International Relations of Sri Lanka

N o pacifist idealism has ever created strong and proud nations. The perception that G Ganasara Thera is an extremist is written in many UN papers, BBC new reports and Aljazeera’s.  No denial that some minor part of Sinhala Buddhists too are thinking GG as an extremist. But most tolerate him and some aspire him. They all seems to understand that in a nation like ours, where no politician seems to be accountable for the electorate to protect their national interest, what is wrong with the good-old-age Buddhist valor to remind to others Sri Lanka’s Buddhists national identity and its national interest. The thing is that most critics of GG never seek out about the fact of the rout causes. Widespread fear of Muslim expansionism, deforestation of Wilpattu National Reserve and an attempt to clear off an area in Kulamarippu National Forest Reserve by Rishard Badurdeen, Muslim parliamentarian, and evidently visible destruction of pre-historic and historic archeological ...

Photo credit : India Today I ndia is our greatest ally and it is our greatest strategic hurdle too.  We have to take decisions based on only our national interests to play with India and China as major investing parties in Sri Lanka. It is more important then ever to do so since our Mother Land is in historical conjuncture.  G eographical   position of India and Sri Lanka have entangled us to play politics with India very cautiously. The  relation of the se two land masses' goes far back. For example the archaeological extracts found in Jaffna indicates influence of  Indus Valley Civilisation  in Sri Lanka. That is  pre-historical. So,  Mr. Modi   is peaking to Sri Lankan Tamil community in Dickoya  few weeks ago shall also be understood as a continuation  of this inevitable   natural   entanglement  of g eopolitics . To me, weather  British  Empire poked in in this relationship or not we Sri ...

A.S. Amarasinghe Vidanage MA in International Security and Law in Denmark. BA Horn in International Politics in London. https://lk.linkedin.com/in/amarasinghevidanage 10 April 2016 I t is is vague where reason ends and passion begins. But it becomes somewhat explicit if one places Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapakshas to the passionate side and Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe’s government to the reasonable side.   While MR and GR were passionate about defeating terrorism and its aftermath MS and RW are rational about everything from electricity shortage in our country to regarding our position as a nation-state among international community. Destiny of a nation, for its good, is not determined by the reasonable leaders but by the passionate ones.    I explain why I prefer the side of passionate. The passion is what moves and changes things rapidly. It moves things to the next level. Rational minds are always in doubt and less progressive. ...

           D avid Cameron’s Britain has not even a slightest hesitation or a shame to call Britain as China’s best friend in Europe, as Cameron received Xi Jinping in London for a state visit. Credit:ft.com It is only the pragmatic classic British politics at its best is playing in this challenging times. But for our Sri Lankan politicians, it seems, China is only to be associated with if no other country paying attention to our relationship with China. It is really shame that this happens after so much China has done for our country in past years.  Quite the opposite that we went haywire when Ranil Wickramasinghe visited Japan, an arch historical rival of China. There comes no sign from the Sri Lankan Government that it has any idea of contemporary international relations. How come that when we even hesitate to show our due gratitude to China for what it has already done for our country - let alone to realise ...

Even for the U.S. the traditional thresholds of Humanitarian Law provisions have enforced challengers in the face of GWT. Not only the illusive terrorists but also those who aiding and abetting  terrorists are grave concerns of U.S. That is only in just in bellow . Some of our politicians, with the help of unwise clan of academics, have easily been bought out by the victors’ version of post war justice, and, have placed their faith in commemoration of terrorists in the Victory Day of Sri Lanka.  That is like U.S. citizens’ are allowed to commemorate Jefferson Davis instead of Abraham Lincoln.  If this is the right practice of building a proud and just nation, allowing terrorist sympathisers to lite oil lamps in commemoration of them, why would not this same practice work for the U.S., Britain and for the rest of preachers who advocate the commemoration of terrorists? That remains a sensible question to ask if you have even a little bit of brainier.  The ...

Let’s unite!  We are all victors of war! With unlimited access to natural reserves in the Indian Ocean, being a member of a maritime Silk Road initiative of China, having friendly and mutually benefiting relations with India and the rest of trading countries, and materialising full potential of educated population of the country, Sri Lanka could be a model for developing and developed nations. At this juncture we need a cohesive and long term national strategy to realise that. Just because we Sri Lankans were led to believe that our country is a proud nation, it does not necessary mean it is true. In terms of individual, do you really feel you are an equal citizen among other citizens of developed nations? The latter question would not be appearing if that was the case, I assume. We, statesmen and policymakers, need a cohesive and long term national strategy to uplift the status of our nation and the image of the Sri Lankan citizens. Such nation strategy shall go beyond p...