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Factum Perspective: The Meaning of Bandung in our Times

History and Culture, International Development, Peace and ConflictMay 25, 2025285Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Ramindu Perera This year marks the 70th anniversary of the 1955 historic Afro-Asian Conference convened in the city of Bandung, Indonesia. The conference brought together delegates from 29 countries representing Asia and Africa. Most of them were newly independent states, having recently emerged from colonial rule. During the conference, delegates deliberated on the need…

Factum Special Perspective: The Politics and Geopolitics of Memory

Peace and ConflictMay 24, 202572Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya The response in Sri Lanka to the unveiling of a genocide monument in Brampton, Canada is predictable, but troubling. For its part the response of the government, led by a left-radical outfit which prided itself, before elections last year, on doing things differently, has opted for continuity from previous regimes. While there…

Factum Perspective: When Borders Boil, Rivers Run Dry – Kashmir Tensions Shake India-Pakistan Water Diplomacy

Climate and environment, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsMay 11, 2025172Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Lakmali Bhagya Manamperi On April 22, a deadly terrorist attack in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir, resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals, the majority of whom were Indian tourists. This marked the deadliest incident in the contested territory since the 2019 Pulwama bombing, where a suicide attack…

Factum Special Perspective: Tempting Escalation – After Operation Sindoor

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsMay 9, 2025189Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya With India and Pakistan baying for each other’s blood and the media in both countries, and particularly in India, beating war drums, it would be futile to expect a lessening of tensions overnight. The problem is that this is not the world of 2016 or 2019: when disputes between the two countries…

Factum Perspective: Pope Francis and the Compassionate Papacy

Peace and ConflictMay 4, 2025177Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Dulmi Thimansa Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the late Pope Francis, was born on December 16, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the son of Italian immigrants who had settled in Argentina in search of a better life. After completing his secondary education, he pursued studies to become a chemical technician and worked for a…

Factum Perspective: India and Pakistan – The Razor’s Edge

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsApril 27, 2025186Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya Last week’s attacks in Kashmir have left India and Pakistan in a tangled web. More than anything, there remains a big question mark over the future of their relations with each other and the impact this is bound to have on South Asia and the wider geopolitics of Asia. The attacks in…

Factum Perspective: Facing the Far Right – Rethinking Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy

Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and ConflictApril 20, 2025281Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Nimendra Mawalagedara The recently imposed US tariffs on Sri Lanka are not merely an economic challenge - they are a signal of a transformation in the contemporary global political landscape. These tariffs should not be understood merely as trade measures, but also as political symbols that reflect the Trump administration’s broader diplomatic style, characterized…

Factum Perspective: Katchatheevu and the Indian Media – Some Candid Reflections

Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional Geopolitics, UncategorizedApril 6, 2025296Views 2Likes 0Comments

By Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna (Retd.) The St Anthony’s Church festival in Katchatheevu recently wrapped up for the year. As has been the case for the past many years, both Sri Lankan and Indian Central governments worked hard to ensure that the festival took place with due respect for religious formalities, involving devotees from…

Factum Perspective: Starlink in the Global South

Peace and Conflict, Science and Technology, Tech Cooperation, UncategorizedMarch 23, 2025385Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Brayan Jayawardhana Two weeks ago, on March 10, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sirkorski took to X to respond to Elon Musk’s claim that Ukraine’s “entire front line” would collapse if he turned Starlink off. Sirkorski, who seemed agitated if not angry, tweeted that Poland was paying for Starlink’s use in Ukraine, and that if…

Factum Perspective: Duterte Under Arrest

Peace and ConflictMarch 16, 2025758Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Jayson Cainglet At 09:20 (Manila Time) on the morning of March 11, 2025, the Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court served an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity on former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. 14 hours later, the plane that would bring Mr Duterte to the Hague in the Netherlands left the country,…

Factum Perspective: From Ceasefire to Lasting Peace?

Peace and ConflictFebruary 9, 2025346Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Dulmi Thimansa After 15 months of relentless conflict between Israel and Palestine, a much-anticipated ceasefire agreement was reached last month. The agreement was announced by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, alongside two US Presidents, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The ceasefire commenced on January 15, following its approval by…

Factum Perspective: Putting Jimmy Carter in Perspective

History and Culture, Peace and ConflictFebruary 2, 2025314Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Aakil Riyaz Jimmy Carter Jr., the 39th President of the US, was born on October 1, 1924. He stands out in American history as the longest-living former president. Carter’s accession to the Oval Office in 1977 came after a decisive victory over Gerald Ford, which marked a rupture in US politics. Carter’s presidency was…