Asanga Abeyagoonasekera
Asanga Abeyagoonasekera | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 21, 1977 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Occupation(s) | Scholar, analyst, author, political commentator, academic |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Known for | Geopolitics, foreign policy analysis, public administration, executive roles at SAFN and INSSSL |
| Notable work | Towards a Better World Order; The Modi Doctrine; Sri Lanka at Crossroads; Conundrum of an Island; Teardrop Diplomacy; The Sacred Tooth Relic of Sri Lanka |
Asanga Abeyagoonasekera (; born 21 August 1977) is a prominent Sri Lankan scholar and analyst specializing in geopolitics and foreign policy. Since 2021, he has held the position of Executive Director at the South Asia Foresight Network (SAFN) and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Millennium Project based in Washington DC. Abeyagoonasekera also acts as a technical advisor to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), contributing expertise to the 2023 publication 'Sri Lanka: Technical Assistance Report-Governance Diagnostic Assessment.' As an established political commentator and author, he holds visiting professorships in geopolitics and global leadership at Northern Kentucky University, lectures on International Political Economy for the University of London at Sri Lanka’s Royal Institute of Colombo, and teaches International Security at the University of Colombo.
With more than ten years of experience in public administration, he has led several governmental organizations and occupied various board-level roles. His insights on global affairs and geopolitics have been featured by institutions such as the Observer Research Foundation (New Delhi), London School of Economics, and South Asia Journal. Additionally, he authors the monthly column Dateline Colombo for the IPCS think tank headquartered in New Delhi.
Previously, Abeyagoonasekera was the inaugural director general of the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL) and held the Executive Director role at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS), a Sri Lankan government-affiliated foreign policy think tank.
Early life and career
Asanga Abeyagoonasekera is the sole son of Ossie Abeygunasekera, who was a former leader of the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya (SLMP), a presidential candidate, and a Member of Parliament representing Colombo District before his assassination by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1994.
He completed his early education at S. Thomas' Preparatory School followed by Ananda College. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science along with an MBA from Edith Cowan University. His further academic pursuits included studies at prestigious institutions such as the Harvard Kennedy School, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, India School of Business, Oxford University, and Yale University. During his time at Harvard, he participated in a US-South Asia leadership program with a focus on counter-terrorism strategies.
A Fellow at both the National Defense University and various Asia-Pacific security centers, Abeyagoonasekera began his professional career managing projects at Sri Lanka Telecom and Hutchison Lanka between 2001 and 2005.
In 2005, he transitioned into public service as Chairman of the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation (CFHC), where he led post-tsunami reconstruction efforts following the 2004 disaster and successfully restored profitability by 2010. Subsequently, he served as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency from 2010 to 2011 and was a board member at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority between 2005 and 2010.
His tenure as Executive Director at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies—a foreign policy think tank under Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs—was marked by launching its inaugural foreign policy journal titled 'Kadirgamar Review,' promoting research on post-conflict reconciliation, and establishing an important Memorandum of Understanding with India’s Indian Council of World Affairs in 2012.
On 10 April 2015, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake appointed him to serve on the board of directors for the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka (IBSL). He also consulted for the Ministry of Finance until May 2016.
In August 2016, Abeyagoonasekera became the founding Director General of the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSS). During his leadership, multiple defense and security publications were released. In January 2019, he delivered a Monthly Threat Forecast briefing to President Maithripala Sirisena, which highlighted national security vulnerabilities later referenced during investigations into the 2019 Easter bombings. Following a change in government later that year, he was removed from INSS. In 2021, he relocated to the United States but was detained upon returning to Sri Lanka in July 2024 while visiting his ill mother.
In 2012, he established Dirisaviya Foundation, a non-profit organization managing projects such as ipaidabribe.lk—a global crowdsourced platform combating corruption—Global Dignity initiatives targeting schoolchildren, and Sri Lanka’s Millennium Project Foresight program. The foundation also developed mobile applications including Sri Dalada and Sinhala Poets and organizes memorial lectures honoring notable national personalities.
He is recognized as a founding curator for the Global Shapers Colombo Hub and holds the position of Country Chair for Global Dignity Sri Lanka.
Abeyagoonasekera’s scholarly work on international affairs and geopolitics has been published by respected outlets including Routledge, IGI Global, NUS ISAS, Emerald Publishing, Cambridge University Press, Hudson Institute, South Asia Journal, ORF India, LSE, and IPCS.
In response to the 2025 Nepal Gen-Z uprising, he introduced the Economic Crime & Geopolitics Index (ECGI), designed to evaluate political risk across South Asia and Southeast Asia. Recognized by The Millennium Project as an innovative analytical tool connecting corruption, illicit financial flows, global power structures, and political stability, ECGI has been acknowledged by Philippine media as an effective early-warning system for policymakers, investors, and security experts.
Recognition
In 2012, he was honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Three years later, in 2015, Life Learning Academia in Slovenia awarded him the title of 'Ambassador of Knowledge'.
By 2021, he became a member of the 'Global Advisory Council' at the Apolitical Academy Global (AAG), joining distinguished individuals such as former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.
Towards a Better World Order
The year 2015 saw the release of his work titled Towards a Better World Order.
The Modi Doctrine
In 2016, he contributed a chapter to the publication The Modi Doctrine: New Paradigms in India’s Foreign Policy.
Sri Lanka at Crossroads
Authored in 2018 and published by World Scientific Singapore, Sri Lanka at Crossroads: Geopolitical Challenges and National Interests received endorsements from former Indian national security advisor Shivshankar Menon and ex-Singapore foreign minister George Yeo. The book revisits the geopolitical theories of Halford Mackinder and underscores Sri Lanka’s strategic significance.
Presented from the viewpoint of a Sri Lankan scholar and leader of a national security think tank, this work examines Sri Lanka's navigation through post-conflict scenarios, geopolitical pressures, internal political dynamics, and peace-building initiatives, positioning the nation for advancement within the transforming Asian geopolitical framework.
Conundrum of an Island
His 2021 publication, Conundrum of an Island, also released by World Scientific Singapore, garnered praise from esteemed academics including Prof. Walter Russell Mead, Dr. Parag Khanna, Dr. C. Raja Mohan, and Dr. David Brewster.
This compilation of essays delves into critical issues shaping Sri Lanka's geopolitical and domestic spheres: the 4/21 Terror Attack's implications for National Security; China's Belt and Road Initiative alongside Sri Lankan foreign relations; broader Geopolitical concerns; maintaining Democracy amid a global pandemic; as well as challenges related to Political Stability, Leadership, and Economic Crime within the country.
Teardrop Diplomacy
In 2023, he released Teardrop Diplomacy: China's Sri Lanka Foray through Bloomsbury. The book received endorsements from Dr. David Brewster, Dr. C. Raja Mohan, Dr. Roger Kangas, Daniel Sachs, Lisa Witter, among others. It introduces the concept of China’s "strategic trap" in Sri Lanka and explores its influence on foreign policy during President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration.
Concentrating on Sri Lanka’s profound political and economic crisis since gaining independence, these essays trace the transition from democratic governance to authoritarian rule under the Rajapaksa leadership (2019–2022). Additionally, it offers an analysis of US–India–China strategic relations from a distinctly Sri Lankan standpoint.
The Sacred Tooth Relic of Sri Lanka
He is also the author of the children's book The Sacred Tooth Relic of Sri Lanka, published in 2016.