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Regional Geopolitics

Factum Perspective: MRCC – a step forward in India’s growing influence on Sri Lanka

By LP Fresh on the heels of India’s one billion US dollar credit facility granted to support Sri Lanka’s ailing economy; news broke of cabinet ministers of Sri Lanka granting approval for the proposal to establish a Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Sri Lanka. Aided by a grant of the Indian government worth six…

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Factum Perspective: Ukraine Crisis – End of NATO expansion and restoration of the “Russian World”

“I am convinced that the true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible precisely in partnership with Russia. Our spiritual, human, civilizational ties have been formed for centuries, go back to the same sources, tempered by common trials, achievements and victories. Our kinship is passed down from generation to generation. It is in the hearts, in the memory of people…

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Factum Perspective: Ukraine – A lone democracy fighting a nuclear state

By: Dr Ranga Kalansooriya and Omar Rajarathnam As of yesterday, nuclear state Russia for the third day bombarded sovereign and less powerful state Ukraine. The powerful Western democracies and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) states who vowed to stand with Ukraine are standing, not the way Ukraine and its people expected, but by issuing…

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Factum Perspective: Indo-China influence – Which way foreign policy for Sri Lanka?

By Uditha Devapriya During a recent visit to New Delhi, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris stated that Sri Lankans “increasingly recognise” India as a true friend. Peiris thanked India for offering much-needed assistance to the tune of USD 2.4 billion, emphasising cooperation in areas like energy security and air and sea connectivity…

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Factum Perspective: U.S.-Russia conflict over Ukraine unnecessary

By Chamara Sumanapala The media has given credence to U.S. government speculation that Russia is looking to violate Ukraine’s sovereign borders.  Western sanctions will be a factor in deterring such action and Russia has several advantages in turning the heat up on the issue for various interests. One thing almost certain, it is unlikely…

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Factum Perspective: India lends bigger hand to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis amid ratings downgrade

 By Shihar Aneez and Omar Rajarathnam A day without power cuts is now a breaking news story in Sri Lanka which is facing precarious economic instability. The common citizen is unsure what to make of the financial chaos with its government running low on dollars and money to run the country. Excessive money printing…

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Is Sri Lanka thrusting itself in the middle of a Churchill trap?

By LP Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s arrival in Sri Lanka last evening (8) comes at one of the most politically tumultuous times in Sri Lanka’s history. As the forex crisis deepens and over half of Sri Lanka’s gold reserves emptied, there is hope the Chinese will offer much needed assistance  to relieve the pressure…

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Factum Perspective – China still Myanmar’s game changer

By Dr Ranga Kalansooriya A makeshift hospital of PDF in the fighting areas  Aerial bombings, burning civilian villages and mass killings have now become a common feature in Junta-led Myanmar, mainly in the areas what pro-democratic forces call as ‘Liberated Areas.’ Air strikes by Myanmar military have intensified for the past few weeks near the Myanmar-Thailand…

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Factum Perspective: Pop, cricket and the role of culture in international politics

 By Chamara Sumanapala On November 30, 2021, the Caribbean island nation of Barbados became a republic, shedding its last constitutional ties to the British Crown. On that occasion, Barbados named a new national hero, Robyn Rihanna Fenty – the globally acclaimed pop star which created a wider debate on the criteria for a national…

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Factum Perspective – Will Pakistan-Sri Lanka ties survive Sialkot killing?

By Kamran Rehmat - Islamabad The ghastly lynching of Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan manager at the Rajco textile factory in Silakot, which reportedly supplied the kits for the Pakistan cricket team at the recently concluded T20 World Cup, sent tremors across Sri Lanka and Pakistan. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Imran Khan…

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Factum Perspective – Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy since independence, which leader did it best?

By Chandani Kirinde Cartoon by W.R. Wijesoma – Published 50 Years in Cartoon 1948-1977 For a small island nation like Sri Lanka, tiding over the turbulent world of international relations hasn’t been an easy task since independence. Much of the success stories in   foreign affairs have depended on the country's leaders and the direction in which they…

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