10 October 2004 | Kathmandu, Nepal
The Sixth RCSS Winter Workshop was held at Godavari Village Resort, Kathmandu, Nepal, from 1 to 10 October 2004. This residential workshop was devoted to nontraditional sources of conflict in South Asia. The themes included:
• Terrorism
• Human Security Issues
• Governance
• Gender and Security
• Migration
The objectives of the workshop were to train young scholars in South Asia to evolve alternate approaches to prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts in the region. Continued interaction and communication among the network of professionals and scholars is a sine qua non for future peace in the region, to which RCSS is committed.
Prof. Sridhar Khatri, Executive Director, RCSS, explained the structure, design, and content of the workshop. He said that the themes for this year were derived from grants given by Ford Foundation to five different institutions in South Asia under Phase II of its project on Non-Traditional Security Issues. The other organizations collaborating with RCSS in the workshop and their areas of study include: Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Dhaka (Human Security); Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace, New Delhi (Gender and Security); Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi (Governance, Democracy and Human Development); and Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, Dhaka (Migration).
The keynote address was made by Ambassador I. P. Khosla, while the themes were discussed by the faculty members along with their presentations. Ambassador Khosla mentioned that most human security issues can be better understood in the dispersal of power from the State and its linkages with the organs utilizing such power. He maintained the need to concentrate more on implementation of research already done in the sphere of non-traditional security. His contention was that there is an overwhelming number of studies done and data available and over reporting of issues, whereas there remains an under resolution of the issues. He said that the task for young scholars is to delve deep into the concepts and define them, but deal with the root causes, and find prescriptions.
He linked the approaches to improve the security of the people with gradual dispersal of power from the State to other actors, such as NGOs, civil society groups, etc. About hundred years ago there was a “triple concentration” of power internationally with colonialists, internally with Governments, and within Governments with the small elite, he said. It has, however been replaced by a gradual leakage of power.
This phenomenon has also affected the trade unions and labour movements, which once exercised tremendous influence on governments. For example, the Indian liberalization programmes of the early 1990s could not be challenged by the weak trade unions. He also stated that the “over-towering bureaucracy” has expanded and it had led to a dispersal of power. The bureaucracy has two basic roles, first, it is an arm of the government; and second, as it expands, it becomes representative in its character by “developing local links”.
As a result of the dispersal of power from the State, it is no longer possible for the State to preserve, consolidate and enhance power over its own people through coercion, laws and institutions; the state is now called upon to improve the lives of its people by focusing upon denominators like life expectancy, health, education, the environment, etc. The state is also expected to give away power to local bodies. The response of the State in the face of such erosion of authority has been attempts to “recoup some of the losses”. This is done through promulgating ideologies such as ethnicity, religion, and language. It has attempted to promote homogenizing projects like that of nationalism. It has also tried to focus more on economic indicators such as GDP, FDI and foreign exchange reserves.
However, overreliance on such indicators, Ambassador Khosla cautioned, can be highly erroneous. He defined terrorism as a discourse about State and about accumulating more power in favour of the State. It is yet to be defined in a comprehensive manner. The power to tell who is a terrorist lies in the hands of the State. He pointed out that the State is not in favour of providing definitions to the term. This workshop can attempt to arrive at a definition, he said.
The root causes of terrorism are about deprivation and poverty, and generally, it is a result of a “mismatch between the flow of power upwards and downwards”. The human security discourse is one result of a decentred State. “Security, i.e. defence against external and internal enemies, has gradually come to mutual and cooperative security,” he said. In a dispersed State, security is being managed by many groups.
The human security debate has been an international debate, and has been a continuing one. The idea about the modern State is about its permanence. The debate, however, happens at a below the- State-level, a factor which the State is yet to internalize. Its absence is visible in the budget and plan documents.
In fact, the State can reclaim some of its power by focusing more on human security. Ambassador Khosla outlined two approaches to governance. One can be an attempt to construct an index, which is relatively easy, given the fact that there is no dearth of data and information. The second approach is to take the aspirations of the people into account. It is a long and complicated process. “What are people’s goals in terms of well-being, security, income and prospects, often they don’t really know.” There is, thus, the danger of popular aspirations being distorted by the culture of consumerism.
During discussions on the presentation, Ambassador Khosla elaborated that even the role of the civil society and NGOs has been distorted by their agenda, “ethnic, religious and promotion of nationalism of a certain kind”. He said that even though the civil society would like to exercise more power, the governments of the day have displayed great reluctance to allow the same. Governments, on the other hand, do not have similar problems in sharing power with private organizations. Another handicap of NGOs, in his opinion, is that “they are not organized enough” and do not have the resources to collect data on a national scale.
The workshop became a “conduit” for the young scholars to engage in more research in the various segments of study to explore fresh resolutions to problematc areas in the field of security studies in the region.
The list of Faculty Members and the topics covered by them in the course of the 10-day workshop are given below.
Non-Traditional Security Issues in South Asia:
Overview
- Prof. Sridhar Khatri - Terrorism in South Asia
- Prof. Abdur Rob Khan - Human Security in South Asia: Discourse, Practice and Policy Proposition Globalization and Non-Traditional Security Issues in SouthAsia.
Terrorism
- Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed - Understanding Terrorism in South Asia (presented by Dr Amena Mohsin)
- Weapon Technology and the Reconceptualization of Terrorism (presented by Dr Amena Mohsin )
- Prof. Sridhar Khatri - Understanding and Responding to “Terrorism” in South Asia
- Prof. Dhruba Kumar - Understanding “Terrorism” in Nepal: The Marginalization Syndrome
- Prof. S. D. Muni - Responding to Terrorism in South Asia
- Dr Jehan Perera - The Misgovernance Syndrome in Sri Lanka: From Terrorist War to Negotiated Partnership
- Dr Rubina Saigol - State and the Limits of “Counter-Terrorism”: Experience of Pakistan and Sri Lanka
- Dr Nira Wickremasinghe - Unthinking the “Terrorism”–”Globalization” Nexus
Panel Discussion
- Prof. Dhruba Kumar, Dr Pancha Maharjan, Prof. S. D.Muni, Dr Rubina Saigol and Dr Nira Wickremasinghe - Understanding and Responding to Terrorism in South Asia: Some After-Thoughts and Policy Options
- Human Security
- Prof. Abdur Rob Khan - How are Human Security Issues Viewed in South Asia?
- Mr Ajaya Dixit and Mr Dipak Gyawali - A Cultural Theory Perspective on Environment and Security
- Prof. Krishna Hatchetu - Human Security Study: Survey and Peoples’ Attitudes
- Prof. Monirul Hussain - Poverty Marginalisation and Human Security
- Prof. Dhruba Kumar - Nepal Country Paper on Human Security
- Mr Jagath Senaratne - Human Security and State Security in Sri Lanka
Panel Discussion
- Prof. S. D. Muni, Prof. Abdur Rob Khan and Mr Jagath Senaratne - Human Security in South Asia: Some After-Thoughts and Policy Options Governance
- Prof. Lok Raj Baral - Governance and Security in Plural Societies
- Prof. Gopal Guru - Social Insurance and Social Security for Vulnerable Groups in South Asia
- Prof. Valerian Rodrigues - New and Old Social and Political Movements and Their Impact on Non-Traditional Security Issues in South Asia
- Dr E. Sridharan - Political Systems and Ethnic Accommodation
Panel Discussion
- Prof. Lok Raj Baral, Prof. Gopal Guru, Prof. Valerian Rodrigues and Dr E. Sridharan -
- Governance and Regional Security in South Asia: Some After-Thoughts and Policy Options
Gender and Security
- Dr Sumona Das Gupta - Gender and Security: Exploring the Problematic
- Gender and Armed Conflict: The Kashmir Case
- Dr Amena Mohsin - Women, Insurgency and the Chittagong Hill Tracts
- Ms Rita Reddy - Gender and Peacekeeping: Lessons Learnt from the Experience of South-East Asia
- Dr Rubina Saigol - Post-9/11 Terror, Terrorists and Women
- The Farmers’ Movements in Pakistani Punjab: With Focus on Gender Issues
- Ms Rita Thapa and Dr Ava Shrestra - On the Edge: The Impact of the Insurgency on Nepali Women
Panel Discussion
- Dr Sumona Das Gupta, Ms Rita Reddy, Ms Rita Thapa, Dr Ava Shrestha and Dr Rubina Saigol - Gender and Security in South Asia: Some After-Thoughts and Policy Options
- Migration
- Dr Jagannath Adhikari - Labour Migration Experiences: Within South Asia
- Prof. Syed Imtiaz Ahmed - Labour Migration and Security: Conceptual Issues
- Prof. Lok Raj Baral - Refugees and Regional Security in South Asia
- Dr Tasneem Siddiqui - Migration, Development and Livelihoods Labour Migration Experiences: From South Asia
- Panel Discussion - Dr Jagannath Adhikari, Prof. Syed Imtiaz Ahmed, Prof.Lok Raj Baral and Dr Tasneem Siddiqui - Migration: Some After-Thoughts and Policy Options
The participants, selected from Bhutan, Bangladesh,India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, were as follows.
BANGLADESH
- Ms Sadika Akhter - Research Coordinator, Plan Bangladesh, Dhaka
- Ms Kazi Anarkoly - Assistant Secretary, SAARC Wing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka
- Ms Rumana Monzur - Lecturer, Dept of International Relations, University of Dhaka
- Mr Kazi S. M. Khasrul Alam Quddusi - Assistant Professor,University of Chittagong
- Mr Zafar Sobhan - Assistant Editor, The Daily Star, Dhaka
- Mr Mohammad Sahahbuddin - Lecturer, Eastern University, Dhaka
- Ms Sawlat Hilmi Zaman - BRAC University, Dhaka
BHUTAN
- Mr Tharchean - Senior Legal Officer, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Thimpu INDIA
- Ms Anisha Kinra - M.Phil. Student, Delhi University, New Delhi
- Mr Anand Kumar - Research Associate, Institute of Conflict Management, New Delhi
- Ms Tanya Mohan - Researcher, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi
- Ms Swati Parashar - Research Assistant, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
- Ms Manika Rakshit - Lecturer, Dhruba Chand Halder College, Chakshin, Barasat, W.B.
- Dr Bibhu Prasad Routray - Director, Institute of Conflict Management, Guwahati
- Mr Solano Da Silva - Project Member, Lokniti, Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), New Delhi
- Ms Devika Sharma - Research Assistant, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
- Ms Aisha Sultanat - Research Officer and Ford Scholar, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi
- Mr Deepak Prakash Bhatt - M.Phil. Student, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
- Ms Shobha Shrestha - Peace and Security Officer, Peace and Governance Foundations, Kathmandu
- Mr Amresh Kumar Singh - M.Phil. Student, South Asian Studies Department, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
- Mr Dhruba Simkhada - Journalist, Himal Media, Lalitpur
- Mr Hari Kuma Shrestha - Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kathmandu
- Ms Rekha Shrestha - Socio-Anthropologist, Kathmandu
- Ms Aqeela Asif - Lecturer, COMSATS, Islamabad
- Ms Maria Saiffudin Effandi - Research Scholar, Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad
- Mr Ikram Ali Ghumro - National Commission for Human Development, Rawalpindi
- Ms Nusrat Khurshedi - M.Phil./Ph.D. Student, University of Karachi
- Ms Sarah Siddiq - Coordinator, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad
- Ms Khalida Tasneem - Lecturer, Federal Government Margalla College, Islamabad
- Lt Cdr A. B. Danapala - Sri Lanka Navy
- Ven. Horana Dhamminda Thero - Lecturer, University of Peradeniya
- Mr Charita Herath - Senior Lecturer, University of Peradeniya
- Mr Harinda Ranura Vidanage - Consultant to the Prime Minister and Visiting Lecturer, University of Colombo
- Dr Janaki D. Jayawardena - Lecturer, University of Colombo
- Mr S. B. Atugoda
- Associate Director
- Ms Minna Thaheer
- Programme Officer
