Roshni Kapur

Roshni Kapur is a Programme Manager at the Rule of Law Asia Programme, Konrad-Adenaeur-Stiftung and PhD student at the University of Ghent. She specialises in political violence, caste, social change, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, nationalism, violent extremism and transitional justice in South Asia. She is an editor of the book 'Sustainable Energy Transition in South Asia'.

Sri Lanka’s Evolving Crisis: Implications on Rule of Law and Constitutional Democracy

Sri Lanka’s current crisis is an evolving and dynamic situation. Its political, economic and social manifestations demonstrate the significance of legal institutions and processes in upholding the responsibilities of democratic governance and protecting citizen rights. The crisis also holds lessons for other emerging markets and developing countries, several of which are also facing external debt crises and imminent political instability amidst escalating costs and rising social inequalities.

Regional Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal: The Role of Energy Security and Maritime Governance in Promoting Integration

This policy report is the result of a roundtable organised by the Energy Studies Institute and the Institute of South Asian Studies, both of the National University of Singapore, to explore the role of energy security and maritime governance in promoting regional cooperation in the Bay of Bengal, and in this context, identify the key challenges and opportunities in this emerging subregion.

Myanmar Coup and the Rohingya Crisis: Responses across South Asia

This insight explores the responses of the South Asian states to the coup that took place in Myanmar on 1 February 2021, the resistance movement that followed and the Rohingya crisis which is intertwined with the coup. While there is a recognition that these states need to uphold their democratic norms and ideals in diplomatic statements against the coup, national and realpolitik interests have been prioritised over condemning the military for its violent crackdowns.

Human Rights, Geopolitics and National Priorities: Managing Fluctuations in US-Sri Lanka Relations

Economic and political relations between Colombo and Washington have fluctuated throughout their history. The variations in their bilateral relations are parallel to the regime changes in Colombo. This paper explores the themes of trade and economic cooperation, human rights, and geopolitics and military engagement in their relations, and how they have evolved over the years under different leaders in both countries.

Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election 2019: The Prospect of a Sajith Premadasa Victory

Sajith Premadasa is the presidential nominee for the United National Party (UNP), which is part of the National Democratic Front coalition. The UNP, despite major electoral defeats for years, has managed to survive as the biggest party in Sri Lanka’s political arena. Its poor performance under the Yahapalana (good governance) government, coupled with political infighting, though, has disenchanted many UNP supporters.

The End of Sri Lanka’s Political Crisis: What Next?

On 13 December 2018, the seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruled that President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to dissolve the parliament on 9 November 2018 is unconstitutional and that it cannot be dissolved until it completes four and a half years of its term. Following this landmark decision, Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned from his post and Ranil Wickremesinghe was reinstated and sworn in as the legitimate Prime Minister.

Militancy in Bangladesh

Militancy is one of the major security challenges for Bangladesh. In recent years, it has faced a series of violent attacks by the militants. The militants have targetted individuals and have conducted an organised terror campaign across the country. The existing political and social environment in Bangladesh, presumably, provides some encouragement to the militants to operate in the country. This paper discusses the political and social dimensions of militancy
in Bangladesh

The Eid Ceasefire in Afghanistan: A Harbinger of Longer-term Peace?

The Afghan government, the Taliban, the United States and the international forces in Afghanistan announced an unprecedented ceasefire over the three days of Eid in June 2018. The ceasefire built on an offer of unconditional peace talks by Afghan President Ashraf
Ghani in February 2018, a condemnation of terrorism by international and Afghan religious scholars and clerics, and a ceasefire announcement by the Afghan government to celebrate Eid and the end of Ramadan.
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