Peace and Conflict – Page 9

Factum Perspective: The President elaborates on the geopolitics of two oceans

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 2, 2022883Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya In a recent speech at the National Defence College, President Ranil Wickremesinghe made comments on the geopolitics of the Indian Ocean, some of which throw light on aspects of his approach to foreign policy - and others that point to some grey areas. “The geopolitics of the Indian Ocean has unfortunately made…

Factum Perspective: Mikhail Gorbachev and the Vertical Downfall of Soviet Socialism

Peace and ConflictSeptember 18, 2022819Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Dr Dayan Jayatilleka With the Ukraine war, which is actually a proxy war between NATO and Russia, in full swing, one cannot but help look back at how Russia got here. I had tried to pay a call on Mikhail Gorbachev while serving as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Russia, but had failed in my…

Factum Perspective: Sri Lanka’s crisis and the dilemmas of small states

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsSeptember 12, 2022648Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Uditha Devapriya Sri Lanka’s economic woes have not cast a shadow over its complex foreign relations. On August 16, the southern port of Hambantota welcomed the Yuan Wang 5, a research vessel from China. While Colombo had asked for a deferral of the visit, it later relented and allowed the ship to dock until…

Factum Special Perspective: Taiwan – The Jewel of the West Pacific

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 28, 2022991Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Kusum Wijetilleke Following the first Sino-Japanese war in 1895, the Qing Dynasty ceded the island of Taiwan, creating Imperial Japan’s first colony. The Japanese had planned to create what it called a “model” colony, to showcase the benefits of “Japanization.” Roads and infrastructure were developed, as well as sanitation systems and a network of…

Factum Special Perspective: Spy ships in our waters

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Health and Economic Cooperation, Maritime Security, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 18, 2022682Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne A Chinese spy ship docking at the Hambantota Port has become news in Sri Lanka and India. Yet very few seem to be asking as to what exactly a spy ship is. Simply put, it is a ship dedicated for reconnaissance missions, especially electronic eavesdropping. A considerable number of countries…

Factum Perspective: The war in Ukraine – Five months on

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 15, 2022753Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Rathindra Kuruwita The war in Ukraine is in its fifth month. After a few initial setbacks, due to underestimations of Ukrainian morale, the accuracy of Western signals intelligence, and Putin’s desire to minimize casualties, it seems that Russia is en route to achieving its objectives. There’s no point discussing why Russia is winning. Russia…

Factum Perspective: Ranilism in foreign policy

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 7, 2022693Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Dr Ranga Kalansooriya When Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s views on the resultant crisis differed somewhat from other MPs. Holding the one and only seat allocated to his party in Parliament, Wickremesinghe argued that Ukraine had antagonized Russia without seeking a peaceful diplomatic solution, and that the West played a…

Factum Perspective: The US agenda in Bangladesh

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 1, 2022618Views 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, 2022613Views 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, 2022704Views 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, 2022844Views 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, 20221KViews 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…