By Peter Krasnopolsky The announcement of BRICS enlargement in August 2023 was met with excitement and enthusiasm by the Global South. As the expansion officially took place in the beginning of 2024, the news outlets throughout the developing world praised the expansion of the grouping as a step toward the multipolar world order. However, the…
By Shreya Krishna – Research Assistant SAFN Since independence from British rule in 1948, Myanmar has faced a long-lasting struggle with its governance. The glimmer of hope for democracy in Myanmar before 2021 was trampled after the military junta took control of power following a coup in February 2021. Since then, the military crackdown has only…
By Md Salman Rahman Introduction On January 7th, 2024, Bangladesh conducted its 12th parliamentary election amidst intense political tensions gripping the nation. Awami League’s victory for the fourth consecutive term has managed to clinch the victory. The period leading up to the polls was characterised by clashes between opposing factions. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami,…
The Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) India released its report on the Chanakya Defence Dialogue –2023. The theme of the Dialogue was ‘Securing India and Indo-Pacific Region: Collaborating for Enduring Peace and Security’, held at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi – on 03 & 04 November 2023. SAFN Executive Director Asanga Abeyagoonasekera presented at…
(Pic: SAFN Executive Director Asanga Abeyagoonasekera presents at Chanakya Defence Dialogue) SAFN Executive Director Asanga Abeyagoonasekera was initiated by the Indian Army and Centre for Land Warfare Studies(CLAWS) for the Chanakya Defence Dialogue in New Delhi, India. Mr.Abeyagoonasekera presented a paper on “Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy: Navigating India and China” at the inaugural session. New…
At the 3rd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, SAFN Executive Director Asanga Abeyagoonasekera presented a research paper on ‘Building a Shared Future from BRI: Revisiting the Asian Regional Order with Sustainability & Synergy’. Mr Abeyagoonasekera said “Spirit of Bandung could be revisited with ‘Shared Future’ and ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ concepts to draw an Asian regional…
By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera – Executive Director, SAFN “They make you forget your life and push you towards some light. All bourgeois tools of the oppressor. They tell you that injustice is part of some grand plan” Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida Washington, DC – Sri Lankan people are in agony due to the…
By Josh Bowes – Research Assistant SAFN With a new Maldivian president to be sworn in next month, the island nation will see a significant geopolitical tilt that is likely to ensnare the whole South Asian region in a vicious eye for power between nations. President-elect Mohamed Muizzu’s recent ‘India-Out’ campaign has driven a wedge between…
By Shreya Krishna – Research Assistant SAFN* India celebrated its 76th year of independence in August 2023. From 1947 to 2023, India’s foreign policy decisions and tactics have shifted. In Aparna Pande’s From Chanakya to Modi: The Evolution of India’s’ Foreign Policy, she discusses how Indian exceptionalism and its historic strategy of autonomy have guided its…
By Josh Bowes – Research Assistant SAFN Pic: WikiCommons – Public demonstration calling for Sharia Islamic Law in Maldives Extremism in the Maldives is not a new phenomenon. The South Asian country has long experienced Islamist terrorist activity that has been utilized for political gain in an effort to weaken democratic principles and freedom of expression. Opposition…
