South Asian Studies in International and Comparative Law

The rule of law in the South Asian countries is closely linked to the international rule of law, and thewar on terror illustrates this link in a striking manner. At the same time, South Asia has much more tooffer to the international community because of its immense human resources, rich cultural heritage,and religious and linguistic diversity. To understand the problems of the people and nations of SouthAsia and to devise international legal frameworks to address those problems are useful avenues forresearch and publication. The availability of literature covering various aspects of comparative andinternational law from South Asian perspectives will enrich understanding of world order. It willpromote a new kind of North-South dialogue. The quality of international and comparative lawliterature with different perspectives will help improve the quality of legal education not only in theSouth Asian countries but also in the rest of the world.

Expected Content: There is considerable scope for making scholarly contribution to literature in the fields of international and comparative law from South Asian perspectives. Some of the areas of specialinterest are:
• Constitutional law
• Environmental law
• Human rights law
• WTO law
• Dispute settlement mechanisms
• The status of international law under domestic law
• The role of domestic courts in the development of international law
• Treaty practice
• The contribution of civil society to the promotion of international law
• Legal aspects of economic cooperation
• The development of legal frameworks for establishing cooperative arrangements to deal with a wide variety of problems, ranging from the conflict of law to natural disasters

Also useful is the need to research and publish the contributions of South Asian culture, traditionsand practices in the development of international law. Further, the attitude of Asian-Africancountries, as well as the global South (or the Third World), still needs appreciation in several issueareas. The role of the South Asian countries in international organizations, multilateral negotiations,and peacekeeping operations remains an attractive area for research and publication.