South Asia is one of the very few regions in the world with geographical contiguity as well as linguistic and cultural homogeneity. The region, inhabited by more than one-fifth of global population, is afflicted by a number of social, political and economic problems compounded by political mistrust and suspicion. The South Asian states are plagued by inter-state conflicts over boundaries. In addition, there is a sharp increase in unemployment, poverty, epidemics, drug trafficking, and environmental degradation etc. in the region which have internal and external dimensions. All these issues pose a far more serious and immediate challenge to the region. The South Asian region has potential to acquire a momentum of its own, leading to the total transformation of the region in the near future. The member states have to set aside their disputes, in order to improve their economic and trade relations. They have to realize that it is high time to shift their focus from the security of the borders to regional cooperation. The paper contributors in the volume- diplomats, academia and media - not only focused on the problems being faced by the South Asian countries; but also suggested the amicable solutions to overcome these problems and the possible ways to reconstruct a new South Asia. Thus, the main focus of the volume is to probe into various mechanisms to be adopted to make the South Asian region free from conflicts and enhance economic cooperation amongst the states, thereby improving the welfare of the people. While analyzing the conflicts and misunderstandings between/ among the countries in the region, the volume tries to underline the issues related to human development, traditional and non traditional security and the role of external powers in the peace process of South Asia.About the AuthorProf. T. Nirmala Devi is Director of the Centre for SAARC Studies, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. She has been working on South Asian studies for over two decades. She was a Baden-Wurttemberg Fellow at the South Asia Institute, University of Hedelberg, Germany. She authored three books; edited one book,; and co-edited two books. She has six reports on South Asia and seventy research papers, covering issues of gender, demography and international economics. Dr. Adluri Subramanyam Raju is Associate Professor of Political Science in the Centre for SAARC Studies, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. He was a Salzburg Seminar Fellow (2006) and the recipient of the Mahbub Ul Haq Award (RCSS, Colombo, 2003); Scholar of Peace Award (WISCOMP, New Delhi, 2002) and Kodikara Award (RCSS, Colombo, 1998). He authored three books; co-authored one book; and edited four books.