By Riza Yehiya
National security is conventionally understood in narrow terms: military strength, border protection, intelligence gathering and counter-terrorism capabilities. While these remain essential, they are insufficient. A nation that is militarily powerful but socially fractured, economically unequal and morally adrift is not truly secure. The greatest threats to national security in the 21st century are not external armies but internal fragmentation – ethnic polarization, religious extremism, systemic corruption, trans-generational trauma and the manipulation of domestic divisions by foreign powers.
This article argues for a fundamental paradigm shift from a security-driven approach to a justice-driven approach to national security. A security-driven approach focuses on protecting the state from threats through surveillance, policing and military force. A justice-driven approach focuses on eliminating the conditions that create threats by establishing equitable systems, addressing grievances and ensuring that every citizen has a stake in the nation’s future. The former treats symptoms; the latter treats causes. The former is reactive; the latter is preventive. The former can be imposed; the latter must be built collaboratively.
Justice to all with equity must be the focus of nation building, the foundation upon which national security policy should be based. As long as any form of injustice exists in a society whether social, economic, political or cultural with no reasonable and appropriate mechanisms to remediate it, national security will be fundamentally compromised. Equal justice to all without discrimination based on caste, color, race, religion, language or regionalism is fundamental for holistic nation building. When every citizen is recognized and respected in a just manner, nation building proceeds smoothly. When injustice persists, it creates grievances that extremists exploit, fuels ethnic and religious polarization, erodes state legitimacy and makes societies vulnerable to both internal conflict and external manipulation.
The combination of justice and equity, freedom and security, ethical moral guidance and strict governance leads to holistic human development in a society. Human development requires both physical development to infrastructurally facilitate life and intellectual and emotional development to produce responsible citizens. A society that neglects either dimension will produce citizens who are either materially comfortable but morally vacant or spiritually rich but materially deprived. Neither condition is sustainable.
The localization of global socio-political polarization emanating from geopolitics must be insulated to prevent national security and national sustainability from being ruptured. External powers exploit domestic divisions for strategic advantage, importing conflicts that have no organic roots in the society. Insulating the nation from such manipulation is essential for both security and sustainability.
Sri Lanka exemplifies this reality. A nation of 22 million people blessed with strategic geographic positioning, high literacy and rich cultural heritage has nonetheless experienced three decades of civil war, terrorist attacks, economic collapse and persistent political instability. These crises were not primarily caused by external military threats. They were caused by the failure to establish justice for all communities, the failure to build a cohesive national identity that embraces diversity, the failure to establish accountable governance and the failure to insulate the nation from geopolitical manipulation.
From security-driven to justice-driven
Security-driven approaches to national security operate on a logic of threat detection and neutralization. They ask, “Who threatens us? How do we stop them?” This approach leads to surveillance and policing – increased monitoring of populations, particularly minority communities, creating resentment and alienation; militarization – investment in weapons, intelligence and military infrastructure diverting resources from social development; exclusion – identification of enemies within and without, creating an us vs. them dynamic; short term thinking – focus on immediate threats rather than long term root causes; and Erosion of Trust – citizens feel watched rather than protected, undermining the social contract.
Sri Lanka’s experience demonstrates the limitations of this approach. Despite military victory over the LTTE in 2009, underlying grievances persisted. Despite extensive police and intelligence operations, the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019 occurred. Despite national security infrastructure, economic collapse brought the nation to its knees. Security-driven approaches cannot address the root causes of insecurity because they are designed to manage symptoms, not cure diseases.
The justice-driven alternative
A justice-driven approach to national security operates on a logic of addressing root causes. It asks: “What conditions create insecurity? How do we create conditions for peace?” This approach leads to equity and inclusion – ensuring all communities have access to opportunities, resources and representation; accountability and transparency – establishing governance systems that prevent corruption and ensure justice; reconciliation – addressing historical grievances through truth-telling, reparations and restorative justice; social investment – redirecting resources from military to education, healthcare, housing and infrastructure; trust building – creating institutions and processes that foster trust between citizens and the state: and resilience – strengthening families and communities so they can withstand shocks without descending into conflict.
A justice-driven approach recognizes that insecurity is not primarily caused by external threats but by internal conditions. When citizens are treated justly, they have no reason to rebel. When communities are included, they have no reason to secede. When grievances are addressed, extremists have no audience. When governance is accountable, corruption cannot flourish.
Justice as the foundation of national security
When justice is absent, grievances multiply. These grievances become raw material for extremists, fuel ethnic and religious polarization, erode trust in state institutions and create conditions for conflict. Injustice in any form – social, economic, political, or cultural – undermines the social contract and makes genuine national security impossible.
Equal justice to all without discrimination based on caste, color, race, religion, language or regionalism is fundamental for holistic nation building. When every citizen is recognized and respected in a just manner, nation building proceeds smoothly. When discrimination persists, it creates a permanent underclass of aggrieved citizens who have no stake in the national project.
Holistic human development: the product of justice
Holistic human development requires the harmonious integration of multiple dimensions. Justice and equity ensure that every citizen has access to opportunities and is treated with dignity. Freedom and security provide the space for individuals to flourish while protecting them from harm. Ethical moral guidance provides the internal compass that directs human behavior toward the good. Strict governance ensures that laws are enforced and that those who violate the social contract are held accountable.
These elements are not separate but mutually reinforcing. Justice without governance is unenforceable. Freedom without ethics degenerates into license. Security without equity breeds resentment. Ethical guidance without justice becomes moralizing without substance. The combination of all these elements creates an environment in which human beings can develop their full potential. This is the essence of holistic human development.
Human development requires physical infrastructure that facilitates life. This includes housing, healthcare, education, transportation, water and sanitation, energy and communication to support society sustainably.
Without physical development, citizens cannot thrive. Poverty, disease and lack of opportunity create conditions for resentment and conflict. Physical development is therefore a national security imperative. However, physical development without corresponding human development is insufficient; it produces materially comfortable but morally vacant citizens.
Physical infrastructure alone is insufficient. Human development also requires intellectual development – critical thinking, analytical skills and the capacity to distinguish truth from falsehood. Citizens who cannot think critically are vulnerable to propaganda, extremism and manipulation; emotional development – empathy, emotional regulation and the capacity for healthy relationships. Citizens who cannot manage their emotions are prone to impulsive violence and cannot sustain peaceful coexistence; moral development – internalized ethical values that guide behavior even when no one is watching. Citizens without moral compasses cannot be trusted to uphold the social contract; and civic development – understanding of rights and responsibilities, commitment to the common good and willingness to participate in democratic processes. Citizens without civic awareness cannot sustain democratic governance.
The combination of physical, intellectual, emotional, moral and civic development produces responsible citizens who are capable of contributing to national prosperity and security. This is the ultimate product of a justice-driven approach to nation building.
The colonial legacy: understanding the roots of injustice
Prior to European colonization, Sri Lankan society operated through complex systems of indigenous governance that balanced ethnic and religious diversity. The Kandyan Kingdom, the Jaffna Kingdom and the maritime regions maintained distinct identities while engaging in trade, cultural exchange and diplomatic relations. Traditional systems of justice, land tenure and community mediation rooted in Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic jurisprudence provided mechanisms for conflict resolution that preserved social harmony for centuries.
Family structures were multi-generational and communal. Religious institutions served not only as places of worship but as centers of education, healthcare and social welfare. This indigenous social architecture, while imperfect, provided remarkable resilience against internal and external threats.
The colonial dismantling of justice: Western colonization – Portuguese (1505), Dutch, and British (1815) -systematically dismantled this indigenous social fabric. Colonialism was fundamentally a system of institutionalized injustice. It created legal, economic, educational, and social structures that systematically privileged some communities while marginalizing others. These structures persist in modified form today.
Legal injustice: the imposition of British common law replaced indigenous systems of justice that had served communities for centuries. This created legal pluralism that often disadvantaged minority communities and eroded indigenous authority structures.
Land injustice: the Crown Lands Ordinance of 1840 dispossessed peasant communities of their traditional lands. Land grievances remain the single most significant material grievance driving ethnic conflict today.
Educational injustice: English medium education created an elite disconnected from indigenous knowledge systems while traditional monastic and madrasa education were marginalized. This created ethnic competition for colonial administrative positions.
Religious injustice: missionary schools received state patronage while Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim institutions were neglected. This created a perception among all communities that their traditions were under threat.
Economic injustice: the plantation economy disrupted traditional patterns, created dependency on global markets and concentrated wealth in a small elite. This economic inequality continues to fuel resentment and instability.
Psychosocial injustice: colonization created a colonized psyche – a deep-seated insecurity manifesting as either aggressive nationalism or continued deference to foreign models.
Contemporary manifestations of injustice
The colonial legacy manifests in four interrelated threats to national security. Ethnic polarization – colonial categorization and competition created divisions that continue to fuel conflict. The 26-year civil war was a direct consequence of this legacy; religious extremism – the distortion of authentic religious teachings through colonial and geopolitical manipulation has created conditions conducive to radicalization. Extremism is a product of manipulation, not authentic theology; Systemic corruption – colonial extraction created a rent-seeking culture among local elites. Corruption destroys the social contract, undermines state legitimacy and fuels ethnic resentment; and Geopolitical vulnerability – Sri Lanka’s strategic location has made it a battleground for great power rivalries. Foreign powers continue to exploit ethnic and religious divisions for strategic advantage.
Critical imperatives for justice-centered nation building
Justice as the foundational principle
The constitution must explicitly guarantee equal justice to all citizens without discrimination based on caste, color, race, religion, language or regionalism. This guarantee must be justiciable.
National Justice Commission – an independent body with representatives from all communities, empowered to investigate complaints of injustice – social, economic, political and cultural – and recommend remedies.
Access to justice programs – legal aid, alternative dispute resolution and community mediation services available to all citizens regardless of economic status or location.
Holistic human development
Investment in housing, healthcare, education, transportation, water and sanitation, energy and communication infrastructure.
Intellectual and emotional development – education that develops critical thinking, emotional regulation, empathy and moral reasoning.
Civic education
Teaching rights, responsibilities and the importance of the common good.
Anti-corruption as national security
Independent anti-corruption commission with religious oversight – unprecedented powers for prosecution, asset seizure and whistleblower protection with religious elders providing moral oversight.
Asset declaration with public access – activates Asian shame mechanisms.
Whistleblower protection and reward – reframes reporting as patriotic and spiritual duty.
Citizen audit committees – cross-ethnic cooperation in governance.
Human brotherhood as foundation of security
Interfaith brotherhood forums – monthly forums where clergy and lay leaders from all faiths discuss shared humanity.
Mutual recognition of festivals – voluntary open house initiatives where communities invite neighbors from other faiths.
Theological dialogue circles – exploring common values of compassion, justice and forgiveness.
Justice, truth and reconciliation
Domestically-led truth, justice and reconciliation mechanism – incorporating judicial expertise, legal scholars and religious elders. Mandate will be truth-telling, reparations and restorative justice.
Land restitution and shared custody – disputed lands jointly owned by affected groups.
Community policing with religious mediators – minor crimes referred to mediation.
Education as the great integrator
Mandatory trilingual education – every child learns Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Shared religious literacy – study of all four religions taught by joint clergy teams.
Dual narrative history – events taught from majority and minority perspectives.
Insulating from geopolitical polarization
Constitutional ban on ethnic-based political parties – multi-ethnic leadership required.
Foreign funding transparency and caps – geopolitical funding rejected.
Independent Geopolitical Neutrality Commission – vets agreements for divisiveness.
Civic education on geopolitical manipulation – citizens learn how powers exploit ethnic divisions.
National unity oath for public officials – personal oath to protect all communities equally.
Asymmetrical synergy: strength from difference
No community can secure itself alone. The Buddhist gift of mindfulness, the Muslim gift of ethical finance, the Hindu gift of communal solidarity and the Christian gift of institutional service combine to create holistic security that no single community could achieve alone. This interdependence, disrupted by colonization, must be deliberately rebuilt as a security policy.
