Regional Geopolitics

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…

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…

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…

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…

By Britney Martil In a dramatic escalation of unrest, Bangladeshi students have targeted the state broadcaster, Bangladesh Television (BTV), setting fire to its reception building and numerous vehicles parked outside. This violence signifies a significant intensification of the ongoing protests against the country’s civil service hiring rules, with the death toll now reaching at least…

By Aavin Abeydeera On June 1, the world’s largest democratic exercise came to a close. India’s general elections ran for seven weeks through six weeks from the April 19 to June 1, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA coalition once more coming on top. However, this time around, Prime Minister Modi’s government will not…