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It has been said that the northern nations of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, personify unity within diversity.Ties of ethnographic and cultural kinship give these northern peoples a sense of unity and a desire for working together. At the same time, the varying outlooks and aspirations which the five countries have come to hold as a result of their differing geographic, economic and political conditions and experiences, have produced a strong desire for independence and the preservation of their own ways of life.

Seven South Asian countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are currently attempting to set up a regional grouping. So far, the participating states have achieved some success in the development of regional cooperation in certain low-key non-political areas in the economic, social and scientific fields. The pace and institutionalization of the process are being adversely affected by economic and political stresses and strains. Economic constraints include the backwardness of the participating states and vast regional imbalances and disparities. Political factors such as serious bilateral differences, divergent external threat perceptions and the lack of a common political purpose are equally responsible for retarding the pace of regionalism. The future of the process is, in fact, dependent on the ability of the regional states to sort out their bilateral political differences. (Internat. Polit. Science Assoc.)

Regional cooperation worldwide has not only succeeded, but also is irreversible. It is a part of globalisation, though there are limits beyond which it cannot go. So, there is a general acceptance of the present state system that disputes will not ordinarily be settled by force, that borders will not be changed, and commitment to greater integration will increase. In South Asia, regional cooperation has been a non-starter and is confined to summits and declarations. But public demand for cooperation and an expansion of contacts is growing. In response, the smaller neighbours of India do not want to open up while India itself has followed a negative policy. Relations with Bhutan and the Maldives, and now increasingly Sri Lanka, are exceptions. Even in terms of India-Pakistan relations, which are on a different plane, there are promising developments.