RCSS Commemorates Prof. Shelton Kodikara

American University, Washington, D.C., Distinguished Professor of International Relations and UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance Prof. Amitav Acharya

Former President, BNMF and BCIS Council of Management Chairperson Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga 

• Leading global IR scholar Prof. Amitav Acharya delivers memorial oration

The ‘Professor Shelton U. Kodikara Memorial Oration’ organised by the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), in collaboration with the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS), was held on 8 August 2026 at the BCIS auditorium. 

Commemorating the pioneer of the study of International Relations in Sri Lanka and the founder of the RCSS, it brought together friends and family of the late Professor, diplomats, public officials, academics, policymakers, other distinguished invitees and students of international relations. 

At the commencement, a floral tribute was offered in memory of Prof. Kodikara by his son Dilip Kodikara, a Founder member of the RCSS Board of Directors, and a commemorative video reflecting the legacy of Prof. Kodikara was presented. 

In the keynote address, the Chief Guest Former President, BNMF and BCIS Council of Management Chairperson Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga recalled that Prof. Kodikara was not merely an academic, but a leader of Sri Lanka’s national intellectual identity. Noting that in much of our post-independence history, our foreign policy was practiced in what may be called a void of academic expertise where the praxis of diplomacy prevailed over scholarship, she said Prof. Kodikara changed that. 

While the international environment remains unforgiving to smaller states, she highlighted the continuing relevance of Prof. Kodikara’s work in confronting the foreign policy challenges of Sri Lanka, the region, and the broader ‘Global South’. In this regard, she drew attention to the significance of the Fifth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in Colombo in 1976 chaired by Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike - the 50th anniversary of which is being commemorated on 16 August 2026. Noting that the established international order has been “made to stand on its head,” she said the Global South is increasingly compelled to translate the traditional principle of non-alignment into contemporary approaches of strategic hedging and multi-alignment, as states seek to protect their national interests amid growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty. 

Delivering the Shelton U. Kodikara Memorial Oration, American University, Washington, D.C., Distinguished Professor of International Relations and UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance Prof. Amitav Acharya began by reflecting on Prof. Kodikara’s contribution as a pioneer of International Relations scholarship in South Asia and an institutional builder. Drawing a parallel with his own longstanding effort to broaden the discipline beyond its traditional Eurocentric and American-centric focus, Professor Acharya presented key arguments from his latest book, “The Once and Future World Order: Why Global Civilisation Will Survive the Decline of the West.” He argued that world order is not the monopoly of any single nation, civilisation, or region, but a shared creation that has evolved through the experiences and interactions of societies over several millennia. Focusing on the theme - ‘What Comes after US Hegemony’ he cautioned against viewing contemporary international change simply as a transition from Western to non-Western dominance, arguing instead that the decline of Western primacy creates an opportunity for a more plural configuration of global power. Moving beyond the concept of Multipolarity, he described a new “Global Multiplex”, envisaging a more de-centred, polycentric and pluralistic international order, in which influence is distributed across great powers, middle and regional powers, international organisations and non-state actors, rather than being concentrated. 

Earlier, in welcome remarks, the BCIS Executive Director Priyanthi Fernando described Professor Kodikara as a legend, and recalled how as a dedicated lecturer at the BCIS– he would travel to Colombo from Kandy just to conduct a class.  She said, in an age where we are using hybrid, online modes to reach wider audiences, and where the acquisition of knowledge has often become secondary to the acquisition of certificates or diplomas, the example of Professor Kodikara’s commitment to international relations scholarship needs to be remembered and emulated. 

Introducing the orator, the RCCS Executive Director Ambassador (Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha emphasised Professor Acharya’s invaluable contribution to Global International Relations, observing that his research has reshaped how we understand the world order, international norms and the Global South. He added that few scholars from the region have contributed as extensively, while continually re-interpreting the changing dynamics of the international system. Amb. Aryasinha re-affirmed the RCSS’s commitment to research, dialogue and policy advocacy, and said the presence at the event of the full range of local, regional and global constituencies that were influenced by Prof. Kodikara’s work - including RCSS Alumni and participants at the ongoing International Studies Association (ISA) South Asia in Sri Lanka, was a fitting tribute to the Kodikara legacy.