Trade liberalisation alone is not a sufficient condition for countries to turn to either single or multiple ‘regional integration arrangements’ (RIA). The enormous pressures of globalisation are forcing countries to seek greater efficiency through larger markets, increased competition, access to superior technology, and greater investment outlets through RIAs. Within such arrangements, there is also a desire to assist neighbouring nations for mutually beneficial reasons, as well as to take preventive action against the spillover of unrest and mass economic migration. The compelling logic of regional groupings, coupled with the obvious failure of SAARC and the near-debilitating East Asian crisis of 1997, collectively contributed to the formation of BIMSTEC.