Factum LK – Factum

Factum Perspective: Out of the abyss and into BRICS

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 27, 2024474Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Shiran Illanperuma From October 22 to 24, the 16th BRICS summit was held in Kazan, Russia. Alongside the core group members of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, this year saw the formal addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. During the summit, another 13 countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand,…

Factum screens “Democracy in Debt: Sri Lanka Beyond the Headlines”

Press ReleaseJuly 25, 2024152Views 0Likes 0Comments

Colombo City Centre July 25, 2024 The inaugural international screening of "Democracy in Debt: Sri Lanka Beyond the Headlines", directed by Beena Sarwar (Sapan News Network and Southasia Peace Action Network) with a grant from the Pulitzer Center and institutional facilitation by Fact, took place on July 25, 2024 at the Colombo City Centre. The…

Factum Perspective: The Future of India-Sri Lanka Economic Relations

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Regional GeopoliticsJune 16, 2024873Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Rumeth Jayasinghe “Blood is thicker than water. It was natural for India to see what it could do to stand by Sri Lanka at this very difficult time” S. Jaishankar Sri Lanka’s relations with India go back a long way. The first inklings of trade consolidated economic, cultural, and religious ties in both countries.…

Factum Perspective: What Raisi’s Death Means

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsMay 26, 2024287Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Nilanthan Niruthan The unexpected and tragic death of Ebrahim Raisi reveals the true brutality of geopolitics. While basic compassion dictates that we mourn the loss of human life first, almost all the media coverage on his death has focused instead on the political ramifications of the tragedy. Although unfortunate, this is also inevitable. Iran…

Factum Special Perspective: Houthis, the Red Sea, and Sri Lankan Politics

Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 9, 20242KViews 2Likes 0Comments

By Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna (Retd) Naval assets are tools through which a country’s geopolitical standing is constantly being tested – especially in contested waters. After Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, the US promptly dispatched two carrier battle groups to the Gulf and the Mediterranean. The purpose was to…

Factum orientation on Sri Lanka’s foreign policy for International Students of the University of Colombo

Press ReleaseNovember 9, 2023276Views 0Likes 0Comments

Factum, Colombo November 8, 2023 Factum, an Asia and Asia-Pacific focused think-tank on International Relations, conducted an orientation on Sri Lanka's foreign policy for students from Yunnan University, China at the University of Colombo on November 9. The session was conducted by Factum's Co-Founder Omar Rajarathnam and Chief Analyst - International Relations Uditha Devapriya. The…

Factum Perspective: India’s calculation on the UNGA resolution on Gaza goes awry

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsNovember 5, 2023518Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran India’s abstention from the UN General Assembly (UNGA) vote late last month on a Jordanian resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in the war in Gaza has put it in an awkward position vis-à-vis the Global South and its neighbours, which are its core constituencies. Finding itself isolated New Delhi issued…

Factum Special Perspective: Global Scholarships, Geopolitical Strife

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 25, 2023430Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Vinod Moonesinghe Growing US security concerns about China's rapid technological progress have led to increased scrutiny of academic programs involving China or Chinese scholars. This has led to the resignation of experts such as Denis Simon from the University of North Carolina, who left due to restrictive government policies. Simon complains about university fears…

Factum Special Perspective: Online Safety or Muzzling Online Free Speech?

Science and Technology, Tech CooperationOctober 19, 2023408Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Muhammad Aftab Alam A review of Proposed Legislation in Pakistan and Sri Lanka In September 2023, the Sri Lankan government introduced an Online Safety Bill to establish an “Online Safety Commission”, the purported objective being “to prevent the use of online accounts and inauthentic online accounts for prohibited purposes and to suppress the financing…

Factum Perspective: When a book by a Mossad Officer led to a Commission of Inquiry in Sri Lanka

History and Culture, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 15, 2023999Views 1Like 0Comments

By Chandani Kirinde While successive Sri Lankan governments have recognised the right of the Palestinian people to independent statehood, based on relevant United Nations resolutions, its relations with the State of Israel have been less than consistent. Sri Lanka established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2000, but relations between the two have historically vacillated depending…

Factum Foreign Policy Review: A Vision for a New Sri Lanka

PublicationsSeptember 27, 2023622Views 0Likes 0Comments

Incorporating public consultations and interviews with key officials, including members of the Armed Forces and Diplomatic Service, "Factum Foreign Policy Review: A Vision for a New Sri Lanka" examines the problems with Sri Lanka's foreign policy and what the country must do to improve, across six thematic areas. Factum Foreign Policy Review: A Vision…

Launch of “Factum Foreign Policy Review: A Vision for a New Sri Lanka”

Press ReleaseSeptember 20, 2023353Views 0Likes 0Comments

Colombo, Sri Lanka September 19, 2023 Factum, an Asia and Asia-Pacific think-tank on foreign policy, tech cooperation, and strategic communications based in Sri Lanka, launched its debut publication, “Factum Foreign Policy Review: A Vision for a New Sri Lanka”, on September 19 at the Lighthouse Auditorium and Lawns in Colombo 7. The publication, undertaken by…