TRANSITIONS IN GLOBAL POLARITY AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’S STRATEGY TOWARD SOUTH ASIA

Abstract

Purpose of the study: This study intends to explore the discourses on patterns of systemic polarity. The study of these discourses helps in the development of the discipline of International Relations. The study also explores the foreign policy of the United States - being the greatest power of the time and claiming to be the custodian of the prevailing international order – towards South Asia. Methodology: This is a qualitative explanatory and exploratory study. The specific method utilized to conduct the study remains the discourse analysis. Main Findings: The study finds that international polarity is a continuous process of transition. These are a combination of systemic and sub-systemic actors and factors that contribute to this transition. Applications of this study: The study is useful for students and scholars of International Relations, Area Studies, Strategic Studies, and allied disciplines. It is equally useful for policy practitioners. Novelty/Originality of this study: The discourses on patterns of international polarity have contributed to the development of International Relations as a discipline. A significant debate on the discourses of international polarity has been the pattern of post-Cold War and Post-9/11 orders. While there has been a relatively dominant claim that this era overall shows evidence of unipolarity; there is an equally influential claim that the international order appears multipolar. There is however a need to address a primary question that demands an inquiry into the type of multipolarity in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 eras as it is assumed that the dynamics of international order and great power rivalries in this era are significantly different from the earlier patterns of international multipolarity. This inquiry is informed by focusing on the policies of great powers toward south Asia and the transforming geostrategic and economic relations between significant South Asian states.