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

Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 9, 20241KViews 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, 2023142Views 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, 2023363Views 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, 2023229Views 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, 2023245Views 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, 2023591Views 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, 2023419Views 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, 2023122Views 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…

Factum Special Perspective: Rejuvenating Football in Sri Lanka

History and Culture, Sports DiplomacyAugust 16, 2023693Views 6Likes 1Comment

By Suhas Jayalath Sri Lanka has a growing but relatively small football culture. Widely considered the world’s most famous sport, football has faced its share of challenges in Sri Lanka. The history of Sri Lankan football goes back to the 20th century. Officially it was inaugurated and encouraged by British service members from the Royal…

Factum Perspective: An American in Kandy – Julia Child and Sri Lanka

History and CultureJuly 30, 2023517Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Chandani Kirinde Before Julia Child became the world-renowned chef, she had a less glamorous job working for the US government which brought her to Sri Lanka, to serve at the Headquarters of the Southeast Asia Command of the Allied Forces in Kandy in 1944. Then she was Julia McWilliams, a lanky young woman of…

Factum Special Perspective: Sri Lanka’s trilemma

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJuly 26, 2023418Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya Sri Lanka’s future lies in its ability to balance the three great powers in – and not of – the Indian Ocean: India, China, and the US, and in that order. Its dilemma has something to do with it being a small state, but more importantly with it being a small state…

Factum Perspective: Modi in the White House – The role of China in Indo-US relations

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJuly 9, 2023281Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran China’s aggressive posturing on the Sino-Indian border, its support to Pakistan-based anti-Indian Islamic terrorists, and its bid to encircle India in South Asia, are key factors pushing India into the waiting arms of the United States. But India is not entirely comfortable in the American embrace. And the reason, again, is…