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International Development

Factum Perspective: Child Labor in Sri Lanka – A Stolen Childhood and an Uncertain Future

By Britney Martil In the serene landscapes of Sri Lanka, a dark reality persists beneath the surface, where the laughter of children is silenced by exploitation and deprivation. The term “child labor” takes on an alarming interpretation since it refers to employment that destroys the innocence of childhood and jeopardizes their potential and dignity. Child…

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Factum Perspective: Putting de-dollarization in perspective

By Rumeth Jayasinghe “Our country is crashing and will soon no longer be the world standard, which will be our greatest defeat frankly in 200 years. There will be no defeat like that will take us away from being even a great power.” Donald Trump In its simplest sense, de-dollarization refers to the global shift…

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Factum Perspective: Ranil Wickremesinghe’s mission to New Delhi

By Uditha Devapriya On July 2 and 3, Factum held its first Ambassadors’ Day at the Kataragama Esala Perahera. The event was attended by the Bangladeshi High Commissioner and the First Secretary to the Maldivian High Commission on the first day, and the Thai Ambassador on the second, which coincided with the final night of…

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Factum Special Perspective: Politics, economics, and S. B. D. de Silva

By Kanishka Goonewardena “Capitalism is nothing if not the displacement of politics by economics.” This provocation by Fredric Jameson, the leading Marxist critic in the US, offers a fine insight with which to aim for some clarity amidst the confusion concerning the present crisis of Sri Lanka – which the Aragalaya has revealed, but…

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Factum Special Perspective: The BRICS Bank and Multipolar Multilateralism

By Sanja de Silva Jayatilleka South Africa will be hosting the 15th BRICS summit this year from August 22 to 24, under the theme “Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism.” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing his National Assembly in this context, said that a strategic priority for his country was…

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Factum Perspective: Central Bank Digital Currencies and Emerging Economies – Part II

Read Part I of this article here. By Kasun Thilina Kariyawasam In general, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) can help businesses and individuals engage in international trade and investment, by providing a stable, regulated, and transparent currency that mitigates some of the risks associated with cross-border transactions. CBDCs for firms A CBDC can help…

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Factum Perspective: The road ahead for Emerging Markets

By Kasun Thilina Kariyawasam “The dollar is our currency, but it's your problem.” John Connally, US Treasury Secretary, 1971 In the post-COVID global economy, Emerging Markets were hit with a double-whammy downward spiral. Even prior to the pandemic, Emerging Markets (EMs) were struggling with high inflation, lack of investment, unemployment, and other issues. Then COVID-19…

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

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…

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Factum Special Perspective: “Completely friendly” – The history of Türkiye-Sri Lanka relations

Statue of Alâeddin Keykûbad / Wikimedia Commons By Vinod Moonesinghe The country we now know as Türkiye has a long history, holding within its borders the remains of the world’s first city, Çatalhöyük. Our knowledge of much of ancient foreign relations comes from the records of the Hittite empire, based at Hattusa. The great city of…

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