Khalid Rahman

(Director General, Institute of Policy Studies, Pakistan)

Author

Khalid Rahman is Director General of the Islamabad-based think-tank, the Institute of Policy Studies. His main research contribution has been on the national and regional politics which includes an active focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan-China Relations and Madrassa Education. He is also Editor of the IPS Journal ‘Policy Perspectives.' Khalid Rahman has made over 40 research visits to various countries, including Afghanistan, Belgium, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States of America.

Abstract

Silk Road is a historic symbol of the fact that how physical connectivity brings people closer, and how this closeness turns into a means of mutual "opportunities" and "benefits". In this context, human beings have achieved enormous progress in the spheres of infrastructure and information. Today, it can rightly be said that the world has become a global village. Therefore, opportunities for mutual interaction and contacts as well as trade and [economic] cooperation have increased to a great deal. However, despite immense increase in opportunities, the benefits of this progress are not being shared equitably by all the people. Widespread inequality – manifesting itself in the form of momentous gaps between haves and have-nots, both among and within various nations and societies – stands testimony to this fact. The major reason behind this unfortunate state of affairs is the prevailing global system/order, which generates such a race where the attention is focused primarily on benefits and gains for certain individuals and segments, not on the collective benefit and mutual development/interests. The efforts of the institutions that came into being under this system, and those of the powerful elements, remain, therefore, centered on continuity of and strengthening this very system. Seeing in this context, there are several initiatives that have been taken for cooperation in this region, such as: Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the New Silk Road Initiative (NSRI) etc. This paper will attempt to analyze what is the special significance that the Silk Road Economic Belt – introduced by the Chinese president in 2013 – assumes in this peculiar regional and global context; and what are the opportunities for a consistently rising China to make this initiative successful, despite the inherent problems of existing global system. The paper also seeks to address the fundamental point, i.e., lack of an enabling environment for sustainability of regional cooperation in this region.