Factum Perspectives

Factum Special Perspective: Tempting Escalation – After Operation Sindoor

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional Geopolitics2 days ago89Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya With India and Pakistan baying for each other’s blood and the media in both countries, and particularly in India, beating war drums, it would be futile to expect a lessening of tensions overnight. The problem is that this is not the world of 2016 or 2019: when disputes between the two countries…

Factum Perspective: Pope Francis and the Compassionate Papacy

Peace and ConflictMay 4, 202578Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Dulmi Thimansa Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the late Pope Francis, was born on December 16, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the son of Italian immigrants who had settled in Argentina in search of a better life. After completing his secondary education, he pursued studies to become a chemical technician and worked for a…

Factum Perspective: India and Pakistan – The Razor’s Edge

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsApril 27, 2025111Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya Last week’s attacks in Kashmir have left India and Pakistan in a tangled web. More than anything, there remains a big question mark over the future of their relations with each other and the impact this is bound to have on South Asia and the wider geopolitics of Asia. The attacks in…

Factum Perspective: Facing the Far Right – Rethinking Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy

Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and ConflictApril 20, 2025202Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Nimendra Mawalagedara The recently imposed US tariffs on Sri Lanka are not merely an economic challenge - they are a signal of a transformation in the contemporary global political landscape. These tariffs should not be understood merely as trade measures, but also as political symbols that reflect the Trump administration’s broader diplomatic style, characterized…

Factum Perspective: Trump Tariffs and Sri Lankan Agrifood Exports to the US

Health and Economic CooperationApril 12, 2025248Views 2Likes 0Comments

By Lahiru Thilakarathna Is the Sri Lankan agrifood export sector in trouble due to the ongoing tariff encounters with the United States, and if so, to what extent? The answer depends on several factors, and a precise quantitative forecast of the effects is not possible given insufficient data. However, a general forecast of outcomes can…

Factum Special Perspective: Trump Tariffs Signal Increase in Geopolitical Tensions

Health and Economic Cooperation, International DevelopmentApril 9, 2025339Views 1Like 0Comments

By Dinouk Colombage Coated under the guise of economic rebalancing, the US tariffs have been described as a complete disregard of the rule-based order (RBO) that has governed global politics since the conclusion of the Second World War. On April 2, Donald Trump unveiled what he termed “reciprocal tariffs” for over 90 countries including China,…

Factum Perspective: Katchatheevu and the Indian Media – Some Candid Reflections

Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional Geopolitics, UncategorizedApril 6, 2025245Views 2Likes 0Comments

By Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna (Retd.) The St Anthony’s Church festival in Katchatheevu recently wrapped up for the year. As has been the case for the past many years, both Sri Lankan and Indian Central governments worked hard to ensure that the festival took place with due respect for religious formalities, involving devotees from…

Factum Special Perspective: Modi in Sri Lanka

Health and Economic Cooperation, Regional GeopoliticsApril 2, 2025368Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to land in Sri Lanka on Friday, April 4. Over the next two days he is expected to engage with the Sri Lankan government over several agreements and pacts, encompassing trade, health, education, energy, and of course defense. News reports point to six agreements in…

Factum Perspective: Decolonisation Delayed – The Ongoing Struggle for the Chagos Islands

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, History and Culture, Maritime Security, Regional GeopoliticsMarch 30, 2025389Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Hannes Romare Exclusive to Factum from EPIS Thinktank on Foreign and Security Policy The Chagos Islands, or The British Indian Ocean Territory? Is the Chagos archipelago a part of Mauritius or does it belong to the United Kingdom? These questions will soon get a definite answer as a deal on the status of the…

Factum Perspective: Starlink in the Global South

Peace and Conflict, Science and Technology, Tech Cooperation, UncategorizedMarch 23, 2025340Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Brayan Jayawardhana Two weeks ago, on March 10, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sirkorski took to X to respond to Elon Musk’s claim that Ukraine’s “entire front line” would collapse if he turned Starlink off. Sirkorski, who seemed agitated if not angry, tweeted that Poland was paying for Starlink’s use in Ukraine, and that if…

Factum Perspective: Duterte Under Arrest

Peace and ConflictMarch 16, 2025682Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Jayson Cainglet At 09:20 (Manila Time) on the morning of March 11, 2025, the Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court served an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity on former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. 14 hours later, the plane that would bring Mr Duterte to the Hague in the Netherlands left the country,…

Factum Perspective: From Foreign Aid to Local Solutions – Can Sri Lanka Fill the USAID Gap?

International DevelopmentMarch 10, 2025409Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Niruni de Mel Imagine a rural community in Sri Lanka where a once-thriving agricultural initiative suddenly comes to a halt. Farmers who relied on USAID-funded fertilizer support are left struggling, and a crucial supply chain begins to crumble. This is one example of the tangible impact of USAID’s withdrawal from Sri Lanka – a…