Regional Geopolitics

By Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna (Retd) When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the world’s sympathy was with the Israeli people. It was clearly an act of terrorism, and was duly condemned as such. By November, the world began reacting differently, as Israel’s counterattack became visibly indiscriminate. Despite Palestinian politicians failing to make…

By Zeenath Ayub During the proceedings of the case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) about their war on Gaza, Irish Lawyer Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, representing South Africa, described the situation as “The first genocide in history where its victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real time, in desperate — and…

By Adnan Rehmat An unexpected drone and missile attack by Iran on targets inside Pakistan on January 16, 2024, and Islamabad’s angry diplomatic reaction have added a potentially new destabilizing dimension in the already deadly situation in the Middle East. If not handled properly it may have potentially damaging geopolitical and geostrategic consequences for South…

By P. K. Balachandran 2024 is turning out to be a year of elections in South Asia. The year dawned with parliamentary elections in Bangladesh and Bhutan. Later in the year, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka will vote to elect either a President or a parliament. Elections bring out the cleavages in a society, and…

By Nithu Ardithya In delving into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is essential to scrutinize accusations of genocide through the lens of international instruments and established criteria. This comprehensive exploration aims to unravel the complexities, particularly examining how these criteria manifest in the ongoing conflict. International Humanitarian Law (IHL), rooted in the Geneva Conventions of 1949…

By Lakmali Bhagya Manamperi The responsibility of the international community for the protection of innocent civilians during times of humanitarian crisis has come to light with the recent escalation of the conflict in Palestine. The attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects are a clear violation of international humanitarian norms and can no better be named…

By P. K. Balachandran India’s abstention from the UN General Assembly (UNGA) vote late last month on a Jordanian resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in the war in Gaza has put it in an awkward position vis-à-vis the Global South and its neighbours, which are its core constituencies. Finding itself isolated New Delhi issued…