The Centre for Law And Security Studies (CLASS) was established in the context of a changing legal and security landscape around the world. Challenges in modern conflict have raised a series of critical issues, placing both private and public sectors in an era of uncertainty.
CLASS reflects the reality that changes in the 21st Century require us to frame both “law” and “security” together as a fulcrum of discourse, and that Sri Lanka is an ideal location in which such dialogue can be facilitated.
Nilanthan Niruthan, Executive Director of CLASS, is a defense analyst specializing in global security. He is a regular commentator on television and radio, having appeared on international platforms like WION and Al Jazeera to discuss geopolitics.
His writing has covered diverse issues like hybrid warfare, maritime piracy, international law, space warfare, military technology, and urban insurgency for publications like the Johns Hopkins Journal of International Affairs, Journal of Military Operations, Small Wars Journal, and the Columbia Journal of International Affairs.
He is also a visiting lecturer at the National Defense College, the highest seat of military education in Sri Lanka. He graduated with an LL.M. in Human Rights Law from the National Law School of India, Bangalore.
CLASS has identified 4 major thematic areas under which it seeks to fulfill its objectives.
In a transforming era of technology, ethics and human rights, it is nearly impossible to predict the future on a macro level. Studying both peace and conflict concurrently, as two sides of the same coin, helps gain insight into how either field is likely to evolve in the 21st Century.
Modern politics is also undergoing rapid changes around the world, with governance becoming a highly contested issue thanks to the proliferation of democracies around the world. Governance is also a key issue where the public and private sectors are direct stakeholders.
It would be impossible to understand the world’s changing landscape without paying attention to law and order. This is especially true today, where the global liberal order is being challenged both by geopolitical competition and regional fragility.
Analyzing the above issues will shed knowledge, but create no solutions. However, focused research on policy alternatives, alongside mitigation measures such as risk analysis, predictive indicators etc, will provide solutions to these problems, hence making up a crucial part of CLASS’ thematic pillars.
