Regional Geopolitics

Factum Special Perspective: The Fall of a House of Cards – A Global Reckoning in 2024

International Development, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 31, 2024191Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Deshani Samaragunarathna The year 2024 has been one marked by global tumult, with the world seemingly lurching from one crisis to another. From the Ukrainian frontlines to the simmering Middle East, to the escalating conflicts across Africa, and the erosion of liberal democracies in the West, the international system appears on the verge of…

Factum Special Perspective: China’s role in global transformation

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, History and Culture, International Development, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 24, 2024314Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Vinod Moonesinghe We bear witness to a period of accelerated global transformation, with the rise of the East and the relative decline of the West reshaping the global political and economic landscape, benefitting the Global South. China, whose rapid economic growth and expanding influence play a pivotal role in this new era of global…

Factum Perspective: The Need for an Integrated Border Management System

Peace and Conflict, Regional Geopolitics, UncategorizedDecember 22, 2024186Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathne (Retd.) The launch of the book Labour Migrants from South Asia: Issues and Concerns (Consortium of South Asian Think Tanks: COSATT), on November 12, 2024, in Colombo, Sri Lanka got me thinking more about the subject, as the discussions during the ceremony highlighted various concerns on the question of…

Factum Special Perspective: Syria and the Dominos of History

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsDecember 11, 2024284Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Kusum Wijetilleke The Golan Heights is a strategically important plateau in the south-west of Syria, just one of the many areas of the Levant that have been contested for several decades. The Sea of Galilee, called Lake Tiberias, in the Golan Heights, feeds the major water sources of the region including the Jordan River;…

Factum Perspective: Digital Dynamics – Media and Geopolitics in the Modern Middle East

Peace and Conflict, Regional Geopolitics, Tech CooperationNovember 3, 2024367Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Deshani Samaragunarathna In the contemporary landscape of the Middle East, information technology has become a potent tool for power. The region's social and political landscapes are diversifying, reflecting significant changes in how information is disseminated, consumed, and wielded. Over the past few decades, particularly since the Arab Spring, the media landscape has transformed dramatically.…

Factum Special Perspective: Testing time for India’s foreign policy

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 31, 2024345Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran India has reached a stage where it sees itself as a power that can pursue its “national interest” in defiance of the top dogs of the world order. Undeniably, India has successes in the economic and technological fields to validate its claim to an extent. India is wooed by the major…

Factum Perspective: Out of the abyss and into BRICS

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 27, 2024680Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Shiran Illanperuma From October 22 to 24, the 16th BRICS summit was held in Kazan, Russia. Alongside the core group members of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, this year saw the formal addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. During the summit, another 13 countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand,…

Factum Perspective: Is the United Nations Failing in the Israel-Palestine Conflict?

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 20, 2024351Views 1Like 0Comments

By Dulmi Thimansa On Wednesday, October 2, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata, banning him from entering the country. Katz justified the move on the grounds that Guterres had supposedly failed to “forcefully condemn” Iran’s missile attacks on Israel. He added that anyone who “cannot unequivocally condemn…

Factum Perspective: Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka – Key Takeaways

Peace and Conflict, Regional Geopolitics, UncategorizedOctober 6, 2024377Views 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 Special Perspective: The Opening of a New Political Leadership and Political Culture in Sri Lanka

Regional Geopolitics, UncategorizedOctober 3, 2024679Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna (Retd) The recently held presidential election in Sri Lanka has opened the doors for a new and younger political leadership in the island nation. Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s ascension from a third-party candidacy to President was not a journey of comfort and pleasure, since along the way he was pitted…

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

Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsSeptember 1, 20241KViews 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, 2024420Views 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…