Tag "Sri Lanka"
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: How Delhi is losing the Indian-Chinese soft power game in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has increasingly become a focus of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the last decade. The Hambantota port development project is a notable example, an ambitious but costly endeavour by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, which was in the end handed over by the government to a Chinese enterprise on a 99-year lease in 2017 to reduce its spiralling debt burden.
Sri Lanka: economic and political fragility
The Sri Lankan democracy has recently been burdened by a presidential coup. President Sirisena has overstepped his constitutional limits to sack the sitting Prime Minister and unilaterally appoint a new one. Instead of seeking parliament’s approval, he dissolved the House and announced snap elections for January 2019.
Is Sri Lanka the new hotspot in India-China relations?
Chinese- and Indian-funded capital projects in Sri Lanka are mired in controversy. GRI asks: has the island state has become a new frontier in Sino-Indian relations?
China’s growing presence ratchets tensions in Sri Lanka
Holding a key position along strategic maritime routes, Sri Lanka has drawn a high level of economic investment. China and India, long-time competitors for influence in the Indian Ocean, have brought their geopolitical competition to the ports of Sri Lanka – and raised social unrest risks locally in the process.
Under the Radar: Are Sri Lanka’s ports the next Great Game for China, India and Japan?
By developing its strategic location midway between the Middle East and the Straits of Malacca Sri Lanka faces both opportunities, and growing risks.
Under the Radar: Sri Lanka’s drought threatens credit downgrade
Sri Lanka’s ongoing drought is not only a humanitarian crisis, but also an economic one, as the country’s economy suffers on multiple fronts.
Under the Radar: Tourism in Sri Lanka at risk from military
Sri Lanka’s military is running tourism ventures and more, threatening local and foreign businesses, as its influence grows amid declining accountability.
The Silk Road is turning China’s diplomacy on its head
While China has traditionally refused to become involved in countries’ domestic affairs, its Silk Road ambitions are challenging Beijing’s policy.
Switzerland split on the refugee issue
While some groups are advocating for stronger commitments to asylum seekers, others, such as the Swiss People’s Party, call for stronger borders. Humanitarian concerns, worries about the economy, and tinges
Flags carry political risk
The renewed debate in the United States over the Confederate flag has shown how flags can carry political risk for national and local governments. In the globalized era, it is more
