Monthly Archives: April 2016

The American Hug

Fundamental military alignments with US, taking place without open debate, may foreclose India’s options.

From Tamil Tiger to Star of a Palme d’Or Winner

The lead in Jacques Audiard’s latest film left Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war and arrived in France to work a series of low-paid jobs. His extraordinary story is mirrored in the new work from the director of A Prophet

Land Occupation in the Northern Province

Land is a key issue for reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Reparations including the restitution of land, if implemented in the correct manner, can contribute to long-term peace building efforts and prevent further marginalisation of people who were affected by the war. With promises by the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to initiate reforms including with… Read more »

Silawathurei Large-scale Cashew Plantations

The Civil Security Force has appropriated land for cashew plantations at the boundary of Wilpattu National Park, affecting local environment, already under pressure by human settlements of returnees from the civil war.

Getting US Messaging Right

Getting US Messaging about Sri Lanka’s ‘Democratic Transition’ Right by Taylor Dibbert, ‘The Diplomat,’ Tokyo, March 31, 2016 Nisha Biswal, the U.S. State Department’s assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, spoke at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, on Monday. Her prepared remarks were… Read more »

U.S. Policies and Priorities for 2016

Sri Lanka, which is rebalancing its own foreign and economic policy as it emerges from its self-imposed isolation, will benefit from its strategic location as a maritime gateway to some of the largest markets in Asia.