Regional Geopolitics – Page 7

Factum Special Perspective: “Completely friendly” – The history of Türkiye-Sri Lanka relations

History and Culture, International Development, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 28, 2022699Views 0Likes 0Comments

Statue of Alâeddin Keykûbad / Wikimedia Commons By Vinod Moonesinghe The country we now know as Türkiye has a long history, holding within its borders the remains of the world’s first city, Çatalhöyük. Our knowledge of much of ancient foreign relations comes from the records of the Hittite empire, based at Hattusa. The great city of…

Factum Perspective: Turkiye’s South Asia policy – An assessment

Health and Economic Cooperation, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 24, 2022523Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran On the face of it, opting for “strategic autonomy” in a multi-polar world makes sense. It releases a country from the shackles of pre-existing alliances and enables it to take its decisions independently. It enables a country to navigate among antagonistic international groups and strike the best bilateral bargains. In the…

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

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Peace and Conflict, Regional GeopoliticsOctober 2, 2022873Views 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: 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, 2022634Views 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 Perspective: The Case for a Sri Lankan Maritime Strategy and a National Security Advisor

Belt Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific Policy, Maritime Security, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 29, 2022657Views 0Likes 0Comments

By P. K. Balachandran The recent Sri Lanka-India-China triangular controversy over the docking of the Chinese research vessel Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota port once again underscores the need to have a Sri Lankan National Maritime Strategy, a functioning National Security Council (NSC), and the appointment of a National Security Advisor (NSA). While Sri Lanka…

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, 2022974Views 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 Perspective: The 21st Century, an Asian Century?

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Regional GeopoliticsAugust 21, 2022631Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Kaif Sally For some 500 years, the West dominated the course of history. The burning question now on the horizon is, how will the 21st century become an Asian one? The notion of an Asian led global order is not recent. According to British economist Angus Maddison, China, India, and Japan alone had a…

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, 2022667Views 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, 2022742Views 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, 2022685Views 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, 2022610Views 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: Will Sri Lanka slip up over Russian oil?

Health and Economic Cooperation, International Development, Regional GeopoliticsJuly 24, 2022727Views 0Likes 0Comments

By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya Sri Lanka’s outgoing president* Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in one of his last acts as head of state took a long-delayed step of talking to his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin on the phone, to request desperately needed fuel supplies on credit. According to a post on his Twitter account on Wednesday (6) he…