Security sector governance in South Asia

Abstract

Traditionally in South Asia, even more than elsewhere, the security discourse has largely been confined to official circles, with little room for voices from the civil society. This trend, however, is being reversed, with the global liberalization of economics and politics and the call for good governance permeating to the security realm. In this context, the role of the civil society in democratizing the security debate and the security sector reform agenda has become critical. An engaged civil society cannot only be a watchdog for rule of law and human rights, it can also play a crucial role in creating a conducive policy climate. Some of the tasks would include, educating the public on policy direction, providing a pool of expertise for policy-making, supporting public policy development through research, and monitoring state security activities for transparency and public accountability. It can also provide alternative sources of expertise on security policy to government, providing feedback on security policy decision and implementation, and facilitating alternative debate in the public domain...