SOUTH ASIAN REGIONALISM: INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF SAARC AND BIMSTEC - A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF GRIDLOCK AND REGIONAL RENEWAL

Abstract

This research examines how ideational and discursive processes influenced the evolution of regional institutions in South Asia amid institutional paralysis within formal multilateral institutions. Drawing on research, this study examines India's foreign policy processes in the context of the deadlock within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), particularly due to the requirement of unanimity. Utilising the Discursive Institutionalism (DI) approach developed by Vivien Schmidt and the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach by Norman Fairclough, this study examines diplomatic addresses, policymakers’ speeches, summit declarations, and institutional charters. This paper traces how India's regional policy has evolved from the 2014 SAARC Summit in Kathmandu to the 2016 Goa Outreach Summit, and on to the BIMSTEC Charter (2022) and the Bangkok Vision 2030 (2025). The paper argues that India has taken regional cooperation in a more expansive maritime direction and has become a “Constructive Power” by providing regional public goods. Keywords: SAARC, BIMSTEC, Regional Reorientation, Neighbourhood First, Act East, SAGAR.