Research Report: Power of Three: Role of Academia, Media & Think Tanks in Security Reform
The NESA Center, in collaboration with the think tank Jinnah Institute (JI), published the research report "Power of Three: Role of Academia, Media & Think Tanks in Security Reform" following a day-long seminar hosted by both organizations on 13 September 2022 on "Academia, Media, and National Security in Pakistan."
The 48-page report offers a summary of the seminar proceedings as well as chapters on the overall theme with recommendations for Pakistan. The key questions that the JI-NESA seminar, and subsequently this report, aimed to answer include:
- How can state and civil society collaborate more closely for informed decision-making and effective policy implementation?
- What characterizes the relationship between media and the state?
- Can think tanks play an improved role in consultations on national security?
- How have academic institutions assisted security sector reform in Pakistan?
- How can institutions within the security sector undergo reform?
Pakistan’s National Security Policy (2022-2026) provides an improved pathway for implementing safeguards that protect citizens from traditional and emerging threats. It has also broadened the institutional setting within which security reform takes place, by merging governance, human development and climate change, as key domains for securing citizens’ well-being, and in the process, expanded the scope for participation by non-traditional actors in this sphere. While this is a step in the right direction, however, a host of complementary reforms in security practice, stakeholders’ dynamics and outcomes need to come about for a meaningful transformation of the security sector.
The views presented in this publication are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.
