SOCIETY, CULTURE, AND SECURITY

The Role of Arts in Countering Violent Extremism

This article was originally published by “NATO Association of Canada” on March 25, 2019. By Kagusthan Ariaratnam After five years of brutal fighting, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by several world powers left ISIS with all but a few hundred square meters near Syria’s border with Iraq. On Saturday, the long-awaited announcement came from the SDF that it had captured the last piece of … Continue reading The Role of Arts in Countering Violent Extremism

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Foreign Fighters

Opinion: Returning ISIS foreign fighters, what needs to be done?

By Kagusthan Ariaratnam This article was originally published by “NATO Association of Canada” on March 4, 2019. An American citizen and former college student, Hoda Muthana, left the US four years ago to join ISIS. She is currently being held in a refugee camp in northeastern Syria. President Donald Trump has tweeted that he had directed Mike Pompeo “not to allow Hoda Muthana back into … Continue reading Opinion: Returning ISIS foreign fighters, what needs to be done?

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New Social Compact

A Prose Fiction: The ‘Coming of Age’ and the Problems of Youth

By Kagusthan Ariaratnam This article was originally published on “The Modern Diplomacy” on March 3, 2019. The influence of family, school, church, and peers mold us into who we are for a life time. This essay will discuss the coming of age (problems of youth) as depicted in Willa Cather’s (1905) Paul’s Case and J.K. Rowling’s (1998) Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. Paul’s … Continue reading A Prose Fiction: The ‘Coming of Age’ and the Problems of Youth

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Neo-Cold War

The “Neo-Cold War” in the Indian Ocean Region

By Kagusthan Ariaratnam This article was originally published on “The Modern Diplomacy” on October 15, 2018. Addressing an event last week at London’s Oxford University, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said some people are seeing “imaginary Chinese Naval bases in Sri Lanka. Whereas the Hambantota Port (in southern Sri Lanka) is a commercial joint venture between our Ports Authority and China Merchants – a … Continue reading The “Neo-Cold War” in the Indian Ocean Region

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radicalization

The Impending Threat of Islamic Radicalization: A look at Assimilation

  By Kagusthan Ariaratnam & Ammna Nasser This article was originally published by “NATO Association of Canada” on January 22, 2018. Youth radicalization has acquired renewed momentum in the current age of ISIS (Daesh). Repeated victories reported by the Iraqi and Syrian security forces is pushing Daesh to rethink survival strategies to live and fight another day. The group is keen on expanding itself beyond … Continue reading The Impending Threat of Islamic Radicalization: A look at Assimilation

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counterterrorism

Unintended Intelligence Consequences: How Yesterday's Proxy Insurgents turned into Today's Terrorists

This article was originally published on “The Modern Diplomacy” on March 7, 2017. By Kagusthan Ariaratnam Introduction During the Cold War, nations were increasingly sponsoring and/or supporting insurgencies. For instance, the United States of America supported Afghan-Mujahedin, Nicaraguan Contras, and Tibetan Buddhist fighters. The Soviet Union supported communist guerrillas in Angola, Greece, and South Africa. China supported insurgents in Vietnam. India supported Sri Lankan Tamil … Continue reading Unintended Intelligence Consequences: How Yesterday's Proxy Insurgents turned into Today's Terrorists

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Smart power

Recognizing Outdated Power and Eliminating the Divide: Countering Terrorism through Smart Power

  By Kagusthan Ariaratnam Introduction Countering terrorism through “smart power” is a concept deliberated on creative thinking to combat one’s enemy, especially terrorists. This essay will examine the reconceptualization of traditional approaches toward counterterrorism, and discuss how ideologies from a western liberal democracy can respond to an unconventional terrorist ideology. To begin, the term “power” will be defined. Following, conventional “hard power” strategies and more … Continue reading Recognizing Outdated Power and Eliminating the Divide: Countering Terrorism through Smart Power

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ISIS

Deconstructing the Sri Lankan Counterterrorism Model for the Obliteration of ISIS

By Kagusthan Ariaranam Introduction As the whole world is coming forward to combat Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), I would like to share my opinion here on how to fight ISIS and eventually obliterate them just like the Sri Lankan military defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) just seven years ago. ISIS, an offshoot of al-Qaeda, continues to commit atrocities against … Continue reading Deconstructing the Sri Lankan Counterterrorism Model for the Obliteration of ISIS

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R2P

Responsibility to Protect Syria – A Case Study

By Kagusthan Ariaratnam Introduction It is widely believed that non-intervention is the norm within an international society since international law restricts the use of force except for purposes of self-defense or by way of collective enforcement as authorized by the United Nations Security Council (Bellamy and Wheeler 2014). This misunderstanding is grounded in the debate on how the international community should react when governments commit … Continue reading Responsibility to Protect Syria – A Case Study

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International Law

The Difference between Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing

Image: Guernica, 1937 by Pablo Picasso By Kagusthan Ariaratnam Introduction The distinction between genocide and ethnic cleansing is a “grey area” that befuddles scholars, policy makers, and students alike. The concepts of “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” can be illustrated through examples. An instance of genocide would be the Holocaust, the systematic obliteration of the Jewish population during the Second World War in Nazi Germany under … Continue reading The Difference between Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing

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