Programme
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Welcome Remarks
Dr Rajni Gamage
Research Fellow
Institute of South Asian Studies, NUS, Singapore
Joint Roundtable
Chairperson
Dr Ruth Hanau Santini
Associate Professor
University of Naples “L’Orientale”, Italy
Early Warning and Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis
Dr Andrea Novellis
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Naples “L’Orientale”, Italy
Early Warning Systems for Conflict – Literature Review
Mr Federico Maciocia
Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, and
School of International Studies
University of Trento, Italy
Peacebuilding and Early Warning in Pakistan
Dr Zahid Shahab Ahmed
Honorary Fellow, Deakin Institute of Citizenship and Globalization,
Deakin University, Australia; and
Non-Resident Fellow
Institute of South Asian Studies, NUS, Singapore
Protest and Governance in Bangladesh
Dr Asif M Shahan
Professor, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka,
Bangladesh; and Senior Research Fellow,
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development
Protests and Political Instability in Sri Lanka
Dr Rajni Gamage
Research Fellow
Institute of South Asian Studies, NUS, Singapore
Interactive Session
End of Roundtable
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About the Joint Roundtable
In recent years, the convergence of conflict, economic instability and climate change has intensified humanitarian crises across regions such as South Asia, where political protests, democratic backsliding and state fragility have led to rising violence and instability. These overlapping crises – often described as ‘polycrises’ – challenge the capacity of individual states and international institutions to respond effectively. Simultaneously, the liberal international order (LIO) and liberal humanitarianism are in crisis, marked by declining multilateral coordination, impunity for starvation crimes and a drastic reorientation of the United States’ (US) aid policy following the election of Donald Trump as president.
This roundtable explores how the unraveling of the LIO is reshaping humanitarian action and early warning systems. It interrogates the erosion of neutrality, the increasing politicization of aid and the limits of predictive tools that often fail to trigger effective responses. The participants will also consider emerging post-liberal humanitarian models – authoritarian, religious, nationalist or solidaristic – and reflect on the broader implications for South Asia and the Global South amid funding cuts, shrinking humanitarian space and growing uncertainty.