Restoring Government in Sri Lanka
Image courtesy Transcurrents If Sri Lanka is fast becoming a state in the eyes of the world, it has nothing to do with the recent UNHRC Resolution. The writing has long been…
International Relations
In conversation with Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu: The resolution in Geneva and its discontents
Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu is the Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, the institutional anchor of , break the limbs of. Though Sri Lanka’s foreign minister distanced himself from these remarks,…
The Geneva II debacle
Photo courtesy Vikalpa, from protest against US resolution in Colombo, 27 February 2012 The US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC had to be defeated. It was not. 24 in favour, 15 against, 8…
Geneva 2012: The signs missed, lessons unlearnt
Photo courtesy JDS Let’s learn the right lessons from the Geneva outcome, not the wrong ones. It is not the case that a small country such as Sri Lanka cannot fight a…
India’s Volte-Face: Winners and Losers
India’s hasty decision to support the United States of America led Resolution on Sri Lanka came as a big surprise. While a few rumours flagged the possibility of an India “for”…
Sri Lanka and the UNHRC: Implications for India and for Human Rights
Image courtesy India Ink blog by New York Times/Rajanish Kakade, Associated Press As the 19th session of the Human Rights Council progresses, the discourse on Sri Lanka with reference to Human Rights…
THE BIG LIE ABOUT THE US RESOLUTION
Image from The Nation It is almost a crime to lie to the people and mislead them on a matter of vital national interest. When it is committed by politicians it is…
The Geopolitical Matrix of Sri Lanka’s Conflict
Image courtesy South Asia Monitor I am appreciative of the fact that this is a seminar on geopolitics. I think geopolitics has been underestimated; perhaps overestimated earlier and then there was a…
How bad is the crisis for Mahinda Rajapaksa?
Photo courtesy Lanka Standard – President Mahinda Rajapaksa (Ada Derana Online / February 19, 2012 01:27 am) That perhaps is the easiest of the answers possible for any Head of State under pressure…
The Island Abstains
The decision by the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to abstain from the General Assembly vote calling for an end to violence in Syria, and stepping down of its president, cannot…
Once more into the breach
Milan Kundera[1] Tony Judt.[2] His Excellency Dr Dayan Jayatilleka has been good enough to respond to my critique of his position with regard to the merits of the current government of Sri…
Examining Sri Lanka’s Diplomacy Machine
Photo courtesy JDS As promised, the Sri Lankan government made the final report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) public last month. It has also recently released its “National Action…
Curated updates from Indian Foreign Minister’s official visit to Sri Lanka
Tweets from Syed Akbaruddin, Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, India & other media reporting on Indian Foreign Minister’s official visit to Sri Lanka in January 2012. Note in particular the reference…
Defending Sri Lanka: Response to Michael Colin Cooke
Image taken from ‘Interrogating a public intellectual: Noted bloggers and youth activists engage Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka‘, published on The phrase ‘a man for all seasons’ being a compliment -which is clearly not…
THE NORWEGIAN STUDY: A CRITIQUE
The Norwegian (NORAD) commissioned study , is useful and good, but analytically flawed at its very core. It is useful because it shows us how the ‘liberal peace’ discourse goes and how…