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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: Anatomy of a protest

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJuly 11, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Courtesy of Dhananjaya Samarakoon By Uditha Devapriya Protest movements have historically been decided by economic factors, most prominently shortages, queues, and price hikes. The Arab Spring is an obvious case in point, but a better, more significant example would be the February Revolution in Russia, which was spurred by bread shortages. Left with nothing to lose,…

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: From “300” to the Ukraine

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJune 19, 20221KViews 1Like 0Comments

Manipulating Euro-Asian tensions in historiography and modern media By Vinod Moonesinghe Herodotus said that the Greeks retaliated to some Phoenicians kidnapping Io, an Argive princess, by kidnapping Europa, a Phoenician princess. These tit-for-tat abductions continued until Paris of Troy abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta. The Persians considered the heavy-handed Greek retaliation as the…

Factum Perspective: A Moment Waiting to Happen: The Collapse of Order?

Peace and ConflictJune 12, 20222KViews 1Like 0Comments

By Dr SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda It was only 10 o’clock at night. In an affluent residential suburb of Colombo, a car reversed slowly off the main road. Although it was still early, the road was empty, deserted and dark. The car backed steadily into a side lane. Close by was an abandoned restaurant. Inside there were…

After the storm: Flight SU-289 and Sri Lanka-Russia ties

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJune 7, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Cartoon by Awantha Artigala By Uditha Devapriya On June 2, the Commercial High Court of Colombo issued an enjoining order against Flight SU-289 over a lease matter, in effect preventing it from returning home. The flight had been handled by Aeroflot, the Russian airline at the center of a controversy over Western sanctions. The order had…

The fall of Anuradhapura and the lessons of history

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJune 5, 20223KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Professor Raj Somadeva The Pali Chronicles, namely the Mahavamsa and Culavamsa (written in the fifth century and 13th century CE respectively) do not celebrate all the kings of Sri Lanka, though they valorize quite a number of them. Very often they pin the blame for the disintegration of the State on those who ruled…

Factum Perspective: The case for a credible interim government in Sri Lanka

Peace and ConflictApril 3, 2022840Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Chandani Kirinde Sri Lanka is making international headlines once again. There are growing calls for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appoint an interim government to address the urgent economic problems faced by the people, after protestors approaching his residence over a fuel crisis, power cuts, food shortage and mounting inflation clashed with police on…

Factum Perspective: UNHRC and Sri Lanka: much ado to deliver nothing?

Peace and ConflictMarch 14, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Lahirru Pothmulla Thrust in economic woes, the ongoing 49th United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session has not been in local limelight as seen in previous years. But the human rights situation in Sri Lanka was once again a topic of concern at the ongoing hearings. To some Sri Lankans, this Council has been…

Factum Perspective: Is violence a permanent aspect of international relations?

Peace and ConflictMarch 6, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

“...right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must” - Thucydides, Book 5 By Lakna Paranamanna Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had the world divided into two groups. Those who condemned the move, who identified Russian attacks as…

Factum Perspective: Ukraine Crisis – End of NATO expansion and restoration of the “Russian World”

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsFebruary 27, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

“I am convinced that the true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible precisely in partnership with Russia. Our spiritual, human, civilizational ties have been formed for centuries, go back to the same sources, tempered by common trials, achievements and victories. Our kinship is passed down from generation to generation. It is in the hearts, in the memory of people…

Factum Perspective: Ukraine – A lone democracy fighting a nuclear state

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsFebruary 27, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By: Dr Ranga Kalansooriya and Omar Rajarathnam As of yesterday, nuclear state Russia for the third day bombarded sovereign and less powerful state Ukraine. The powerful Western democracies and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) states who vowed to stand with Ukraine are standing, not the way Ukraine and its people expected, but by issuing…