The Postcolonial Security Dilemma in South Asia

This chapter examines the security dilemma of the twenty-first century in South Asia from a postcolonial lens of International Relations (IR). The realist school explains that classical security dilemmas are rooted in material power and strategic competition. Unlike South Asian security architecture, which is mainly shaped by colonial legacies, partition trauma, enduring identity conflicts and state-building challenges. In the region, most of the security complexities and conflicts stem from the construction of colonial borders, such as the McMahon Line, Radcliffe Line, and Durand Line. Using a postcolonial security perspective of IR, the study analyses Indo-Pak and Sino-Indian geopolitical rivalries and how internal challenges of South Asia, such as the Kashmir dispute and insurgencies, fuel the postcolonial grievances. These are also factors for South Asian security complexities. Due to these factors, we argue that without inscribing postcolonial foundations, the South Asian security dilemma cannot be settled.