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Factum Special Perspective: Ethnic dimensions of the Sri Lankan presidential election

Peace and Conflict, UncategorizedOctober 10, 20241KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Sivashanti Sivalingam The 2024 Presidential Election in Sri Lanka brought significant shifts in voting patterns, particularly in the Tamil-speaking regions of the North, East, and Central Provinces, showcasing the aspirations of the minorities to be heard, yet again. Sajith Premadasa, a Sinhala politician, secured substantial support from the Tamil community despite ethnic divides. The…

Factum Perspective: Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka – Key Takeaways

Peace and Conflict, Regional Geopolitics, UncategorizedOctober 6, 20241KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Mohamed Shafkath and Dulmi Thimansa On September 21, 2024, Sri Lankans elected their ninth Executive President, Dissanyaka Mudiyansalage Anura Kumara Dissanayake. His win was not a simple victory; rather, a phenomenal one. Dissanayake managed to secure 5,634,915 votes in the first preference votes itself, leading by more than a million votes than the candidate…

Factum Perspective: The Political Costs of Austerity Measures and Relevance of Ethno-electoral Blocs

Peace and Conflict, UncategorizedSeptember 20, 2024824Views 0Likes 0Comments

Harindra B Dassanayake On Saturday, that is tomorrow, Sri Lanka will vote to elect a president amid its first ever sovereign debt default as an independent nation. This election ends the four-year absence of any form of national or subnational election since 2020. During this period, the country experienced many extreme events such as the…

Factum Perspective: The Protests in Kenya – Rising Anger Over Economic Policies and Drivers’ Strikes

Peace and ConflictSeptember 15, 20241KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Nithu Ardithya Kenya is currently experiencing a significant surge in protests, fueled by widespread discontent with the government's economic policies, pervasive corruption, and deteriorating living conditions. On July 15, 2024, a major protest took place in Central Nairobi, organized by the Online Drivers Association. This protest brought together drivers from various e-hailing services like…

Factum Perspective: Sri Lanka to the Polls

Peace and Conflict, UncategorizedSeptember 8, 20241KViews 2Likes 0Comments

By Aavin Abeydeera Asia’s oldest democracy will enter the polls just a few days from the time of the publication of this article. Millions of Sri Lankans will line up at the election booths on the 21st of September this year, to choose Sri Lanka’s tenth executive president. Like a great many election cycles, this…

Factum Perspective: From “People-Friendly” to “Friends-Friendly” – Democratic Governance in South Asia

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsSeptember 1, 20242KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna (Retd) The people’s uprising in Bangladesh against the Sheikh Hasina government has become an eye-opener for South Asia. It may mark not the end, but the beginning, of a cascading flow of events destined to unfold in our neighbourhood. This analysis is based on the trends and patterns on…

Factum Perspective: Indonesia’s #EmergencyWarning Protests

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 24, 20241KViews 1Like 0Comments

By Nithu Ardithya Indonesia is facing widespread protests opposing proposed amendments to its election laws. These protests underscore both domestic and international concerns. They not only throw Indonesia's devotion to the principles of democracy to the test, but it also has serious repercussions for the country's political stability and foreign relations. The controversy erupted on…

Factum Special Perspective: The Political Economy of the Northern Province

Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and Conflict, UncategorizedAugust 21, 20242KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Abishek Ranjan The economic condition of the Northern Province does not receive as much attention as the political situation in the region. The Northern Province, which comprises five districts, has a poor economic record compared to other provinces of Sri Lanka. Elections have only served to undermine these issues, since both mainstream and minority…

Factum Perspective: The Controversies of the 2024 Paris Olympics

Peace and Conflict, Sports DiplomacyAugust 18, 20241KViews 1Like 0Comments

By Zeenath Ayub The Paris Olympics, which concluded on August 12, could be argued to have been one of the most controversial sporting events in recent history. The event, which began amid a series of contentious issues, spanned 19 days and concluded under the critical gaze of the entire world, putting its success into question.…

Factum Perspective: Fueling the Flames – Riots in the UK

Peace and ConflictAugust 11, 20241KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Amantha Gunarathna The recent UK riots have highlighted the destructive power of social media disinformation and its ability to incite real-world violence. Platforms like X and Telegram played crucial roles in disseminating this misinformation, with far-right groups using them to organize and incite violence. The riots draw disturbing parallels to the race riots of…

Factum Special Perspective: Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 6, 20242KViews 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya There are decades when years happen, years when months happen, and days when decades happen. Then there is Bangladesh. The images coming out of Dhaka over the last few weeks should astonish anybody who thought that Sheikh Hasina, who won a fifth consecutive term as Prime Minister in January this year, would…

Factum Perspective: Ukraine – Strategic and Technological Hothouse

Peace and Conflict, UncategorizedAugust 4, 2024827Views 1Like 0Comments

By Vinod Moonesinghe Russia launched its “Special Military Operation” (Spetsialnaya Voennaya Operatsiya – SVO), aimed at “demilitarizing” Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The Russian forces launched their campaign in much the same way as they did in the Crimea in 2014, when the Ukrainian forces did not resist. There is evidence to suggest that the…