Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy – Page 3

Factum Perspective: Ranilism in foreign policy

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 7, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Dr Ranga Kalansooriya When Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s views on the resultant crisis differed somewhat from other MPs. Holding the one and only seat allocated to his party in Parliament, Wickremesinghe argued that Ukraine had antagonized Russia without seeking a peaceful diplomatic solution, and that the West played a…

Factum Perspective: The US agenda in Bangladesh

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 1, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran The US agenda in developing countries seems for many a matter of raking up human rights issues, fostering civil unrest, and forcing weak governments to sign defense deals to counter China’s growing influence. In South Asia, this tactic is being applied in Bangladesh, a fiercely independent-minded country under the leadership of…

Factum Perspective: The economic aspect of foreign relations in South Asia

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJuly 3, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

All South Asian countries, not just Sri Lanka, are facing economic problems such as a shortage of essentials commodities, rising inflation, fall in the value of the local currency against the US dollar, and social and political unrest triggered by economic issues. Only the intensity varies. The roots of these domestic problems lie both in…

Factum Perspective: Indo-China influence – Which way foreign policy for Sri Lanka?

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Regional GeopoliticsFebruary 19, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya During a recent visit to New Delhi, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris stated that Sri Lankans “increasingly recognise” India as a true friend. Peiris thanked India for offering much-needed assistance to the tune of USD 2.4 billion, emphasising cooperation in areas like energy security and air and sea connectivity…

Multilateralism in the Indo-Pacific and Maritime Domain Awareness

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Maritime SecurityFebruary 19, 20222KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By LP A pilot project named PROTEUS introduced by the United States Naval Research Laboratory is the U.S. government’s latest addition in its arsenal of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) programs. Multiple government and private agencies are already engaged in the integrated system that facilitates heightened MDA capabilities[1]. The advent of PROTEUS reiterates the importance of…

Factum Perspective: India lends bigger hand to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis amid ratings downgrade

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 16, 20222KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Shihar Aneez and Omar Rajarathnam A day without power cuts is now a breaking news story in Sri Lanka which is facing precarious economic instability. The common citizen is unsure what to make of the financial chaos with its government running low on dollars and money to run the country. Excessive money printing…

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

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Regional GeopoliticsJanuary 11, 20221KViews 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, 20221KViews 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 – Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy since independence, which leader did it best?

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 12, 20213KViews 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 – Are corporate giants above nation states?

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific PolicyNovember 27, 20211KViews 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 – Can the West make a difference in Afghanistan

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsNovember 19, 20211KViews 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: China upping people-to-people diplomacy in Sri Lanka

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific PolicyAugust 1, 20212KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Omar Rajarathnam China is a rising public diplomacy power. With infinite money to project its image, it deploys West-based social media platforms to amplify people-to-people ties in democracies world over including Sri Lanka. Reciprocity is a key aspect of diplomacy, but not in this case because in China access to social media platforms hailing…