HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION
When the second Gulf War was being fought, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan wrote in his Millennium Report of
INSTITUTIONALISED GRAFT
Corruption is a global plague with tentacles in every continent. And every time corruption is exposed, there is a connection
DATELINE JERUSALEM
The Palestinian crisis has been a key element of Arab identity ever since the occupation of Palestine by Israel back in
BOTS AND TROLLS
A month or so after the infamous social media block in Sri Lanka, I suddenly became quite popular on Twitter
INTERNET OF THINGS
The Internet of Things (IoT) World 2018 Conference, which was held in California from 14 to 17 May, was attended
GLOBAL CORRUPTION
Recently, the IMF woke up to the fact that poverty in the world is perpetuated by pervasive corruption in 
MAHATHIR’S MALAYSIA
On 10 May 2018, history was made when the world’s oldest head of state – 92-year-old Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad
FIDEL’S CUBA
Cuba is Castro… and Castro is Cuba. That’s what my generation has known of the Latin American nation and its erstwhile leader. It was always about Fidel’s Cuba
STATE CAPTURE
Globally, politicians are the worst culprits when it comes to wriggling out of consequences for wrongdoing. The former President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino
POLITICAL RISK
The recent unrest in some parts of Sri Lanka is having a devastating effect on the economy – but as the full story is still unfolding
THE PUTIN FACTOR
It was in December 1999 that Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin became the leader of Russia. He was appointed acting president when his mentor President Boris
PARDON FOR PEACE
Forgiveness is such a powerful weapon, said former South African President Nelson Mandela, since it liberates the soul and removes
THE GLASS CEILING
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) conducted a customary ‘Gender Month’ as part of its annual tradition in March to
DIGITAL DIPLOMACY
Predicting the future of international relations is a challenging task best left to clairvoyants as the current political and economic context consists of
THE KOREAS
The Winter Olympics in Seoul took on an aura of glamour and hope not only for the competitors but also the world at large – possibly with the exception of the US
MALDIVIAN MALADIES
Whenever the Chinese Navy enters the Indian Ocean, it creates ripples both literally and metaphorically. In mid-February
UNEXPLAINED WEALTH
The plunder of national wealth through corruption pushes poor countries into greater poverty. This is a contemporary global reality
SMART CITIES
If Colombo is to transform into a smart city someday, the outcomes from the Digital Cities Kuwait forum held in February would be a starting point. The forum
FAKE NEWS
Fake news is as old as sin. And for long, it was a national enterprise here in Sri Lanka. Fortunately, because of private media, the
THE AFGHAN WAR
The violence is so systemic that it isn’t a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ and ‘where’ in Afghanistan these days. It’s been almost 17 years
