Factum Perspectives – Page 9

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

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 11, 2022550Views 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, 2022451Views 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, 2021507Views 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, 2021442Views 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, 2021469Views 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, 20212KViews 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, 2021732Views 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…

Factum Perspective – Speech lessons for Lankan leaders from Barbados PM

International DevelopmentNovember 21, 2021573Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Omar Rajarathnam Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley address the COP26 World Leaders Summit in Glasgow 2021 Sri Lankan leaders in recent times have often struggled to effectively advocate for the country’s interest at international forums. The likes of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, J.R. Jayewardene and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga during the…

Factum Perspective – Can the West make a difference in Afghanistan

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsNovember 19, 2021554Views 0Likes 0Comments

The return of the Taliban & the future of Afghanistan, Can the west make a difference? By Rathindra Kuruwita and Rikaza Hassan The fate of Afghanistan is still up for grabs by the west, but the clock is ticking … fast. The international community watched with a mix of shock, horror and awe as…

Factum Perspective – Has cricket prevented Asia’s nuclear war?

Peace and ConflictNovember 7, 2021492Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Vindana Ariyawansa For centuries, competitive sports have been an integral part of human life and society. The evolution of professional sports has paved way for the lucrative club culture in football and basketball. In Cricket, the second most widely played game in the world, matches between countries are most popular and have carry political…

Factum Perspective: Taliban choking on its own fruit

Peace and ConflictOctober 31, 2021489Views 0Likes 0Comments

By M.S.M Ayub Caption - A member of the Taliban walks passed defaced images of women Taliban which captured power in Afghanistan on August 15 after 26 years of fighting from the caves and sacrificing thousands of their cadres maybe thinking what a cakewalk that was in comparison to the governance challenges it has faced…