Ever since human civilisation entered the stage of nation-states, the world has witnessed many upheavals as a result of acrimonious relations between neighbouring states, or competing blocks of states. Mankind has lost in every sense because of the inter-state conflicts, or the mega contestation in the power realm that is driven by super power rivalry. We have seen how for decades the animosity between the US and the USSR resulted in a layered destruction of historical human relationships. These relations were not just economic, but cultural, and historic. The cold war gave us active conflicts around the globe. We saw human societies crumbling under the impact of that cold war. As a result of that millions of people died, economies were shattered, and an arms race led to an overall insecurity of the human race. The ultimate result of that acrimonious attitude was a wholesale loss. None benefitted from the rivalry. When the mankind realised that these interstate strifes are to the loss of everyone, efforts were made to make such states reconcile, and keep the chances of violence at bay. In a good number of cases such efforts came to fruition and we saw how the enemies of yesterday became close friends of today. The example of Germany and France is very illustrative a case.
In fact there have been consistent efforts from many transnational institutions to bring hostile states close to each other. The economic and other benefits of cooperation are being highlighted to convince the state leaderships that a reconciliatory approach is far better than a bellicose one. In our region also the rough edges in the interstate relations have caused much loss to the human populations living in this region. Many a time in recent past we have seen states coming close to a full scale military confrontation. But it was always felt by the sagacious elements in all the states that negotiations and dialogue constitute the path to resolve the conflicts. Of late there are some vibes that the leadership in the states in this region have come to the conclusion that a peaceful atmosphere needs to be built to solve the problems that cause trouble in the region. It is a sign of maturity, and if things go well, it can have a salubrious impact on the political environs of the region.