Factum LK – Factum

Promises vs. Actions: Why Sri Lanka’s proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTA) is facing heavy resistance

International Development, Peace and Conflict4 hours ago57Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Jagath Liyanarachchi and Kavinu Weerakkody For decades, Sri Lanka has debated the human rights violations and restrictions on individual freedom tied to the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA). The repeal of the PTA was a key election pledge of the current government led by the National People’s Power…

Sri Lanka’s Elections in a Machine-Mediated Age: Assessing GenAI-Related Risksto Electoral Integrity

PublicationsOctober 18, 202659Views 0Likes 0Comments

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Beyond Formal Campaigning: Political Influencers in Sri Lanka’s 2024 Parliamentary Election

PublicationsOctober 18, 202661Views 0Likes 0Comments

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From National Champions to Public Owners: What Dangote’s IPO Means for the Global South

Economic DiplomacyOctober 11, 2026175Views 2Likes 0Comments

Mark Dekpe Dangote’s “People’s IPO” widens access to a major African enterprise. Yet national belonging, share ownership, corporate control, and wealth redistribution are not the same. Across Africa and South Asia, large companies are often presented as symbols of national development and economic sovereignty. Their significance will depend on whether public identification becomes durable material…

Meet the Newest Player in International Conflict Mediation – Pakistan

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 4, 2026262Views 0Likes 0Comments

Shaheen Abdul Gani and Salma Razick For much of the post-Cold War era, international conflict resolution was largely a Western enterprise. The United States, its allies and the United Nations remained the principal brokers of peace, from the Camp David Accords to the Dayton Agreement, relying on diplomatic influence, economic leverage and security guarantees. Today, however, that landscape…

Myths and realities of Sri Lanka’s proposed ban on raw mineral exports: What would it take for Sri Lanka to add value to its minerals?

Economic Diplomacy, Science and TechnologySeptember 27, 2026690Views 0Likes 0Comments

Hasarel Gallage Sri Lanka's new National Mineral Policy presents a zealous ambition. By calling for a ban on exporting minerals without value addition, it provides an appealing target to maximise Sri Lanka’s profits earned from its mineral resources. But a closer look beyond the buzzwords reveals a more complicated picture marred by industrial realities and…

Balancing Powers: A New Direction for Bangladesh’s Foreign Policy

Economic Diplomacy, International Development, Regional GeopoliticsSeptember 20, 2026457Views 0Likes 0Comments

Kawsar Mia and Abdul Momen Bangladesh should stop treating foreign policy as a choice between rival camps. A more durable strategy is to build a diversified portfolio of partnerships, using different countries for trade, technology, connectivity, labour mobility and finance, while keeping strategic dependence on any single power to a minimum. Foreign Policy Should Be…

The Soft Power Paradox: Why Russia’s Global Appeal Remains Limited

History and CultureSeptember 13, 2026442Views 2Likes 0Comments

By Menuka Wijesinghe Soft power, a relatively new concept coined by Joseph Nye in the late 1980s, is the state's ability to influence and shape another's preferences and values through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or force. In current international relations discourse, it is evident that global powers such as China and emerging powers…

Towards an Integrated Maritime Domain Awareness Framework for Sri Lanka

Maritime Security, Regional GeopoliticsSeptember 6, 2026895Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Roshelle Fernando Maritime Domain Awareness emerges as a vital enabler for maritime security. Both littoral and non-littoral states have become increasingly interested and taken strategic steps to promote the monitoring, regulation, and defence of the maritime interests. For Sri Lanka maritime domain awareness is utmost importance, especially since its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)…

Sri Lanka’s Critical Minerals: Navigating a Contested Geopolitical Landscape

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Maritime Security, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 30, 2026957Views 0Likes 0Comments

Hasarel Gallage In June 2026, Sri Lanka launched its new National Mineral Policy, branded as the country's first attempt in 27 years to streamline its mineral industry. The policy is expected to develop the domestic mineral industry to yield deeper economic gains by integrating Sri Lanka's mineral sector with the growing global race for critical…

From Precarity to Modern Slavery: What Sri Lanka Needs to Know

Economic DiplomacyAugust 23, 2026349Views 1Like 0Comments

By Gayani Samarakoon Precarious work remains a major global concern despite strong legal frameworks and multi-stakeholder initiatives such as International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to promote decent work. Yet new, increasingly insecure forms of work continue to emerge. In Sri Lanka, platform work, operating…

Beyond Celebration: Indigenous Peoples and the Decolonization of Knowledge

History and CultureAugust 16, 2026897Views 5Likes 0Comments

By Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni Celebrating Indigenous peoples without their knowledge systems is not a celebration. Taking the UN's 2026 theme on Indigenous midwives as its departure point, this piece argues that knowledge was a colonial technology, that the epistemic line is being redrawn in AI training data, and that cognitive sovereignty is urgent policy.…