This volume is the outcome of an international conference organized jointly by the Observer Research Foundation of Indian and Rosa Luxemburg Foundation of Germany on February 20 and 21, 2003, at New Delhi. The title of the conference was ‘Pluralism, Democracy and Conflict Resolution: The Search for Stability in South Asia after 9/11’.
The conference was held against the backdrop of fear and uncertainty that had gripped the international community after September 11. The subsequent bombing of Afghanistan and the regime change in Kabul further fuelled apprehensions in South Asia where terrorism has come to stay, encouraged, ironically, by western security and intelligence agencies in pursuit of their geo-strategic activities.
The South Asian nations are equally apprehensive about the terror conglomerates like Al Qaida and their hunters, the US-led coalition forces. The two pose a serious challenge to the integrity and sovereignty of these countries.
The primary objective of the conference, attended by South Asia’s well-known social scientists and policy makers, was to focus on these issues and search for answers that would help bring peace and stability to the region.
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