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News
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An op-ed titled To
Beijing, With Calm by Lt. Gen. (Retd.) V.R. Raghavan
on the implications of the Presidential elections in Taiwan
for cross-strait relations appeared in the Indian Express
on March 26, 2008.
A
book
review by Lt. Gen. (Retd.) V.R. Raghavan of the book
Contested Lands by Sumantra Bose was published in
The Hindu on March 25, 2008.
Lt. Gen (Retd.) V. R. Raghavan's paper presented at the
Seminar "Conflict in Sri Lanka: The Road Ahead"
held in Colombo on 26-27 March, 2008 can be accessed here.
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The
Centre for Security Analysis (CSA) was set up
in 2002 with the initiative of Lt. Gen. V.R. Raghavan
(Retd) and Mr. M.K. Narayanan (presently National Security
Advisor) and support from the Ford Foundation. The Centre
is a non-profit, non-partisan independent think tank.
It believes in holistic and multidimensional approach
to security, transcending the traditional concept to
include various aspects of security such as energy,
economy, society, environment, food, health, water and
political security. In short, the safety, honour and
well-being of the citizen is the ultimate security.
The Centre was established with the objective of providing
a peninsular perspective to the security discourse in
India and an Indian perspective in South, Southeast
and East Asia. It provides a platform for academics
and intellectuals of South and Southeast Asian region
to put forth their views thereby enabling them to represent
the region's interests. The Centre promotes public awareness
on security issues by organizing seminars, workshops,
public lectures and roundtable discussions. The Centre
brings out publications in the form of books and occasional
papers covering the events conducted and projects undertaken
in the larger interest of the public and policy makers.
The Centre has developed a special focus on issues related
to Peninsular India, Sri Lanka, South and Southeast
Asia. The issues of conflict resolution and peace building
as also gender affirmation have been given due attention.
It has undertaken research work on issues of immediate
interest to the society and Government. It has built
a new focus on civil society and governance and its
linkages with security. The centre has also undertaken
project studies on important and contemporary issues
affecting Peninsular India.
CSA considers encouragement and development of the younger
generation, an aspect to be given due importance and
keeping that in view, has been organising regular intercollegiate
debates. These debates on issues of national importance
provide opportunities for young scholars to study, research
and voice their views and ideas on different facets
of security.
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CSA
Events
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International
Seminar
Conflict
in Sri Lanka: The Road Ahead
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Dr. Thusita Tennakoon, H.E. Mr. Alok Prasad, Mr. Lalith
Weeratunga and
Prof. Tissa Vitharana at the Inaugural Session
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The Centre for Security Analysis (CSA) has
been continuously involved in encouraging and organising
a sustained discourse on Conflict Resolution and
Peace Building in Sri Lanka. In a series of seminars
and discussions organised over the past few years;
the Centre has provided a platform for scholars,
academics as well as policy makers to voice their
opinions and have insightful deliberations on the
developments in Sri Lanka, their implications for
peace and regional security. CSA's publications
on the issues of conflict over fisheries, the question
of federalism and conflict resolution and the peace
process in Sri Lanka have been well received.
The current scenario of the conflict in Sri Lanka
has evoked varied reactions on the political, economic
and military factors from different quarters both
within Sri Lanka as well as internationally. In
keeping with its aim to engage with scholars and
policy makers to gauge the road ahead for the conflict
in Sri Lanka as well as the implications for peacebuilding,
CSA in collaboration with the Bandaranaike Centre
for International Studies (BCIS) organized a seminar
"Conflict in Sri Lanka: The Road Ahead"
in Colombo on 26-27 March 2008.
The Seminar was inaugurated by the Chief Guest Prof.
Tissa Vitharana, Minister of Science and Technology
and Guest of Honor H.E Mr. Alok Prasad, Indian High
Commissioner to Sri Lanka. The occasion was also
graced by Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the
President of Sri Lanka & Chairman, BCIS, Dr.
Thusita Tennakoon, Executive Director, BCIS and
Lt. Gen (Retd.) V. R. Raghavan, President, CSA.
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Mr.
N. Sathiyamoorthy, Prof. G.L. Peiris, Mr. Javed Yusuf
(Chair) and Mr. Douglas Devananda at the Session focusing
on Political and Constitutional Issues
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The Seminar covered the following four aspects of
the conflict:
1. Political and Constitutional Dimension:
Speakers including Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of
Export Development & International Trade, Mr.
Douglas Devananda, Minister of Social Services &
Social Welfare, Dr. Rohan Edirisinghe, Senior Lecturer,
University of Colombo and Mr. N. Sathiyamoorthy,
Director, ORF, Chennai Chapter, focused on the pressing
issue of the Implementation of the 13th Amendment.
2.
Military- Political Interface: Lt. Gen (Retd.)
V.R. Raghavan in his paper "Politico-Strategic
Military Operations" highlighted the crucial
link between military strategies and their political
objectives and how the Sri Lankan case offers unique
insights into this relationship. Mr. Mohan Peiris,
Legal Advisor, Ministry of Defence and Maj. Gen.
Hettiarachchi, Director-General, Disaster Management
Centre, Ministry of Disaster Management responded.
3.
Economic and Developmental Issues: Mr. Rohanta
Athukorala, Director, Economics, SCOPP, Dr. Muthukrishna
Saravanandan, Principal Researcher, PPID, Sri Lanka
and Dr. Amita Batra, JNU, India focused on sustaining
healthy economic growth rates in Sri Lanka and the
economic impact of the conflict.
4.
International Dimension: The role of donors
and international responses to the conflict and
the military build up were discussed at length by
Amb. T.P Sreenivasan, former Permanent Representtaive
of India to the United Nations, Amb. Nihal Rodrigo,
Senior Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka and
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, SCOPP.
The Seminar was successful in drawing a well-informed
audience who engaged in enriching discussions. The
proceedings of the Seminar will be published in
the form of an edited volume. More details of the
seminar also visit www.bcis.edu.lk
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