Factum Perspectives – Page 12

Factum Perspective: Travel Bubble amid vaccine politics the only way out for tourism

Health and Economic CooperationSeptember 5, 2021519Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Vipula Wanigasekera Sri Lanka tourism revenue has slumped from US $4.4 billion at the peak to almost nothing in 2020. Among the other worst hit foreign exchange earners were foreign remittance, apparel, and tea exports. A senior hotelier representing Sri Lanka’s tourism power brand Jetwing, claims losses of over Rs 2.5 billion in…

Factum Perspective: The Responsibility to Protect during a global pandemic

Health and Economic CooperationAugust 29, 2021816Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Sarasi Paranamanna The contentious principle of Right to Protect (R2P), was utilized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) most sanctimoniously in their intervention in Libya. Whether the principle was used as a result of opportunistic humanitarianism or was in a pragmatic sense is a debate for another day. But in the backdrop…

Factum Perspective: Two Super Power Scripts Ruining Asian Democracy

Peace and ConflictAugust 22, 20211KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Dr Ranga Kalansooriya Mullah Baradar of Taliban tipped to become the Supreme Spiritual Leader of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Six months ago, the people of Myanmar took to the streets of Yangon against its military junta that toppled a democratically elected government and jailed an elected leader - Aung Saan Suu Kyi. Now,…

Factum Perspective: Kadirgamar strategically infused professionalism into the Foreign Service

Regional GeopoliticsAugust 15, 2021548Views 1Like 0Comments

By Seevali The Government of Sri Lanka is planning to bring in professionals into the Foreign Service from various fields, mainly from some selected corporate entities. The last project carried out during the tenure of late Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister in the 90s, under President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga aimed to achieve…

Factum Perspective: China’s Communist and ‘The Industrial Party’

Regional GeopoliticsAugust 8, 20211KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Rathindra Kuruwita Many assume that the Chinese Community Party (CCP) combs the country’s social media platforms in search of critical content with the intention of putting people under house arrest. And of course, sometimes bloggers and message board theorists do get placed in house arrest; however, more often the CCP does this to know…

Factum Perspective: China upping people-to-people diplomacy in Sri Lanka

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific PolicyAugust 1, 2021862Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Omar Rajarathnam China is a rising public diplomacy power. With infinite money to project its image, it deploys West-based social media platforms to amplify people-to-people ties in democracies world over including Sri Lanka. Reciprocity is a key aspect of diplomacy, but not in this case because in China access to social media platforms hailing…

Factum Perspective: New Afghanistan: Democracy, not Empire is the answer

Regional GeopoliticsJuly 25, 2021745Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Adnan Rehmat from Islamabad and Omar Rajarathnam from Colombo Not all military interventions in modern times have happy endings, but the climax currently playing out in Afghanistan has an unprecedented twist. The country is at imminent risk of undoing its state-building gains of the last twenty years as a representative polity aligned with the…

Factum Perspective: Khashoggi Killing – when economic diplomacy gave accountability a pass

Regional GeopoliticsJuly 18, 2021599Views 0Likes 0Comments

By M.S.M.Ayub In October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who penned columns critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the world-renowned Washington Post was killed and dismembered by operatives loyal to the prince in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. The democratic power centres were backward in holding the prince accountable. In February…

Factum Perspective: Myanmar – Asia’s Syria in the Making?

Peace and ConflictJuly 10, 20211KViews 1Like 0Comments

By Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya Credit - Than Lwin Khat Passing out ceremony of a newly trained platoon of Peoples Defence Force in Myanmar Jungles on 25 June 2021. The training provided by ethnic armed organizations Myanmar is sitting on a time bomb. A rapidly changing political fabric following the 1 February 2021 military takeover which most…