Regional Centre for Strategic Studies - RCSS

Regional Centre for Strategic Studies - RCSS RCSS is a leading South Asian institute working on regional strategic and security issues. Founded i

The Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) is a premier think tank based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, working on regional security and strategic issues that concern South Asia. Established in 1992, it is an independent, non-profit and non-governmental organization which encourages research, dialogue, and interaction on a broad range of traditional and non-traditional security studies. As a pioneer

ing regional think tank, RCSS initiates, coordinates and supports research and learning on South Asian strategic and security issues. RCSS is governed by a Board of Directors (BoD) and its research directions are set by an International Research Committee (IRC). The members of the BoD and IRC are recognized scholars, diplomats, civil servants and members of the strategic community from South Asia and around the world. The Executive Director (ED) is the chief executive officer of RCSS and is appointed on a rotational basis from South Asian member countries.

๐‘๐‚๐’๐’ ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐ž๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ฆ ๐‡๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž ๐’๐ž๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐…๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐œ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐’๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐€๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆDr. Chietigj Bajpaee, Senior...
27/05/2026

๐‘๐‚๐’๐’ ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐ž๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ฆ ๐‡๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž ๐’๐ž๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐…๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐œ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐’๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐€๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ง ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ

Dr. Chietigj Bajpaee, Senior Research Fellow for South Asia, Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, visited the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies on 26 May 2026 and met with the ED/RCSS, Ambassador (Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha, and researchers at the Centre. The discussion focused on Regionalism in South Asia and evolving geopolitical developments in the region.

Ambassador Aryasinha detailed the recent and ongoing initiatives undertaken by the RCSS and its wide Alumni Network spread throughout the region in strengthening South Asian solidarity. Dr. Bajpaee impressed on the need to consider alternative forms of regional cooperation in South Asia given the absence of Indiaโ€“Pakistan normalization, resulting in the stagnation of SAARC and the growing pull towards external regional frameworks such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The two parties explored possibilities beyond state-led regionalism, including stronger networks among civil society, think tanks, diaspora groups, and business communities, as well as thematic โ€œmini-lateralโ€ cooperation on issues such as climate adaptation and maritime governance.

Ms. Chamika Wijesuriya, Ms. Thedini Herath, and Mr. Shayan Peris, Research/Programme Officers at RCSS, were associated with the discussion.

๐Œ๐š๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐”๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐ ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐›๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐‚๐’๐’A delegation from the Maldives Na...
22/05/2026

๐Œ๐š๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐”๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฅ๐ž๐ ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐œ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐›๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐‚๐’๐’

A delegation from the Maldives National University (MNU) led by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts Asim Abdul Sattar visited the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) on 22 May 2026, and met with the ED/RCSS, Ambassador ( Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha, to explore avenues for institutional collaboration between the RCSS and the MNU.

Noting interest in engaging closely with the RCSS given its south Asian centrality, particularly joint research initiatives in areas including ocean governance, support in capacity building and teaching excellence were identified with the aim of fostering mutually beneficial cooperation.

The RCSS assured that it would seek to draw on Maldivian researchers in its projects and programmes. Notable RCSS publications were also presented to the delegation.

The MNU delegation included Dr. Aly Shameem, Assistant Professor; Ms. Aaidha Hammad, Senior Lecturer; Ms. Asiahth Hassan, Lecturer; and Mr. Mohamed Hoodh Ibrahim, Lecturer at the Faculty of Arts of Maldives National University.
Ms. Chamika Wijesuriya and Ms. Thedini Herath, Research/Programme Officers at RCSS were also associated in the discussion.

๐Ÿšจ Internship Opportunity at RCSS ๐ŸšจThe Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) is looking for motivated and enthusia...
22/05/2026

๐Ÿšจ Internship Opportunity at RCSS ๐Ÿšจ

The Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) is looking for motivated and enthusiastic interns to join our team. This is an excellent opportunity for students and young professionals interested in international relations, strategic studies, foreign policy, security studies, research, and programme coordination.

We welcome individuals who are eager to learn, contribute, and grow within a dynamic research environment.

๐Ÿ“ฉ Interested applicants are encouraged to send their CVs and a brief cover letter to [email protected]

Join us in contributing to critical conversations on regional and global strategic issues.

๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‚๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ง๐๐š๐ž๐ฅ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐‚๐’๐’A research mission from the The Clinge...
20/05/2026

๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‚๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ง๐๐š๐ž๐ฅ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐‚๐’๐’

A research mission from the The Clingendael Institute along with representatives from the Embassy of the Netherlands in Sri Lanka & Maldives, on 14 May 2026 visited the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies - RCSS and met with the ED/ RCSS, Ambassador (Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha.

The discussion explored how the Netherlands, through bilateral and EU partnerships with South Asian countries, could work towards strengthening maritime security, resilience, and sustainable connectivity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), particularly in relation to Sri Lanka and the evolving regional geopolitical landscape.

It also examined potential areas of cooperation where Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of the Netherlands could partner for mutual benefit, as the two countries celebrate 75 years of bilateral relations.

The visiting delegation included Mr. Iwan Rutjens, Acting Ambassador / Chargรฉ d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Mr. Namal Perera, Senior Policy Advisor โ€“ Political Affairs of the Embassy; Ms. Rosaline Lantink and Mr. Tobias Koster, Research Fellows at the Clingendael Institute.

Mr. Shayan Peris and Ms. Thedini Herath, Research/Programme Officers at RCSS were also associated in the discussion.

๐‚๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐œ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ž๐ฌ (๐‚๐’๐ˆ๐’) ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญs ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐‚๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐œ ๐’๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ž๐ฌ (๐‘๐‚๐’๐’)...
19/05/2026

๐‚๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐œ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ž๐ฌ (๐‚๐’๐ˆ๐’) ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ญs ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐‚๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐œ ๐’๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ž๐ฌ (๐‘๐‚๐’๐’)

On 11 May 2026, Romina Bandura, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), visited the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) and met with ED/RCSS Ambassador (Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha.

The discussion focused on Sri Lankaโ€™s port infrastructure and maritime issues as part of a year-long CSIS research project examining the economic and security vulnerabilities associated with global commercial port infrastructure, including the role and value addition of the United States in this domain. Mr. Shayan Peris and Ms. Thedini Herath, Research/Programme Officers at RCSS, were also associated in the discussion.

๐‘๐‚๐’๐’ ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐œ ๐ƒ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ž - ๐Ÿ’Summary - https://shorturl.at/LtQqmSee the full report ๐Ÿ‘‡https://shorturl.at/ccfTn
19/05/2026

๐‘๐‚๐’๐’ ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐œ ๐ƒ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ž - ๐Ÿ’

Summary - https://shorturl.at/LtQqm

See the full report ๐Ÿ‘‡

https://shorturl.at/ccfTn

As Sri Lanka navigates the aftermath of its worst economic crisis since independence, the compounding shocks of Cyclone ...
13/05/2026

As Sri Lanka navigates the aftermath of its worst economic crisis since independence, the compounding shocks of Cyclone 'Ditwah' and the Middle East War have placed its fragile recovery under renewed and serious pressure. The RCSS Fourth Strategic Dialogue brought together senior policymakers, diplomats, and analysts to examine what these developments mean for Sri Lanka's debt trajectory, its reform agenda, and its place in a rapidly fragmenting global economy. With the current IMF programme ending in mid-2027 and significant debt repayments falling due from 2028, the questions examined in this dialogue concern the implications for Sri Lanka's economic future and the crucial policy choices that must now be made.

https://rcss.org/events/report-on-rcss-strategic-dialogue-4-lsquo-a-global-economy-in-the-shadow-of-war-implications-for-sri-lanka-rsquo-s-debt-recovery-rsquo/A5KrGrLMvLd3RXofNE6YjlaeXHK5uwhFpkXuXvBSAk3QQcT831HpXARLgSfb9mkp/

13/05/2026
11/05/2026

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20/73, Fairfield Gardens
Colombo

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Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

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+94 112 690 913-4

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