Foreword

Summary

Energy security has become a central concern for all countries in the region and the search for sufficient sources of energy to fuel economic growth has influenced relations among South Asian countries as well as their respective relations with their neighbours: China, Myanmar, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Central Asian Republics.

Whilst it is widely understood that increased development and economic growth across the world is leading to a rush on global energy resources, there is little understanding on how this is affecting the South Asian region in general, and India in particular. This volume is, thus, timely and opportune. It looks at the issue of energy security from a South Asian perspective, with a central focus on India. It addresses the key issues and developments surrounding energy security in South Asia and their wider implications on regional and international relations.

The papers collected in this volume are drawn from the Conference on “Geopolitics of Energy in South Asia” held in Singapore on 14 August 2007. This conference grew out of an initiative from a few of my colleagues at the Institute of South Asian Studies. It is indicative of the desire of the Institute's researchers, working with colleagues from other institutes in Singapore and beyond, to deepen the knowledge on South Asia, and to make this knowledge available and useful to interested stakeholders and the public at large.

This publication consists of chapters by the Institute's researchers as well as scholars from Singapore and abroad. The Institute's expertise on South Asia allows us to look at the crucial issue of energy from a regional perspective, with our researchers focusing on key political and economic developments driven by the increased need for energy and their wider impact on the regional and international sphere. The local and international scholars enable us to focus on international developments and issues relating to energy and energy security.