Factum Perspectives – Page 6

Multilateralism in the Indo-Pacific and Maritime Domain Awareness

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Maritime SecurityFebruary 19, 2022483Views 0Likes 0Comments

By LP A pilot project named PROTEUS introduced by the United States Naval Research Laboratory is the U.S. government’s latest addition in its arsenal of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) programs. Multiple government and private agencies are already engaged in the integrated system that facilitates heightened MDA capabilities[1]. The advent of PROTEUS reiterates the importance of…

Factum Perspective: Russia vs. Ukraine: New Avatar of the Cold War

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 29, 2022434Views 0Likes 0Comments

By M.S.M.Ayub Tensions between Russia and its neighbor Ukraine is not a manifestation of a clash between the security interests of the two nations. It is indeed the current avatar of the old Cold War that many believe had ceased after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Is there a danger of Russia invading…

Factum Perspective: U.S.-Russia conflict over Ukraine unnecessary

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 24, 2022441Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Chamara Sumanapala The media has given credence to U.S. government speculation that Russia is looking to violate Ukraine’s sovereign borders. Western sanctions will be a factor in deterring such action and Russia has several advantages in turning the heat up on the issue for various interests. One thing almost certain, it is unlikely…

Factum Perspective: India lends bigger hand to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis amid ratings downgrade

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 16, 2022577Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Shihar Aneez and Omar Rajarathnam A day without power cuts is now a breaking news story in Sri Lanka which is facing precarious economic instability. The common citizen is unsure what to make of the financial chaos with its government running low on dollars and money to run the country. Excessive money printing…

Is Sri Lanka thrusting itself in the middle of a Churchill trap?

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 11, 2022407Views 0Likes 0Comments

By LP Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s arrival in Sri Lanka last evening (8) comes at one of the most politically tumultuous times in Sri Lanka’s history. As the forex crisis deepens and over half of Sri Lanka’s gold reserves emptied, there is hope the Chinese will offer much needed assistance to relieve the pressure…

Factum Perspective: Lanka-Sino ties and criteria for ‘win-win’ economic diplomacy

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic CooperationJanuary 1, 2022369Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Shiran Illanperuma China has long emphasized that its outward investment via the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is based on the principle of “win-win”. This is to say that Chinese investment is geared towards mutual benefit, and should not veer too far into the extremes of charity on the one hand, and exploitation…

Factum Perspective – China still Myanmar’s game changer

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 29, 2021366Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Dr Ranga Kalansooriya A makeshift hospital of PDF in the fighting areas Aerial bombings, burning civilian villages and mass killings have now become a common feature in Junta-led Myanmar, mainly in the areas what pro-democratic forces call as ‘Liberated Areas.’ Air strikes by Myanmar military have intensified for the past few weeks near the Myanmar-Thailand…

Factum Perspective: Pop, cricket and the role of culture in international politics

International Development, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 25, 2021333Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Chamara Sumanapala On November 30, 2021, the Caribbean island nation of Barbados became a republic, shedding its last constitutional ties to the British Crown. On that occasion, Barbados named a new national hero, Robyn Rihanna Fenty – the globally acclaimed pop star which created a wider debate on the criteria for a national…

Factum Perspective – Will Pakistan-Sri Lanka ties survive Sialkot killing?

Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 20, 2021303Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Kamran Rehmat - Islamabad The ghastly lynching of Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan manager at the Rajco textile factory in Silakot, which reportedly supplied the kits for the Pakistan cricket team at the recently concluded T20 World Cup, sent tremors across Sri Lanka and Pakistan. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Imran Khan…

Factum Perspective – Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy since independence, which leader did it best?

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 12, 20211KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Chandani Kirinde Cartoon by W.R. Wijesoma – Published 50 Years in Cartoon 1948-1977 For a small island nation like Sri Lanka, tiding over the turbulent world of international relations hasn’t been an easy task since independence. Much of the success stories in foreign affairs have depended on the country's leaders and the direction in which they…

Factum Perspective – Killing of Sri Lankan in Pakistan – Leaders must deliver on citizen calls for justice

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 5, 20211KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Arjuna Ranawana A Sri Lankan General Manager of a leading garment manufacturer in the city of Sialkot in Pakistan’s industrial heartland has been lynched and his remains burned. Prime Minister Imran Khan termed the incident a ‘’shame’’ to his nation. Priyantha Kumara, the victim, was in his forties and had been in Pakistan…

Factum Perspective – Are corporate giants above nation states?

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific PolicyNovember 27, 2021599Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Sarasi Paranamanna The vessel, Hippo Spirit carrying Chinese fertilizer from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd is still looming around Sri Lankan waters much like the inclement weather these days. Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage has stated that Qingdao Seawin has agreed to take back the fertilizer shipment which has caused much contention and…