By Rathindra Kuruwita
On June 19, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera informed the media that giving the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) a monopoly over the oil industry was a mistake, adding that the government was taking steps to allow multinational oil companies to recommence operations in the country.
The Minister also…
By Muhammad Aftab Alam
Covid19-related restrictions have devasted the world’s most vulnerable economies. The situation has essentially worsened since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, crushing countries whose Gross Domestic Product depends on exports of single-source goods and services such as tourism, imports of essential goods such as fuel and gas, and sustained inflows…
By Dr M. Ganeshamoorthy
Facing its worst crisis since independence, Sri Lanka’s economy has only just begun to experience the repercussions of imprudent policymaking. The government’s announcement of the preemptive unilateral default of $51 billion announced last week has sent the country’s credit ratings catapulting. The closure of the stock exchange for five working…
By Shiran Illanperuma
The NATO-Russia conflict playing out in Ukraine has brought to the fore long-simmering international tensions. These include the role of the US Dollar as the global reserve currency, and the power of the US government to unilaterally exclude nations that challenge its dominance from international trade, by sanctions and bans from international…
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…
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…
By Dr R.H. S. Samaratunga
Discussions about Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves have made headlines in the past few months. What are foreign currency reserves and how does a country benefit from maintaining good forex reserves?
Forex reserves areforeign-currency deposits held by country’s central banks and/or monetary authorities. It also includes gold reserves, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and International Monetary…
By Vipula Wanigasekera
Sri Lanka tourism revenue has slumped from US $4.4 billion at the peak to almost nothing in 2020. Among the other worst hit foreign exchange earners were foreign remittance, apparel, and tea exports. A senior hotelier representing Sri Lanka’s tourism power brand Jetwing, claims losses of over Rs 2.5 billion in…
By Sarasi Paranamanna
The contentious principle of Right to Protect (R2P), was utilized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) most sanctimoniously in their intervention in Libya. Whether the principle was used as a result of opportunistic humanitarianism or was in a pragmatic sense is a debate for another day. But in the backdrop…