NEWSLETTERS

Winter Workshop 1999
The third in the series of annual winter workshops organised by the RCSS on Sources of Conflict in South Asia: Ethnicity, Refugees, Environment, will be held in Godavari Village Resort, Lalitpur, Nepal, on March 6-16, 1999. The workshop is a forum for intensive training, dialogue and interaction of a group of 40 young South Asian professionals selected through region-wide competition. About 20 reputed experts will take part as faculty in lectures and panel sessions. The workshop is organised with the support of the Freidrich Naumann Stiftung.

The objectives of the workshop are to:

• equip participants with the  knowledge and skills necessary to understand the concepts and approaches to conflict, conflict resolution and conflict management with a specific focus on non-military sources in the context of South Asia.

• provide participants with insights into how non-military issues evolve into conflict, and how they affect relations between communities and peoples;

• offer training opportunity for the younger generation of professionals of the region to strengthen their skills in policy developments and negotiation with particular emphasis on specific issues, actors and decision making processes; and

• facilitate better understanding of problems and constraints, and promote collective consideration of alternative visions, options and approaches to resolve such conflicts.

The course and approach are inter-disciplinary. The following sub-themes form the principal focus of the workshop: Ethnicity and Religion; Refugee and other forms of Movement of Population; and Resources, Development and Environment.

The programme is designed to facilitate maximum interaction between participants and faculty, and among the participants themselves. Activities are held in three main streams: lecture session, participants-led panel and interactive sessions and group work. The participants will become part of the RCSS network of young professionals for continued dialogue.

The RCSS invites applications for  research grants to be awarded to young South Asian scholars for conducting policy-oriented research on strategic and international issues of contemporary South Asian interest. Nationals of all South Asian countries within the age limit of 35 years who are based in the region are eligible. Female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply. 

Candidates should ideally have a Masters Degree in international relations, strategic studies, political science, economics, history, anthropology, journalism, international law or other related subjects. Each grantee will receive a total stipend of $2,000.00 payable over a 6 months period. An additional amount may be paid for field work in no more than 3 South Asian countries including the candidates own. Eligible candidates wishing to be considered for the awards should apply giving:

• Full curriculum vitae including detailed academic records and evidence of research competence
• A research proposal within 700-1000 words describing the theme, importance, objective, methodology and justification for field work;
• Copies of up to 2 publications, if any; and
• Two confidential letters of academic reference to be sent directly to RCSS. 

The closing date is April 30, 1999. Further inquiries may be addressed to the RCSS.

The RCSS is implementing, with support from the Ford Foundation, a project entitled Regional International Affairs Program in Asia (RIAPA). Its main objective is to examine the possibilities of undertaking collaborative programmes for research, training and dialogue on international affairs and security in Asia, with particular emphasis on non-traditional security issues. The project is also expected to assist interested funding organizations in developing new and innovative collaborative programming in the identified subject areas.

        On the basis of fieldwork conducted in a number of selected countries in the region, a draft background document was prepared to facilitate discussion in a workshop organized by RCSS in Colombo, during December 15-16, 1998. The workshop brought together 49  experts representing a wide array of institutions and professional groups. The following provides highlights of the workshop proceedings and of a final document that is expected to provide analytical basis and guidelines to decide on follow-up activities.

Broader & Deeper Security
One objective of the RIAPA project is to broaden and deepen the concept and understanding of security.  However, the project does not seek to arrive at a common or consensus definition of security. Much work is already underway on the notion of comprehensive security. The present effort is not designed to supplant the existing security discourse, but to supplement it.
The project is being implemented during an especially difficult, complex and uncertain time in Asia. The impact on security research and debate of developments such as India’s and Pakistan’s nuclear tests, and financial, economic and political problems in much of Southeast Asia and some countries of East Asia remains unclear.

        Security research and debate, reflecting the major events of the past decade as well as dramatic recent developments, is in a state of considerable flux.  As in many other parts of the world, Asians appear keen to “re-think” security studies and are receptive to exploring new, innovative and collaborative approaches to security research and debate. The concept and practice of security in the post-Cold War era has changed considerably, though questions persist about the precise nature of these changes, their significance and implications, and their likely longevity.

        The bulk of security studies and debate remains focused on traditional topics including international strategic issues, defense capabilities, balances of power and external politico-military relationships. Concern about security seems to revolve essentially around the security of the state. It was argued that basic state security was essential for consideration of other kinds of security concerns. Without state security there is no time, energy or resources to attend to other levels of security concern. In assessing state security, it was noted that one must also take into account the regime or elite who control a particular state. The importance of regimes was especially emphasized in Southeast Asia where within the last few years there have been profound changes in domestic politics. There was a widely shared view that the state itself is undergoing fundamental change in the degree to which it is sovereign. Even if one is concerned with state security, it must be recognized that the ability of the state to act cohesively and with full control has been substantially weakened.

        Distinction between traditional and non-traditional security issues was useful as heuristic device, but ultimately a false dichotomy. In terms of the relative importance of “traditional” and “non-traditional” security threats, several commentators stated that they are increasingly indistinguishable and at a minimum inter-linked. It was noted, for example, that the financial crisis and political changes in Southeast and East Asia are already affecting traditional security areas such as regional cooperation, balances of power, and defense capabilities. It was also argued that “traditional” security developments such as nuclear tests have had the effect of highlighting security weaknesses in the non-traditional realm. In essence, there appears to be a paradox. In Southeast Asia, non-traditional security threats (e.g. financial collapse and domestic governance problems) are bringing into focus traditional areas of security.  Meanwhile, in South Asia, traditional security developments (e.g., nuclear tests and heightened tensions between India and Pakistan) are throwing into bold relief non-military threats to security in South Asia.

        The depth and scope of security research and debate varies considerably from country to country.  Factors affecting these divergences include the nature of political systems, level of human and other resources, and general economic and social conditions within various countries. New forces are entering into security research and debate as a result of domestic political and economic transformations, and rise of civil society groups and institutions.  Once established voices and institutions in security research and debate either have been weakened or are competing with new voices and institutions. Indeed, in a time of profound change, there is a visible tussle between the trend towards “officializing” security studies and debate and the rise of new voices and institutions. Security research and debate also tend to be compartmentalized by “communities” (e.g., academic, think-tank, civilian officials, military officials, and non-governmental and activist) with little inter-play between them.

An Inventory of Some Non-Traditional Security Issues
The salience of various non-traditional security issues varied considerably from    country to country in Asia. Two broad non-traditional issues, however, received repeated mention across Asia’s sub-regions. These issues are: globalization and nation and state-building.

        The forms and effects of globalization, and specifically the increasing amounts and pace of capital flows to and from countries in the region, were seen as a major threat to state security. Concern about globalization was not limited to its economic forms but was also expressed about political, cultural and technological globalization and its potential implications for national security broadly-defined. Globalization has underlined the importance of identity and its meaning too in the modern context.  Globalization forces identities to change, and this might relate to a resurgence of nationalism in a region that perceives itself to be pressured by globalization.  One scholar argued that a sense of identity determines what you are willing to fight for or protect, and thus affects the kind of security policy which is adopted.

        Nation and State-Building was seen as part of the “unfinished agenda” of the post-colonial period.  Recent events in some Asian countries have highlighted concerns to state security emanating from a lack of or uneven economic and social development.

        Energy security was also seen as a major security concern for the coming decades. The growing competition for access to energy resources held the potential for conflict, but could also be the basis for cooperative endeavors on energy-related infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines.

        Migration (external and internal) is a growing security concern as unemployment in particular countries increases due to the financial and economic crisis. Some analysts expressed worry that the asymmetry in economic conditions in various Asian states will lead to large-scale migrations as people search for better employment opportunities. Such large-scale migrations not only create economic, social and political difficulties, but have the possibility of increasing inter-state tensions. Internal migration and displacement and their effect on state security was also identified as an important issue.

        Refugee flows, which are different from labor migration (refugees would result from state collapse and persecution rather than simply the search for better economic opportunities), was noted as an important non-traditional security concern.
Ethnic tensions are growing in certain Asian countries. Managing ethnic, religious and linguistic pluralism is a common challenge to many Asian states. These tensions have the possibility of undermining stability within states and increasing friction among countries.

        Environmental problems arising from flawed policies or rapid social and economic change are also a non-traditional security concern. It was noted that sea-based borders are less defined than land-based borders and there are concerns that with economic problems the importance of sea-based resources would rise.

        Narcotics trafficking and associated criminal activities were seen as issues of particular concern in South and Southeast Asia.  Corruption and violence resulting from these activities were said to be weakening governance. Small arms trafficking, which to some extent is related to narcotics trafficking and other criminal activities, was noted as a growing security problem.
Information and technology as factors in security were also proposed as subjects of consideration.  A specific example cited was of the “Y2K problem” and what difficulties that might pose to security.

Considerable concern was expressed about the future of existing regional and multilateral institutions in the various sub-regions.  It was noted that South Asian regional institutions are weak, and cannot address security concerns. In Southeast Asia there are growing problems of cohesiveness in groupings such as ARF and ASEAN.  In East Asia, there are no regional organizations for security discussions.

Follow-up
A wide and diverse range of follow-up activities were identified for research, training and dialogue that could be implemented as part of a Regional International Affairs Programme in Asia.  In general, these proposed activities fell into six broad, thematic areas.
• Governance, nation-building and sustainable development;
• Internal state conflicts and the management of pluralism;
• Gender issues and feminist perspectives (by themselves, and also their relevance       combined with other areas of study);
• Environment and security including industrial pollution, natural disasters, rural environmental degradation and the effects of urbanization;
• Security implications of Asia’s financial crisis; and
• Status and future of intra- and inter-regional cooperation and institutions.

Specific projects under each of these headings, depending upon how they are conceived and designed, could fall into more than one of the categories. In identifying and implementing new, innovative security research, dialogue and training in particular countries and sub regions within Asia, issue-areas should be selected on the basis of the relevance of the issue to the country or sub-region in question. Efforts should, however, be made to implement activities that would bring together the widest possible range of Asian countries and include participation from all of its sub-regions. Special efforts should also be made to include currently marginalized communities in security research and debate (e.g., women, the underprivileged, ethnic and religious minorities and others) in security-related projects. It was considered particularly important to promote feminist perspectives on all relevant aspects of security, especially nationalism, the state and civil society as these impinge upon security within both traditional and non-traditional realms.

        Each issue should be addressed with a multi-disciplinary approach. A suggestion was made that institutional cooperation should be enhanced by identifying one or more “focal” or key institutions in each sub-region to design and implement projects, and sustain dialogue between policy makers and researchers. The need to focus on a younger generation of scholars in whatever field when selecting participants for a project was underscored. Fellowship programs should be established focusing on a younger generation of scholars, think-tank members, and officials with a range of expertise.  Such fellowships could be taken up either in Asia or the West. New curricula should be created to train younger generation on non-traditional security as well as specialized areas of knowledge such as financial issues and the environment. All selected projects should include an evaluative component. Finally, products from various projects should be disseminated as widely as possible.  This might include delivering products not only to government and civil-society broadly, but also to marginalized and disadvantaged communities through the use of vernacular languages.
 

Participants
Dr. Kamarulnizam Abdullah, Strategic and Security Studies Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Ms. Shaheen Akhtar, Research Analyst, Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad.
Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar, Assistant to the Minister & State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Secretariat Negara, Jakarta.
Dr. R.A. Ariyaratne, Rector, Western Campus, University of Colombo.
Prof. Kousar Azam, Senior Academic Fellow - Social Sciences, American Studies Research Center, Hyderabad.
Mr. Bantarto Bandoro, Director, Department of International Affairs, Center of Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta.
Dr. Navnita Chadha Behera, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi.
Prof. P.R. Chari, Co-Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi.
Ambassador Cheng Ruisheng, Deputy Director General, China Centre for International Studies, Beijing.
Dr. Chayachoke Chulasiriwongs, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
Dr. Suranjan Das, Professor, Department of History, & Coordinator, Peace Studies Group, University of Calcutta.
Snr. Col. Ding Bangquan, Research Fellow, Institute for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, PLA, Beijing.
Dr. Christina Equizabal, Program Officer, Human Rights & International Cooperation Unit The Ford Foundation, New York.
Dr. Fu Mengzi, Deputy Director, Division for North American Studies China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, Beijing.
Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath, Principal, Lady Sri Ram College, New Delhi.
Ms. Nasreen Ghufran, Assistant Professor and Chairperson, Department of International Relations, Peshawar University.
Mr. Ha Hong Hai, Head of the Department of Northeast Asia Studies, Institute for International Relations, Hanoi.
Ms. Sadeka Halim, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Dhaka.
Dr. Asha Hans, Coordinator, Centre for Women’s Studies, Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar .
Dato’ Mohamed Jawhar bin Hassan, Director General, ISIS Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Dr. Mahnaz Ispahani, Deputy Director, Human Rights & International Cooperation Unit, The Ford Foundation, New York.
Mr. N. Ameen Izzadeen, Deputy Editor, The Sunday Times, Colombo.
Mr. Takeshi Kamiyama, Senior Research Fellow, Director of Research Coordination, The Japan Institute of International Affairs, Tokyo.
Dr. Mizanur Rahman Khan, Research Director, Environmental & Economic Studies Division Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), Dhaka.
Mr. Sridhar K. Khatri, Associate Professor, Central Department of Political Science, Tribhuvan University, Katmandu.
Dr. Saba Gul Khattak, Research Fellow, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.
Mr. Choombhon Lertrathakarn, Senior Specialist in International Security, The National Security Council, Office of the Prime Minister, The Government House, Bangkok.
Dr. Satu P. Limaye, Director of Research, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Hawaii.
Dr. Sumanasiri Liyanage, Department of Economics, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya.
Ms. Salma Malik, Research Associate, Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad.
Prof. Surjit Mansingh, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Ms. Zubeida Mustafa, Assistant Editor, The Dawn, Karachi.
Ms. Maria Consuelo C. Ortuoste, Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies Foreign Service Institute, Pasay City. Phillipines.
Dr. Darini Rajasingham-Senanayeke, Researcher, International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo.
Dr. Gowher Rizvi, Representative, Ford Foundation, New Delhi.
Prof. Malaya C. Ronas, Director for International Studies, Institute of Strategic and Development Studies (ISDS), University of the Philippines.
Dr. Anthony Saich, Representative, The Ford Foundation, Beijing.
Prof.  Stanley  W. R. Samarasinghe,Tulane University, Arlington, USA.
Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Alternatives, Colombo.
Dr. Byung Chul Seo, Dean of Research, Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security(IFANS), Seoul
Prof. Shen Dingli, Deputy Director, Centre for American Studies, Professor of International Relations, Program on Arms Control and Regional Security, Fudan University, Shanghai.
Dr. Ayesha Siddiqua-Agha, Director, Naval Research, Pakistan Navy, Islamabad.
Dr. Kusuma Snitwongse, Chairperson, Advisory Board, Institute of Security and International Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
Dr. Akihiko Tanaka, Professor, Institute of Oriental Culture, Tokyo University, Tokyo.
Ms. Minna Thaheer, Programme Officer, Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Colombo.
Mr. Jeevan Thiagarajah, Executive Director, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, Colombo.
Prof. Chin Kin Wah, Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore.
Dr. Nira Wickramasinghe, Senior Lecturer, Department of History and Political Science, University of Colombo.
Dr. Iftekhar Zaman, Executive Director, Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Colombo.

Asia Fellows Programme

The RCSS invites applications for the Asian Studies in Asia (ASIA) Fellows Program. The Program is funded by a Ford Foundation grant to the Washington D.C. based Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES). The South Asia chapter of the program is coordinated by the RCSS.

Nature of Grants
Grants are awarded for a period of six to nine months.  ASIA fellows receive round-trip travel grant between their home country and their host country and an in-country living allowance to cover housing and other expenses based upon the cost-of-living in the host country. No travel or living allowance will be provided for dependents, but an allowance will be provided to enable fellows to return home once during the grant period.  Fellows will also receive a professional allowance to buy books and other professional materials, and will be expected to use a laptop computer with internet connection in order to communicate with their professional colleagues at home and abroad.  A local travel allowance will be available for research trips to other parts of the host country. Grants include limited accident and health insurance.

        Applicants who wish to be considered for a follow-on grant of four to five months to study and conduct research in Australia, Western Europe, Japan, or North America, will be asked to submit a second application in which they outline their plans for further study.  After the initial grant period, applications may also be submitted for short-term awards for presentations at major overseas conferences and meetings.

Eligibility Requirements
The ASIA Fellows Program will offer opportunities to young and mid-career scholars, policy makers and professionals in the humanities, social sciences, and related fields, from countries of South and Southeast Asia and China, to compete for grants to study and conduct research in another country in Asia. The applicants should have a Doctor’s or Master’s degree or equivalent professional training, and a minimum of three year’s university teaching experience for scholars, or five years of work experience for other professionals. Applicants should be proficient in English or in the language of the host country appropriate to the proposed research project. Preference is given to those without recent experience in the host country. Grants are for independent/collaborative and advanced research and professional study, and not for the principal purpose of completing doctoral or other dissertations.

          Applications will be considered by an international advisory board. Candidates willing to be considered are requested to send by fax or e-mail to RCSS a short bio-note within 200 words, and indicate the theme/title of a project on which the fellowship will be sought. Closing date for such requests is March 20, 1999. Application forms will be sent on the basis of a preliminary scrutiny. The deadline for returning the filled up applications forms along with other documents is April 15, 1999.

South Asia facing the New Milennium
 - Conference of RCSS Summer Workshop Alumni -

The Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) is organising a Conference of the Alumni of the RCSS Summer Workshops to be held in Sri Lanka tentatively on September 21-23, 1999. The theme of the Conference is South Asia Facing the New Millennium.

        The Summer Workshop on “Security, Technology and Arms Control”, later renamed as “Defence Technology and Cooperative Security in South Asia”, was introduced in 1993 with the objective of encouraging a new generation of opinion shapers and commentators of South Asia and China to introduce fresh ideas, perspectives and political initiatives to the complex yet equally effective security debates in South Asia. The first Summer Workshop was held in Burban, Pakistan; followed by successive ones in Nathiagali, Pakistan in 1994; in Neemrana, India in 1995 and 1996; in Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1997; and in Shanghai China 1998.

Objectives of the Alumni Conference
This first Conference of the Summer Workshop Alumni will bring together participants and faculty members of all six Summer Workshops held till date, and the seventh, which is expected to be held immediately before the conference. The main objective of the Alumni Conference is to provide a forum for the participants to mutually and collectively examine and understand the major issues of defence, national security, regional stability and confidence building in South Asia as the region faces the new millennium. The conference will take a strategic look at the future of South Asia as the region steps into the new millennium. Participants will be asked to look ahead, five, ten and/or more years, and debate on the kind of region they believe will come about, and what they would like to have come about. Specific themes to be covered will include: Living with Nuclear Reality; Confrontation or Cooperation?; and South Asian Security, Foreign Policy, Politics, Economy & State in the new millennium. Participants will also have the opportunity to look at ways to facilitate continued regional dialogue and contacts between them and draw up agendas for follow-up activities to strengthen the network.

Eligibility & Registration
Participants and faculty members, referred to as Summer Workshop Alumni, of all six summer workshops held so far from Burban (1993) to Shanghai (1998) are eligible to participate. Those willing to register are invited to send a letter of intent to RCSS indicating the year(s) and venue(s) in which s/he participated in the workshop; full contact address including telephone, fax and e-mail; and a brief write up in no more than 5 lines on current professional interest and work. The RCSS will cover all local expenses including accommodation, meals and conference costs, while alumni members are expected to cover international travel costs. In cases where participants and faculty members are not in a position to raise the fund for international travel, a separate request for consideration of  such funding may be enclosed together with the letter of intent. The registration deadline is April 30, 1999.