South Asia Foresight Network SAFN

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Category: Commentaries

Preparing for Change: Anura Kumara Dissanayake & the National People’s Power’s Strategies Ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary Elections in Sri Lanka

SAFN07 mins

By-Ishini Shashipraba SAFN Researcher “Due to the strategic initiatives and measures implemented by the NPP thus far, the prospects of the party securing a majority in Parliament appear to be quite promising.” Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s victory in the Sri Lankan presidential election represents a significant turning point for the National People’s Power (NPP), providing an…

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Sri Lankan’s Institutional Crisis: An Analysis Using the Framework of Why Nations Fail

SAFN018 mins

By Kasuni Ranasinghe, Associate Fellow SAFN “In the case of Sri Lanka, it is clear that its own extractive institutions, whichare deeply centralized power, corruption, and economic mismanagement have contributed to its current crisis.” The recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka has led to broader discussion about how politicalinstitutions have influenced the economic instabilities. Daron…

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Pakistan’s Soft Power Diplomacy in China

SAFN013 mins

Dr Dost Barrech and Joshua Bowes* “Given the rich history of China-Pakistan relations, it is imperative that the two ancient nations uplift one another, emboldening each other’s sovereignty in an effort to cultivate regional prosperity.“ Introduction In the 1990s in his book “Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power” Joseph Nye first coined…

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Echoes of Crisis from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh: South Asia’s Struggle in a Polycrisis

SAFN014 mins

By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Executive Director SAFN “In Sri Lanka, the revolt was suppressed, delaying the reformist agenda through immediate democratic elections until September 21st, 2024. This suppression bears its own risks, as the anger it quells now may reemerge at the ballot box” In the turbulent landscapes of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the ideas of…

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Afghanistan’s Necessity to Utilize Domestic Facilities and Alternative Trade Routes, Bypassing Pakistan

SAFN013 mins

By Masom Jan Masomy & Shaukatullah Abid Pic: Wikimedia Commons Chabahar Port “Iran’s Chabahar port could connect Afghanistan through water with India for bilateral trade. Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan, should engage in multiple aspects with India and Iran” According to recent reports, Pakistan has increased tariff taxes on Afghan fruits from 15,000 to 60,000 PKR per ton, an…

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Beyond Legacy: Sajith Premadasa’s Quest to Break Sri Lanka’s Cycle of Failure as the Presidential Election Looms

SAFN011 mins

By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera “Sri Lankan voters are yearning for a new beginning, and with Sajith Premadasa, that change feels within reach. His leadership presents the opportunity to break away from the past’s failures and set the country on a path toward stability and progress.” In the heart of Colombo, where history and politics converge, Sri…

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State-Sponsored Violence & the Violation of Dignity in Balochistan

SAFN024 mins

By Lateef Johar Baloch & Joshua Bowes Introduction Balochistan is an understudied and underreported region of the world, caught in a violent inter-state conflict. The Baloch people, an ethnic group homing and tied culturally to Balochistan for centuries, have been a minority in Pakistan’s administrative boundaries since 1948. Neighboring Iran also has a province within the…

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