Sri Lanka, April 22 -- In the emerging era marked by Trump's tariffs and politically motivated sanctions, the Global South, which has been struggling to come out of isolation and poverty, has no option but to reduce its dependence on the Global North. It has to seek ways of banding together and helping each other grow. For this, they have to suspend mutual animosities, rivalries and reservations.

Existing organisations like ASEAN, SAARC, RECP and BIMSTEC should be used to the maximum. The guiding principle should be "United We Stand, Divided We Fall".

It is in this context that one should view the recently concluded sixth summit of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) in Bangkok. The B...