FOR a small country the changing balance of power among the giants of the world is no abstraction. “It’s about sovereignty, foreign relations, economic interests and national security. Guyana’s fortunes are increasingly tied to regional and global developments and it cannot afford to be a spectator.
Therefore, the first Annual Lecture of the National Defence Institute (NDI) held at Base Camp Ayanganna should be given more attention than a ceremonial event.
The theme, “Big Powers, Smaller States in the Evolving World Order,” could not have been more apt. Serious consideration was given to the question by the guest lecturer, Professor Amitav Acharya, UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance and Distinguished Professor at American University in Washington DC.
He envisages a ‘multiplex world order’ in which power is not monopolised by a few superpowers but is distributed among major states, smaller states, regional organisations and other actors.
He cited the African Union’s role in peace and security as an example of the potential of regional co-operation.
The implications for Guyana are clear: a multi-centred world allows smaller states more room to manoeuvre, but also calls for more thoughtful choices.
Competing interests and shifting alliances reward the countries that read them correctly and punish the countries that do not.
The lively question-and-answer session that brought these dilemmas into the Guyanese context, shows the participants understood what is at stake.
It was right of Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips to emphasise that economic growth must be accompanied by sustained investment in defence and security.
A growing economy, particularly one getting attention on the world stage, offers opportunities but also vulnerabilities in equal measure.
Unprotected prosperity is prosperity in danger. Also welcome was his emphasis on bringing together scholars and practitioners to inform national policy. Too often, in small states, policy is made in a hurry, without the benefit of research and sustained analysis.
Chief of the Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan made a related point, saying that engagement across professional disciplines gives those in defence and security a broader perspective and helps them make sound judgments on complex challenges.
This is the essence of the NDI’s civil-military approach. The institute was established in September 2024 as an initiative of President and Commander-in-Chief Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and brings together members of the Joint Services and civilian professionals to examine security challenges from operational, institutional and national perspectives.
Modern threats often disregard the boundaries of military and civilian life, and the institutions built to deal with them shouldn’t either.
The list of attendees was telling, as well. The room was attended by serving and former military chiefs; directors of intelligence and anti-narcotics; senior police officers; former ministers from various political epochs; police trainees; university faculty members and private-sector figures.
We all share an interest in national security and the best conversations on the subject draw on a range of experiences.
But a lecture is only a beginning. The NDI has said the Annual Lecture will be a regular event and that is a good commitment.
The real test is what happens next: will the insights raised here translate into research, curricula and ultimately policy, and will the institute open its debates to broader public participation, so that national security thinking does not remain the preserve of specialists.
It is not Guyana that will determine the course of world politics. But it can measure how well it understands that course, and how wisely it responds.
One of the most practical things for a small state to do is to invest in the capacity to do it. The NDI’s first lecture was a promising start and the country should look forward to many more such endeavours.
