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Factum Perspectives: 10 Takeaways from the Israel-US attacks on Iran

Peace and ConflictMarch 1, 2026165Views 1Like 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya Given that these are early hours, it is perhaps wise not to make too many predictions about what the day after this latest round of attacks on Iran will look like. As of the writing of this article, we know two things: the spate of attacks and counterattacks, and confirmation from Iranian…

Factum Perspectives: The Algorithm of Discontent: Clickbait Democracy and the Cultivation of the Sri Lankan Voter (2015–2024)

Science and TechnologyFebruary 22, 2026215Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Gobinath Ponnuthurai Abstract This paper examines the radical transformation of the Sri Lankan voter’s mindset from 2015 to 2024, specifically focusing on the erosion of ideological political anchors in favour of “action-oriented” viralism. By analyzing the electoral cycles of 2015, 2019, and 2024, the study illustrates how social media—driven by clickbait and rage-bait—has shortened the electorate’s attention span…

Factum Perspective: From Atlanticism to Ambiguity: Europe’s Eastern Pivot

International DevelopmentFebruary 15, 2026193Views 1Like 0Comments

By Sasindi Fernando When Belgium’s De Wever confirmed that the U.S. was an ally but had to ‘behave like an ally’ at the WEF in Davos earlier this year, he was not simply lamenting the fraying of a strategic partnership, but a structural divergence of priorities within the transatlantic bond. Europe was still reeling…

Factum Perspective: The Great Realignment: Why Trump’s “America First” is Driving the West into China’s Embrace

International DevelopmentFebruary 8, 2026212Views 1Like 0Comments

By Bihandu De Silva For nearly eighty years, the bedrock of global stability was a series of predictable, if sometimes strained, alliances centered on Washington. To be an ally of the United States was to participate in a shared legal and economic ecosystem - a world defined by the "rules-based order." However, as the second Trump administration settled into power, that…

Factum Perspectives: Sovereignty on Sale: Trump, Greenland, and the Unmasking of Superpower Ambition

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsFebruary 1, 2026328Views 1Like 0Comments

By Zeenath Ayub In the 21st century, a global landscape seemingly long removed from the era of imperialist expansion has been jolted by a sudden revival of old-world territorial ambitions. This shift was brought into sharp focus by the explicit interest of US President Donald Trump in the Arctic island of Greenland – a move that challenged modern…

Factum Perspectives: Ratification to Readiness: What the BBNJ Treaty Means for Sri Lanka’s Ocean Governance

Maritime Security, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 25, 2026336Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Aakil Riyaz The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement entered into force on 17 January 2026, marking a significant shift in how the international community governs Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). For a littoral state such as Sri Lanka, whose economy, environment, and maritime security are intertwined with the Indian Ocean, the agreement goes…

Factum Perspective: When Conflict Becomes Routine: Structural Complacency in South Asia

History and Culture, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 18, 2026474Views 2Likes 0Comments

Written by Tarun Perera South Asia is routinely portrayed as one of the world’s most unstable regions, due to it being the location of nuclear rivalry, a hotspot for radicalized militant groups, and a geopolitical landscape where some of the most intractable territorial disputes in modern international politics remain unresolved. Despite the frequent escalation dynamics and internal…

Factum Perspective: When Caracas Echoes in Taipei

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 11, 2026244Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Gargi Wickramasinghe Shockwaves rippled across Caracas, when news broke of Operation Absolute Resolve. But the tremor did not stay there. It began travelling outward, across the Caribbean and the Pacific until it hit perhaps the most precarious geopolitical fault line in our region: the Taiwan Strait. The United States had demonstrated in the starkest possible way, that when it believes its strategic interests are at stake, it will act unilaterally, without waiting…

Factum Special Perspective: Venezuela Shows Us What Comes Next

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 9, 2026224Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Gargi Wickramasinghe In the morning after the removal of Venezuela’s disgraced President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. special forces, an emotional Chavista woman protesting in the streets of Caracas was filmed saying: “Stay alert because they are not coming for us. They are coming for our oil - and they are coming for you too.” Her warning carried the weight of history: “Understand this -what they want…

Factum Special Perspective: U.S. Actions Signal End of Rules Based Order

Peace and ConflictJanuary 8, 2026327Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Dinouk Colombage If the U.S. can justify the military intervention and deposition of Venezuela’s President, citing national security concerns, then Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine under a similar concern now stands validated. When U.S. President Donald Trump deployed a naval blockade on Venezuela in December 2024, few would have imagined that in less than…

Factum Special Perspective: Venezuela and the Future of the BRI in Latin America

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 6, 2026538Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Shiran Illanperuma For Venezuelans, the new year began with the US illegally bombing its civilian infrastructure and kidnapping democratically elected President Nicholas Maduro and First Lady Cillian Flores. Hours before the attack, President Maduro met with a Chinese delegation sent by President Xi Jinping. This delegation included Special Envoy for Latin America and the Caribbean Qiu Xiaoqi, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Latin…

Factum Perspective: Why Venezuela matters to the Global South

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 4, 2026347Views 0Likes 0Comments

By J. Abeywickrema Who rules when rules disappear? A single man and a small circle of his closest aides, unknown even to the House of Congress, took it upon themselves to attack a sovereign nation, seize its Head of State and assume control over its administration; and the world is apparently expected to accept this as normal. At a carefully choreographed post event media appearance, US President Donald…