The volume represents a range of themes covering a myriad of issues and problems facing South Asian Nations. The essay address issues from clash of ideologies focusing on secularism and non-secular nationalism, to rationale for regional cooperation with an ideological thrust, to developing a sustainable framework for making policies of a new nation, to civil society’s proactive role in searching a common ground for consensus building, to threat perceptions emanating from ideological, socio-political and historical causes adversely affecting intra-regional relations, to efforts having a positive outcome to globalism with different implications for sovereignty and citizenship.

A special characteristic of this volume is a combination of theoretical and operational approaches made by academics and practitioners contributing to a variety of worthy, interesting and complex topics. An added specialty is the outstanding background of its contributors. One made the constitution for a new nation–Bangladesh–serving as its first foreign minister and founding a political party later on. Two served as adviser to an interim government, three served as ambassadors of two South Asian countries and five created new civil society institutions–policy making, electoral, human rights and refugees.

About the Editors
Zillur R. Khan is Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin and Adjunct Professor Rollins College, USA. For his contributions to teaching, research and service, he received Willard Smith Distinguished Teaching Award at the departmental level, and Rosebush Professorship Award at the university level. Dr. Khan is President of Bangladesh Foundation and Chairman of the Research Committee on Rethinking Political Development of the International Political Science Association (IPSA). He has published ten books, twenty book chapters and over 50 scholarly articles in regional and international journals. Well known among his publications are Leadership in the Least Developed Nation: Bangladesh (Syracuse University, 1983), Martial Law to Martial Law: Leadership Crisis in Bangladesh (UPL, 1984), The Third World Charismat: Sheikh Mujib and the Struggle for Freedom (UPL, 1996) and SAARC and the Superpowers (UPL, 1991).

Meghna Guhathakurta received her Ph.D from University of York, UK, and until recently was Professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is currently Executive Director at Research Initiatives, Bangladesh, an organisation supporting research on poverty alleviation. She has published extensively on gender, development, minority rights as well as conflict and peace-building. She is Associate Editor of the Journal of Social Studies, published from the Centre for Social Studies, Dhaka and the Action Research Journal published by Sage.