Editorial
Home » EditorialLanka’s nuclear policy unclear
President Maithripala Sirisena addressing the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday, spoke of Sri Lanka being a good UN member-state abiding by its treaties and obligations. And yet, while in the city all week, neither he nor his Government signed the Nuclear Treaty that the country voted for. The signature book was open all week [...]
Sri Lanka and the changing world order
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) begins its annual sessions in New York tomorrow overshadowed by the threat of one of its trigger-happy member-states, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) going ballistic, threatening a nuclear catastrophe with global implications. President Maithripala Sirisena is billed to speak on day two – Tuesday, September 19. [...]
V2025 success is in its implementation
The President and Prime Minister coming in one car for the launch of V2025 (Vision 2025), the blueprint for the future of a “rich Sri Lanka” was clearly to deliver a message. ‘We are in this together – till 2025.’ This was against all the evidence to the contrary that the two coalition partners of [...]
Indian Ocean not another South China Sea, please
There was a hive of activity this week in Colombo with a variety of international think tanks, strategists, analysts and senior military officers, Foreign Ministers and Ministers exchanging views and taking up positions – the focus being on the Indian Ocean and its surroundings. Starting with the Defence Conference on Monday, the week concluded with [...]
Rajapakshe falls between two stools
The relatively swift and somewhat unceremonious dismissal of the Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister on Wednesday is one more in a somewhat long line of ministerial sackings, and another bizarre episode gripping the Government in general and the UNP in particular. The former Finance and later Foreign Minister escaped this ignominy only by a whisker [...]
Neo-colonial powers exploit Indo-Pakistan rift
Both India and Pakistan celebrated their 70th anniversary of Independence from British rule, and with it marked the same number of years of hostility, suspicion, rage and arguments over the disputed territory of Kashmir, the departing rulers left behind after partitioning the sub-continent. Such is their animosity towards each other that both countries are armed [...]