Health and Economic Cooperation – Page 4

Factum Perspective: IORA and Climate Change

Climate and environment, Health and Economic CooperationNovember 22, 2022850Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran Set up in 1997, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an inter-governmental organization aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It is also meant to help member countries meet the many challenges posed by climate change. The IORA has 23 Member States and…

Factum Special Perspective: Sri Lanka and Türkiye – Renewing an old friendship

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsNovember 4, 2022732Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya The Sri Lankan government has tasked the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute to conduct a review of the country’s foreign relations. While officials have not yet come out with details, the review is set to include a reconsideration of Sri Lanka’s ties with various countries, in light of recent international developments. The Executive Director…

Factum Perspective: Turkiye’s South Asia policy – An assessment

Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 24, 2022521Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran On the face of it, opting for “strategic autonomy” in a multi-polar world makes sense. It releases a country from the shackles of pre-existing alliances and enables it to take its decisions independently. It enables a country to navigate among antagonistic international groups and strike the best bilateral bargains. In the…

Factum Perspective: The IMF agreement is only the beginning of a tough journey

Health and Economic CooperationSeptember 26, 2022652Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran On September 1, Sri Lanka succeeded in arriving at a staff-level agreement with the IMF for an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of US$ 2.9 billion, spread over a four-year period. This facility was given following the submission of a credible plan for a thorough reform of the ruined economy by the…

Factum Perspective: Sri Lanka’s crisis and the dilemmas of small states

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsSeptember 12, 2022632Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya Sri Lanka’s economic woes have not cast a shadow over its complex foreign relations. On August 16, the southern port of Hambantota welcomed the Yuan Wang 5, a research vessel from China. While Colombo had asked for a deferral of the visit, it later relented and allowed the ship to dock until…

Factum Exclusive: Going QR – A quiet digital revolution in Sri Lanka

Health and Economic Cooperation, Tech CooperationSeptember 4, 20222KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya How one team came together to resolve Sri Lanka’s intractable fuel shortages On June 27, Sri Lankans woke up to some rather dismal news: the country had run out of fuel, and the government would limit stocks to essential services and industries for two weeks. The situation was so bad that the…

Factum Special Perspective: Taiwan – The Jewel of the West Pacific

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 28, 2022959Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Kusum Wijetilleke Following the first Sino-Japanese war in 1895, the Qing Dynasty ceded the island of Taiwan, creating Imperial Japan’s first colony. The Japanese had planned to create what it called a “model” colony, to showcase the benefits of “Japanization.” Roads and infrastructure were developed, as well as sanitation systems and a network of…

Factum Perspective: The 21st Century, an Asian Century?

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 21, 2022628Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Kaif Sally For some 500 years, the West dominated the course of history. The burning question now on the horizon is, how will the 21st century become an Asian one? The notion of an Asian led global order is not recent. According to British economist Angus Maddison, China, India, and Japan alone had a…

Factum Special Perspective: Spy ships in our waters

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 18, 2022662Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne A Chinese spy ship docking at the Hambantota Port has become news in Sri Lanka and India. Yet very few seem to be asking as to what exactly a spy ship is. Simply put, it is a ship dedicated for reconnaissance missions, especially electronic eavesdropping. A considerable number of countries…

Factum Perspective: The war in Ukraine – Five months on

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 15, 2022729Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Rathindra Kuruwita The war in Ukraine is in its fifth month. After a few initial setbacks, due to underestimations of Ukrainian morale, the accuracy of Western signals intelligence, and Putin’s desire to minimize casualties, it seems that Russia is en route to achieving its objectives. There’s no point discussing why Russia is winning. Russia…

Factum Perspective: Will Sri Lanka slip up over Russian oil?

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Regional GeopoliticsJuly 24, 2022721Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya Sri Lanka’s outgoing president* Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in one of his last acts as head of state took a long-delayed step of talking to his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin on the phone, to request desperately needed fuel supplies on credit. According to a post on his Twitter account on Wednesday (6) he…

Factum Perspective: A radical change to fix the economy

Health and Economic CooperationJuly 17, 2022745Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Sunil Abhayawardhane Though Sri Lanka’s economic crisis blew open this year, its origins can be traced back to 1948. It was due more to what was not done than to what was done: put simply, the result of the country’s failure to industrialize, to shift to manufacturing. Orthodox “mainstream” economics Since independence, economic policy…