CRS Issue Statement on South Asia

K. Alan Kronstadt
Specialist in South Asian Affairs

Long considered a "strategic backwater," South Asia has emerged in the 21st century as increasingly vital to core U.S. foreign policy interests, including cooperative efforts to combat terrorism, halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, reduce the incidence of religious extremism, and protect human rights, including through the promotion of democracy and rule of law. In the interests of regional stability, the United States strongly encourages the resumption of an India-Pakistan peace initiative and remains concerned about the potential for conflict over Kashmiri sovereignty to cause open hostilities between these two nuclear-armed countries. A major terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, in November 2008 placed major strain on the bilateral dialogue. The United States also has a region-wide interest in economic development and the continued liberalization of South Asian economies, especially in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. Moreover, South Asia is a source of large numbers of immigrants to the United States, making U.S. immigration law a related issue of concern.


Date of Report: January 12, 2010
Number of Pages: 4
Order Number: IS40387
Price: $7.95