https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/3863 2026-04-08T22:23:21Z https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/2540 ''Pirates of the Arabian Sea'' : Somali Piracy in the High Seas and Its Challenges Upon International Maritime Security Amarasinghe, BPA; Glazova, Anastasia This paper elucidates the contemporary challenge from Somali piracy for international maritime security. It traces the history of piracy in modern period and why piracy has become a difficult issue in terms of international law of the sea as a result of some ambiguities in defining scope of high sea and pirates. In this paper, we argue that the practical difficulties arising from UNCLOS regarding activities in the high seas have created a loophole for the expansion of piracy. Nevertheless, this paper will provide insights on how piracy can be addressed through combined efforts of international law of the sea and maritime security mechanisms 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/2539 Economic Diplomacy, Asian Century and Sri Lanka`s Foreign Policy Wijesinghe, Hashan The 21st century has been widely regarded as the Asian century and this global power shift is characterized by unprecedented economic growth, investments and enhanced regional cooperation. This global power shift continues to underscore the importance of economic diplomacy. Today we are living in a highly complicated and interconnected world where economic diplomacy knits the fabric of international relations. Thus, in a situation of worldwide acceptance of global power shift from West to East coupled with the rising importance of economic diplomacy, as an Asian country, Sri Lanka certainly has great opportunities of yielding greater results of these developments in the international arena. Against this backdrop, this study looks into Sri Lanka’s current foreign policy trends to understand and analyze how Sri Lanka has adopted itself to welcome these developments in the international arena. The main objective of this study is to understand and critically evaluate the new developments in country’s foreign policy over the last three years. It looks into what measures Sri Lanka have already taken and what more can be done in order to maximize the benefits from this global power shift. This is a qualitative case study research which takes into account both primary and secondary data. The study remains significant as this shift in country’s foreign policy has yet to be addressed adequately. The study reveals that the country has made great strides in its foreign policy approach in the context of adjusting itself to the developments in the international arena. A significant reorientation of country’s foreign policy is observed, particularly in terms of strengthening ties with Asia while effectively balancing its ties with China and India. 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/2538 Catalan Independence From the Perspective of International Law Perera, S In the modern international system, state recognition is given much importance due to the issues relating to statehood. The recognition of states is a legal issue associated with international law. According to the international law, there are traditional and modern criteria to be considered when giving recognition to states. An entity has to be considered as a State in the international system if those criteria are satisfied. The objective of this study is to find out whether Catalonia can be identified as a state in the international system applying the statehood criteria. This research is a qualitative research based on secondary data. The data collection through the case study method. The case that is used in this study is Catalonia which unilaterally declared independence recently despite the objections of Spain and the international community. In analyzing the case, the statehood criteria are applied and assessed to confirm whether Catalonia fulfills those criteria in order to be successfully declaring the independence. The paper concludes that Catalonia did not fully satisfy the international law provisions and statehood criteria regarding statehood, while Spain strongly disagreed the self-declared independence stating that it is an illegal declaration of independence. According to the findings, it is further evident that Catalonia does not fulfill the criteria mentioned in the Montevideo Convention to be identified as an independent state. 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/2537 Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremist Propaganda in Sri Lanka Through Strategic Communication Fuard, Asif Radicalization and violent extremism driven by religious, racial and ethnic supremacist ideology has become the new face of the ever-evolving landscape of terrorism. Gone are the days when only a military approach with either a kill-or-capture directive was required to root-out the scourge of terrorism. With the advent of social media and innovations in information communication technology, terrorist groups are now waging information warfare with the primary goals of propagating their ideology, create a fear psychosis, expand their support and recruit extremist terrorists. Terror groups such as ISIS have been successful in recruiting thousands of foreign fighters through successful publicity campaigns on social media platforms and misinformation campaigns against their adversaries. This phenomenon has created the need for a more holistic and integrated counter terrorism strategy to be adopted and implemented. Strategic communications and counter narratives is the new weapon against the ideological war on terror. Since the end of a three decade long protracted war in 2009, Sri Lanka has been grappling with the growing influence of Muslim Jihadi and Buddhist extremism. This paper will take an in-depth look into the rise of violent extremist groups in the wake of a post conflict scenario and their implications on Sri Lanka’s national security. While examining the rise of Jihadi Muslim extremism and Buddhist extremism, this paper aims at providing recommendations on an integrated and collaborative strategic communication framework that is paramount to counter terrorism and violent extremism in the present security dimension. 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z