Sri Lanka entered a new chapter in its intellectual and policy landscape this week with the inauguration of the South Asia Sustainability & Security Research Institute (SASSRI). Launched at Colombo’s Cinnamon Grand, the event featured a high-profile roundtable with India’s Synergia Foundation on maritime security, attended by diplomats, scholars, and international experts.
SASSRI’s stated mission is ambitious: to advance sustainability, regional security, economic resilience, and good governance through research-driven dialogue. In his keynote, Dr. Harinda Vidanage of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University stressed that Sri Lanka must leverage both its strategic geography and intellectual capital to influence the fast-shifting dynamics of South Asia and the Indian Ocean.
Promise and Opportunities
The creation of SASSRI addresses a long-standing gap in Sri Lanka’s policymaking structure, where fragmented research often leaves decisions vulnerable to political expediency rather than evidence. Advocates argue that SASSRI could position Colombo as a regional knowledge hub, drawing on lessons from Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute or India’s Observer Research Foundation (ORF), both of which significantly shape government strategies while building global partnerships.
By focusing on sustainability and security, SASSRI could attract international funding, partnerships, and research grants—a welcome boost for a country battling economic recovery. Its findings could also help policymakers adopt long-term solutions on climate adaptation, food security, and maritime governance, while improving Sri Lanka’s standing in international forums.
Risks, Criticisms, and Structural Hurdles
Yet the challenges are formidable. Global experience shows that think tanks succeed only when they balance independence with policy relevance. For instance, Washington’s Brookings Institution is valued for rigorous independence, while Beijing’s think tanks, though influential, are often criticized as government echo chambers.
Sri Lanka must avoid the pitfall of becoming the latter. Concerns about political influence, funding transparency, and intellectual autonomy could undermine SASSRI’s credibility both locally and abroad. Without a clear firewall between research and political agendas, it risks being dismissed as a state propaganda tool rather than a neutral knowledge platform.
There is also the issue of duplication. Sri Lanka already has policy centers at universities and ministries, but many struggle with limited funding, staff retention, and publication reach. Unless SASSRI differentiates itself through global-standard output and impact-oriented research, it risks fading into the same cycle of underperformance.
The Road Ahead
If SASSRI can overcome these hurdles, it may provide Sri Lanka with an intellectual compass at a time of geopolitical uncertainty and domestic fragility. Its real test will lie not in ceremonial launches or roundtables, but in whether its research meaningfully influences policy reforms, regional cooperation, and public trust.
Think tanks have proven their value globally. India’s Observer Research Foundation (ORF) has become a central voice in global policy debates, hosting high-profile platforms like the Raisina Dialogue, while Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute provides critical insights shaping ASEAN strategies. If SASSRI can emulate such models, Sri Lanka could position itself as a knowledge hub in the Indian Ocean, attracting global funding, talent, and credibility.
The institute also promises to bridge a crucial gap in domestic governance by offering long-term, evidence-based insights, something often sidelined by Sri Lanka’s short-term political cycles.
