Gateway Features
Sri Lanka’s leadership trio
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On November 14, Sri Lanka’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will once again face the electorate when the country holds Parliamentary elections. Dissanayake’s National Peoples Movement (NPP) party will need to win a majority of the vote if he is to make the major changes he seeks and put Sri Lanka back on the growth path. Among other parties contesting are Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), led by Sajith Premadasa and the New Democratic Front (NDF) headed by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. read more
Bangladesh, without energy
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Bangladesh’s weak balance of payments – a reflection of its ongoing economic problems – is now impacting the energy sector. On October 31, Adani Power halved the electricity supply to Bangladesh due to outstanding dues of $790 million. Adani Power’s 1,600-megawatt plant in Godda, Jharkhand, set up to supply power specifically to Bangladesh had become operational in June 2023. Before the cutbacks, the plant provided read more
Israel once again in Beirut
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Since October 8, Hezbollah has been continuously launching rockets at Israel, in support of Hamas. With this act, Hezbollah broke away from the UN-mediated ceasefire agreement of 2006, which it was signatory to. This is not surprising. After Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000, it was clear there was no immediate national interest or territory occupied in Lebanon. Yet Hezbollah, backed by Iran, did not drop its hostility against Israel. The group’s ideological-religious goal has now dragged read more
BRICS gains heft while in transition
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How things change within a year. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin made only a brief digital appearance at the BRICS 2023 summit in Johannesburg, despite host South Africa’s decision to provide him diplomatic immunity against an ICC-issued arrest warrant linked to the Ukraine war. As the host and Chair of the summit this year, Mr. Putin dominated the show. The three-day summit pushed news about the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia to the back pages. The summit in Kazan read more
Research
On December 1, 2023, India will hand over the G20 Presidency to Brazil. The G20 troika will now comprise the three IBSA countries – India, Brazil, South Africa – till November 2025. This trio has an agenda in common and with the G20, such as multilateral reform, energy transitions and digitalisation. IBSA should use its mechanisms and natural solidarity to advance the interests of the Global South.
Foreign Affairs
China’s expansionist nuclear programme aims to bolster its capabilities, so much so, that Beijing's predictions boast 2500 new warheads by 2030, thus rivalling the American and Russian arsenals. As the dragon quadruples its nuclear propensity, heralding the world to something greatly unstable – a tripolar nuclear system; nuclear peace seems a quite convoluted goal.
Book Reviews
A timely book on the Naga contribution to Allied victory in the Second World War is a necessary documentation. Northeast India was the eastern flank of the British empire where the battles of Kohima and Imphal stopped Japan’s invasion into India. While western historical narratives are being reiterated during the war’s 80th anniversary, the role and sacrifice of the Nagas is a neglected but important counterpoint.
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