Nov 02, 2008

Mr. Prakhar Sharma (Head of Research) and Mr. Saifullah Ahmadzai (Senior Research Analyst) participated in a Regional Network of Strategic Studies Center (RNSSC) conference from12-16October, 2008, hosted by the Regional Center for Strategic Studies (RCSS)in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The RNSSC intends to expand the strategic interaction among institutions throughout the region in the hopes of eliciting suggestions for more avenues of dialogue and cooperation in meeting security challenges. It promotes strategic thinking at the regional level by disseminating collaboratively developed research, thinking and publications throughout the region. The goal of the meeting is to provide a platform for Network participants to discuss on going research, plan future collaborations, draft publications, especially within the working groups, and welcome new centers into the network.

Two working group meetings of RNSSC were held in Colombo Sri Lanka: Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and Border Security and Non-Traditional Security Issues (NTSI). Mr. Prakhar Sharma participated in WMD and Border Security working group and discussed the political and security dynamics of land borders with emphasis on Afghanistan. Mr. Saifullah Ahmadzai participated in NTSI working group in which he discussed various issues such as Disaster management, armed groups, small arms and light weapons and energy security in south Asia. Mr. Ahmadzai will draft a paper on Armed Groups, Small Arms and Light Weapons in Afghanistan and present it in the plenary scheduled for 2-5 November in Doha, Qatar.