POLITICS: SOUTH ASIA MAPS ITS OWN DEVELOPMENT DESTINY

UNITED NATIONS, Jul. 21, 2008 (IPS/GIN) - When Pierre Trudeau, a former prime minister of Canada, was once asked what it was like to share space with a "giant" neighbour like the United States, he said the Canadians always felt they were living next to a monstrous elephant. "One feels the beast's every twitch," said Trudeau, even as the United States continues to influence its neighbour politically, economically and culturally. Ernest Corea, a former Sri Lankan ambassador to the United States, draws a similar political parallel between India, a potential Asian superpower, and the 23-year-old South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which holds its fifth summit meeting in Sri Lanka next week. Asked if India's preeminent role in the region will continue to determine and influence the decisions of SAARC, he said... [read full story]