By Thalif Deen* UNITED NATIONS | 8 April 2024 (IDN) — Just after a group of mercenaries tried to unsuccessfully oust the government of the Maldives in 1979, I asked a Maldivian diplomat, using a military jargon, about the strength of his country’s “standing army”. “Standing army?”, the diplomat asked with mock surprise, and remarked […]
India Considers Island States New Nodes of National and Security Interests
By C. Raja Mohan* This article was published in The Indian Express. MUMBAI | 4 April 2024 (IDN) — Delhi’s surprising focus on Katchatheevu, an island in the narrow strip of waters between India and Sri Lanka, is a part of the ruling BJP’s determination to break into Tamil Nadu’s electoral map. Hopefully, the potential […]
Prioritising National Unity to Rescue Pakistan from Economic Crisis
By M A Hossain* DHAKA | 30 March 2024 (IDN) — In the wake of ongoing economic turmoil, Pakistan stands at a critical juncture with severe financial challenges despite its abundant resources. Once hailed for its potential and economic growth, the nation now faces the spectre of bankruptcy. In the South Asian region, even a […]
India-China Geopolitical Battle Intensifies in the Indian Ocean
Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE | 17 March 2024 (IDN)—China and the Maldives signed a military assistance agreement earlier this month. Indian troops have started withdrawing from the Islands. Simultaneously, China, Russia, and Iran are holding war drills in the Indian Ocean. Though the geopolitical battle in the Indian Ocean is intensifying, it could assist […]
The Wealth of Nations and the Poverty of Theory
IMF, Sri Lanka’s Resource Curse, and Privatization of the Central Bank By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 14 March 2024 (IDN) — With the world distracted by kinetic wars in Ukraine and Gaza, a hybrid economic proxy war against the Global South and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for global connectivity is unfolding […]
The Missing Nexus between Foreign Policy and Domestic Policy: Overseas Sri Lankans
By A.L.A. Azeez* COLOMBO | 21 February 2024 (IDN) — During my recent visit to Australia I took a keen interest in engaging with several young persons of Sri Lankan origin in different cities. They were among the second and third generation youths from Sri Lanka’s migrant communities resident in Down Under. For me, this […]
Bangladesh Farmers Are Protecting Paddy Cultivation from Climate Risks
By Rafiqul Islam Montu SHYAMNAGAR (SATKHIRA), Bangladesh | 11 February 2024 (IDN) — The new variety of paddy is ‘Charulata’. This paddy is salinity tolerant, can withstand normal winds, and yields well without fertilisers and pesticides. It is effortless to save seeds from this paddy. Due to these reasons, ‘Charulata’ paddy spreads quickly from one […]
The Anatomy of Default and the IMF in Sri Lanka: Of Elections, Bond Scams, and Money Politics
By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 7 February 2024 (IDN) — With the wisdom of hindsight, the Root Causes of Sri Lanka’s first-ever Sovereign Default, staged three years ago on the eve of 75 years of ‘Independence’ from the British Raj are clear. When the Default happened in March 2021, there was too much […]
The US Preaches Democracy but Dictates Covert Regime Change
The Story of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Ouster By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 2 February 2024 (IDN) — A principal instrument of U.S. foreign policy is covert regime change, meaning a secret action by the U.S. government […]
Behind the Dangerous Resurgence of ‘Al Qaeda’ in Bangladesh
Analysis by Jennifer Hicks* HONGKONG | 22 January 2024 (IDN) — During the Spring of March 2002, Osama bin Laden’s second man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, set foot in Bangladesh at the invitation of leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that had been attempting to turn the country into a global jihadist launchpad. Giving a detailed […]