About Conflict Primer

Conflict Reader is an individual initiative to begin with. But, the long-term objective is to build a team across South Asia, cutting across national and conflict boundaries.

Conflict studies/research as an independent discipline is yet to take root in South Asia. Numerous individuals and institutions in South Asia do work on various aspects of security; but the focus predominantly has been State centric. Conflict studies in the region, also has a predominant State prism in its analysis.

Conflict Reader aims to focus on a societal approach, in terms of “Mapping Conflict Societies”. Five sets of conflict societies have been identified for the purpose of this study.

Pre-Conflict Societies,
Conflict Societies,
Conflict Transformation Societies,
Post-Conflict Societies, and Peace Process Societies.

The idea of research exclusively on conflict and peace – undoubtedly germinated at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi. The credit should go to Mr PR Chari and Maj Gen Dipankar Banerjee, to whom this initiative is dedicated to.

Mr Chari was a mentor par excellence in providing space for individual thinking, encouraging young scholars and nurturing the next generation. Gen Banerjee was dynamic and had a big heart; he was instrumental in many novices getting their first break in the academic world. I owe them everything.

Besides the above two, I was also fortunate to work with Mr DR Kaarthikeyan. He opened my eyes to the idea of individual and inner peace as an essential instrument towards a larger societal peace. Along with Shanmuga Patro and Mallika Joseph, we undertook several initiatives as a part Mr Kaarthikeyan’s Foundation for Good Governance. It was a great experience that no other academic pursuit could have provided. This initiative is dedicated to Mr Kaarthikeyan as well.

Quite a few scholars across the region were teachers to me in their own ways and helped me understand conflict and peace in South Asia. Nishchalnath Pandey from Nepal, Maj Gen Muniruzzaman from Bangladesh, Salma Malik and Shaheen Akhter from Pakistan, Sarvesh and Asanga from Sri Lanka, Kavita Suri, SDS Jamwal, Wasbir Hussain, Bibhu Prasad Routray, N Manoharan – all from India – have been a great source of support. And especially Mallika Joseph, who has been an inspiration and an irritation as well! Despite our differences, distances and occupations, we all have managed to remain in touch. Thank you all.

I should also thank Shujaat Bukhari and Raza Rumi, my two Editors with the Rising Kashmir and Daily Times respectively. They have been instrumental in helping me bounce some of my ideas relating to peace and conflict in their column pages.

Pankuj Madan, Tomislav Delinic and Dr Beatrice Gorawantschy from the KAS have been real pillars of support to the process of learning, especially in taking the research on Armed Conflicts forward, as an Annual. As an institution, KAS always stands much ahead in supporting new initiatives.

At IPCS earlier, and now in NIAS, I’ve been really fortunate to have worked with a talented group of interns and researchers.

My new home – NIAS in Bangalore is a revelation with its multi-disciplinary approach. Dr Baldev Raj and Prof Rajaram Nagappa have always been open to new ideas and have been a source of encouragement. Besides my own programme (ISSSP), the Institute’s other programmes, especially inequality and human development, animal behaviour and education, have been a source of inspiration to look at issues of peace and conflict from different perspectives – starting from farmers’ suicides to human-wildlife-conflict.

Without the support of the above individuals and institutions, I would not have travelled this far in peace and conflict research. There is still a long way to go and I am sincerely looking forward to their continued support as I start a new year and new initiative.

D. Suba Chandran

January 2018

South Asia Conflict Database

South Asia is unique in managing its waters and the conflicts arising over its sharing. No other region in the world has as many conflicts over water as South Asia has – both at the bilateral levels and domestically within provinces. It is ironic that the rivers that gave an identity and name to many civilizations and communities within the region have today become bones of contention.

How to address the water conflicts?

How to ensure, that the region moves from the existing confrontational stage to the next one, where they collaborate to harness and make maximum use of available waters? How to ensure rivers become bridges and connectors, instead of being a source of conflict? Finally, how to create “water communities” in South Asia, cutting across provincial and national boundaries?

The above three questions will be the primary focus of CR’s focus on waters.

About Peace Scroll

Besides studying conflict, there is a need to have a larger focus on peace research.

Peace in South Asia is defined more as an "absence of violence". Hence, the predominant approach is to bring the violence to an end as a part of pursuing peace. End of an "armed" conflict or the disappearance/decline of a militant group is equated as "return to normalcy".

While violence and the intensity of armed conflict are variables, they cannot be seen as sole factors in defining peace. It is easier to arrest violence in a conflict situation, but converting the same into proactive peace has been a challenge in South Asia.

What specific measures need to be taken to achieve positive peace? How to convert a "post-violence" society into a "post-conflict" one? More importantly, how to prevent the recurrence of violence and conflicts in the same society?

What measures to pursue to walk the last mile in South Asia?

Besides the above, the Conflict Reader also aims to study two more specific areas in South Asia: Water Conflicts and Radicalization. .

About Radicalism Project

Any research on radicalization will not succeed unless it understands the demographic trends in South Asia.

The nature of the youth bulge, its quality and its aspirations are essential to study first.

Second, radicalization as an academic discipline is predominantly being pursued from a religious perspective. Radicalization is taking place at multiple levels and should be understood in all its manifestations, outside the religion as well. Increasing violence against women, honour killing and caste violence will underline the multiple facets of radicalization in South Asia.

The problem seems to be elsewhere in South Asia. Radicalization is only an expression and a manifestation.

CR would like to understand the roots of radicalization in all its forms.

About Water Conflicts

South Asia is unique in managing its waters and the conflicts arising over its sharing. No other region in the world has as many conflicts over water as South Asia has – both at the bilateral levels and domestically within provinces. It is ironic that the rivers that gave an identity and name to many civilizations and communities within the region have today become bones of contention.

How to address the water conflicts?

How to ensure, that the region moves from the existing confrontational stage to the next one, where they collaborate to harness and make maximum use of available waters? How to ensure rivers become bridges and connectors, instead of being a source of conflict? Finally, how to create “water communities” in South Asia, cutting across provincial and national boundaries?

The above three questions will be the primary focus of CR’s focus on waters.

Capacity Building & Young Scholars

There is a need to build a corps of young scholars working on conflict research and peacebuilding. Both need separate lines of enquiry.

And this enquiry needs to be started at an early stage of a research career. Hence, it is important to identify young scholars during their graduate and post-graduate education and provide them with basic tools of research relating to conflict management/resolution, and peacebuilding.

Though there are not many courses exclusively on conflict/peace in South Asia, numerous colleges and universities do teach the subject as a part of their curriculum relating to political science and international studies.

Select institutions need to be identified, who could host these workshops, and attract young scholars from other parts. Spreading over one to two weeks, these workshops could be run as certificate courses as well to make the participation meaningful.

If radicalization can reach South Asia through the internet, online courses on peace and conflict can certainly reach a larger audience. Technology needs to be exploited to counter radicalization and reach out to the youth.

Friends and Networks

The final objective should be aimed at creating a network of serious scholars, who can help each other in building a peace network that would understand and offer practical solutions/recommendations to existing problems in South Asia.

This network should first cut across provincial boundaries within the countries of South Asia and then across the national boundaries.

CR is a first step, towards creating that network online first in 2018.

Dr N Manoharan is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Studies and History at the Christ (deemed to be University), Bangalore. 

N. Manoharan did his MPhil and Phd on South Asia from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has over 20 years of research experience. He was South Asia Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center Washington (2005) and recipient of prestigious Mahbub-ul Haq Award (2006) for his research. His areas of interest include internal security, terrorism, Sri Lanka, Maldives, human rights, ethnic conflicts, multiculturalism, security sector reforms and conflict resolution. His recent publications include India`s War on Terror (New Delhi: Knowledge World, 2010) (Co-edited), SAARC: Towards Greater Connectivity (New Delhi: Shipra, 2008) (Co-edited); Ethnic Violence and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (New Delhi: Samskriti, 2007); Counterterrorism Legislation in Sri Lanka: Evaluating Efficacy (Washington D.C.: East-West Center, 2006). His forthcoming books are Counter-terror Laws and Security in Developing Democracies: Lessons from India and Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka: A Conflict Dictionary, India-Sri Lanka Relations: So Far, So Good and {Security Deficit}: A Comprehensive Internal Security Strategy for India 



Dr. Bibhu Prasad Routray held the position of Visiting Professor and Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) chair, India Studies at Murdoch University, Perth between July-December 2017. He served as a Deputy Director in the National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India and Director of the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM)’s Database & Documentation Centre, Guwahati, Assam. He was a Visiting Research Fellow at the South Asia programme of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore between 2010 and 2012.


Routray specialises in decision-making, governance, counter-terrorism, force modernisation, intelligence reforms, foreign policy and dissent articulation issues in South and South East Asia. His writings, based on his projects and extensive field based research in Indian conflict theatres of the Northeastern states and the left-wing extremism affected areas, have appeared in a wide range of academic as well as policy journals, websites, and magazines



CR: A Personal Note

The idea of research exclusively on conflict and peace – undoubtedly germinated at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi. The credit should go to Mr PR Chari and Maj Gen Dipankar Banerjee, to whom this initiative is dedicated to.

Mr Chari was a mentor par excellence in providing space for individual thinking, encouraging young scholars and nurturing the next generation. Gen Banerjee was dynamic and had a big heart; he was instrumental in many novices getting their first break in the academic world. I owe them everything.

Besides the above two, I was also fortunate to work with Mr DR Kaarthikeyan. He opened my eyes to the idea of individual and inner peace as an essential instrument towards a larger societal peace. Along with Shanmuga Patro and Mallika Joseph, we undertook several initiatives as a part Mr Kaarthikeyan’s Foundation for Good Governance. It was a great experience that no other academic pursuit could have provided. This initiative is dedicated to Mr Kaarthikeyan as well.

Quite a few scholars across the region were teachers to me in their own ways and helped me understand conflict and peace in South Asia. Nishchalnath Pandey from Nepal, Maj Gen Muniruzzaman from Bangladesh, Salma Malik and Shaheen Akhter from Pakistan, Sarvesh and Asanga from Sri Lanka, Kavita Suri, SDS Jamwal, Wasbir Hussain, Bibhu Prasad Routray, N Manoharan – all from India – have been a great source of support. And especially Mallika Joseph, who has been an inspiration and an irritation as well! Despite our differences, distances and occupations, we all have managed to remain in touch. Thank you all.

I should also thank Shujaat Bukhari and Raza Rumi, my two Editors with the Rising Kashmir and Daily Times respectively. They have been instrumental in helping me bounce some of my ideas relating to peace and conflict in their column pages.

Pankuj Madan, Tomislav Delinic and Dr Beatrice Gorawantschy from the KAS have been real pillars of support to the process of learning, especially in taking the research on Armed Conflicts forward, as an Annual. As an institution, KAS always stands much ahead in supporting new initiatives.

At IPCS earlier, and now in NIAS, I’ve been really fortunate to have worked with a talented group of interns and researchers.

My new home – NIAS in Bangalore is a revelation with its multi-disciplinary approach. Dr Baldev Raj and Prof Rajaram Nagappa have always been open to new ideas and have been a source of encouragement. Besides my own programme (ISSSP), the Institute’s other programmes, especially inequality and human development, animal behaviour and education, have been a source of inspiration to look at issues of peace and conflict from different perspectives – starting from farmers’ suicides to human-wildlife-conflict.

Without the support of the above individuals and institutions, I would not have travelled this far in peace and conflict research. There is still a long way to go and I am sincerely looking forward to their continued support as I start a new year and new initiative.

D. Suba Chandran

January 2018

About D. Suba Chandran

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