The primacy of International Relations

It would be no exaggeration to say that International Relations have been a much undervalued and even relatively neglected academic discipline in this country over the decades. While domestic politics have continuously delighted the majority of Lankans, the same could not be said of interstate politics which are at the heart of International Relations. International affairs, generally speaking, have been tended to be treated with some indifference and aloofness by sections of the local public and they are not entirely to blame for this state of affairs.

The Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, Colombo, and the University of Colombo have been in the forefront of teaching International Relations in this country over the years and hat’s off to them for sticking to this task with dogged zeal, but one would have expected more and more seats of higher learning to have taken on the discipline and to have taught it with an exceptional sense of dedication over the years. Arguably, it is this failure to teach the subject widely and stimulatingly which accounts for the relative public disinterest in the subject. But it is not our position that the general public is possessed with an inherent tendency to reject the discipline. It is simply that enough efforts have not been made to teach the subject widely and stimulatingly.

There is bound to be a greater public interest in International Relations at the current juncture when Sri Lanka is faced, as perhaps never before, with issues of the thorniest kind in the foreign policy sphere, but regardless of the topicality of the field of International Relations, we believe it would be in the national interest for the young and the old of Sri Lanka to be exposed to the subject and any connected discourse continuously and widely.

What we are advocating are seats of learning that would research the subject insightfully and popularize it among the public; through a participatory methodology. Right now, other than the BCIS and the University of Colombo, which are into the teaching of the subject in a major way, there are a handful of other institutions that teach the subject to some select sections of society, such as, those in the diplomatic and public services. However, what we should also aim at bringing into being are institutions that teach the discipline to the masses of the people in a stimulating way, thereby triggering a public discourse on issues in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy, in the manner in which domestic politics is discussed and debated today.

These reflections gain their importance from the consideration that foreign policy issues too must be publicly debated. This in turn will enable foreign policy to reflect public aspirations more fully, besides enabling the local public to discourse on foreign relations with a higher degree of awareness.

Foreign affairs should cease being a somewhat distant subject and be brought closer to the people in these times when Sri Lanka is facing some tough challenges on the foreign policy front. The BCIS has succeeded a great deal in this venture, hopefully other institutions would follow suit.

While some Western powers, their media backers and sections of their publics have got into the act of vilifying Sri Lanka, there are a host of issues on which the local public needs to be further enlightened to enable them to take-up Sri Lanka’s cause in the public sphere and even in the ‘Councils of the World.’ This could be achieved only if the local public is exceptionally knowledgeable and intellectually alert in foreign affairs.

Hence the need for an in depth and widely spread knowledge of International Affairs.

At this hour when an outrageous effort is being made by sections of the world community to pillory Sri Lanka over its inalienable right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Sri Lanka’s legitimate interests must be clearly understood and intelligently defended. A knowledgeable local public would prove a huge boon in this great enterprise. International Relations must be brought closer to the people’s hearts.