Peace and Conflict – Page 2

Factum Perspective: Lions, enchantresses, and princesses – The Mythic DNA of the Sinhalese Origin Story

History and Culture, Peace and ConflictAugust 3, 2025962Views 0Likes 0Comments

Vinod Moonesinghe The chapters relating to the Sinhalese settlement of Sri Lanka in the Mahavamsa have sparked debates over its historicity, often polarising scholars. However, neither side understands the text as a historical narrative interwoven with mythological elements, reflecting broader Indo-European traditions. It should be remembered that the author of the Mahavamsa (like the slightly…

Factum Perspective: International Humanitarian Law and the “Norms” of War

Peace and ConflictJuly 13, 2025778Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya The International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICRC, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1863. The organization is now more than 162 years old. A three-time Nobel Peace Prize Laureate – in 1917, 1944, 1963 – it operates in over 100 countries. It is not just a neutral umpire during times…

Factum Perspective: Caught in the Crossfire – Sri Lanka Amid the India-Pakistan Conflict

History and Culture, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJuly 6, 20251KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Hirun Matheesha Two months ago, Sri Lanka found itself in a particularly delicate diplomatic position as a result of the sharp rise in tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attacks. Sri Lanka has long taken pride in remaining non-aligned with rival regional powers. Yet throughout its modern history, it has been caught…

Factum Perspective: Can Israel Sustain a Long War Against Iran?

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJune 22, 2025780Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Vinod Moonesinghe On June 13, 2025, Israel launched an air assault on targets in Iran, managing to terminate with extreme prejudice several top Iranian commanders and scores of civilians. However, this did not decapitate the Iranian military, which responded with a barrage of missiles. These hit military targets, including “Israel’s Pentagon”, its central military…

Factum Perspective: Navigating China’s Role – Fostering the Blue Dragon Strategy in the Indo Pacific Region

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsJune 8, 2025832Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Kividi Koralage The Indo-Pacific region is an expansive and strategically significant area that stretches from the eastern coast of Africa, across the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, and extends to the western and central Pacific Ocean. This region encompasses a diverse array of countries, including those in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia…

Factum Perspective: The Meaning of Bandung in our Times

History and Culture, International Development, Peace and ConflictMay 25, 20252KViews 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, 2025506Views 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, 2025832Views 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, 2025713Views 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, 2025688Views 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, 2025769Views 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, 20251KViews 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…