Nepal (para. 9). Retrieved March 1, 2019, from http://therisingnepal.org.np/news/22662
• Saran, S. (2017). A Strategic Perspective. In Y. Kumar (Ed.), Wither Indian Ocean Maritime Order? Contributions to a Seminar on Narendra Modi’s SAGAR speech (pp. 23-33). New Delhi: KW Publishers.
• Sherpa, D. (2017). Sino- Nepalese Engagement in the Himalayan Borderland. Analysis, 53(3), 2-13.
• Sigdel, A. (2018). China’s Growing Footprint in Nepal: Challenges and Opportunities for India. New Delhi: Observer Research Foundation- ORF.
• Singh, G. H. (2018). Evaluation of China- Sri Lanka Relations. New Delhi: Vivekananda International Foundation.
• The Indian Times. (2018, September 1). India to help Nepal rail link to Kathmandu (para. 2). Retrieved March 23, 2019, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-says-to-help-nepal-build-rail-link-to-kathmandu/articleshow/65631882.cms
• Tonchev, P. (2018). Along the Road Sri Lanka’s Tail of Two Ports. Paris: European Union Institute for Security Studies.
• Vito, S. (2017). IS Xi Jingpin a Reformer Similar to Deng Xiaoping?. Kansas: Fort Leavenworth Publishers.
• Wani, T. R., & Chawre, V. (2017). India, China and Nepal Relations: An Analysis. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 3(2), 3-6.
• Weihua, W. (2018, June 08). China-Sri Lanka Friendly Relationship: Historical Tradition, Realistic Dynamics and Bright Future (p. 2). Retrieved May 9, 2019, from https://www.defseminar.lk/media-centre/pres/Dr%20Wang%20Weihua%20.doc.pdf