An ecological response to ethno-nationalistic populism: grassroots environmental peacebuilding in south Asia

• Published in: International affairs (London) Vol. 97; no. 1; pp. 119 - 138
• Main Author: Huda, Mirza Sadaqat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Borders; Conflict; Disputes; Ecology; Environmental aspects; Ethnonationalism; Forests; Geopolitics; Grass roots movement; Nationalism; Nativism; Politics; Populism; Rivers; Territorial issues; Bangladesh; Pakistan; Asia; India; South Asia; global environmental politics; ethno-nationalism; peace processes; Environmental Peacebuilding; India; South Asia
• ISSN: 0020-5850; 1468-2346
• DOI: 10.1093/ia/iiaa176

Abstract The geopolitical and geophysical realities of south Asia create a deep sense of paradox. On the one hand, territorial disputes and hyper-nationalism have resulted in some of the most militarized borders in the world. South Asia's international boundaries are subject to a range of conflicts, which includes high-level armed confrontations between India and Pakistan and low-level, yet deadly, incidents at the India–Bangladesh border. On the other hand, the region's ecology is inherently interlinked through shared rivers, glaciers and forests. South Asia's borders therefore present unique opportunities for environmental peacebuilding, as they are the epicentre of political conflicts as well as the source of transnational ecological connections. This article argues that grassroots processes of environmental peacebuilding can be used to build societal resistance to the rise of ethno-nationalistic populism in south Asia. Using interview data, the article tests concepts on pathways to environmental peacebuilding against underlying drivers of regional conflicts. The study suggests ways by which grassroots environmental initiatives on the Sundarbans forest between India and Bangladesh and the Thar desert between India and Pakistan can address the contemporary rise in nativist politics. The article contributes to existing literature by connecting theories on pathways to environmental peacebuilding to the ideational drivers of territorial and political conflicts. It adds to policy discussions by suggesting an ecological response to the contemporary rise of ethno-nationalistic populism in various regions of the world.