Publication

This brief discusses the potential opening of the border between India's Northeastern region and Southeast Asia through a free trade agreement. The author argues that, given the state of insurgency affecting most of the states of the region, the projected economic gains from such a marriage of two contiguous economies will be overshadowed by the advantages that would accrue to the armed non-state groups. According to him, a position where the state is able to nullify such abilities of the insurgents must be reached before the international borders of the region are thrown open to the forces of globalization.