COMMENT 174 – The virus and the SAARC’s awakening
Prime-Minister Modi held a video conference on 15 March 2020 (South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation, SAARC, n.d.) ‘to discuss measures to contain the spread of COVID-19’ within the SAARC – which comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It was attended by all...
FOCUS 78 – Saving the United Nations from the Shadow of The Great Hall...
Abstract
The future of global security, peace, and power balance is presently being shaped by conflicts and cooperation among major powers. China's rise on the international stage, as well as its growing dominance in the United Nations, poses a threat to US hegemony. The brief explores the evolution of the...
COMMENT 154 – Northeast India needs digitalisation for economic prosperity
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the present National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, is pursuing a digitalisation drive to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Such a turnaround, when achieved, will place India in a formidable position to compete with other countries in the...
Accountability, Peace, Development and Democracy in Bangladesh
On 28 April local elections in the main urban areas of Bangladesh were once again boycotted by the main opposition party, the BNP, further escalating the already tense political situation within country. Bangladesh’s democracy has been marred by military coups and violence and especially by what is widely considered...
FOCUS 40 – Coup d’état? Democracy and National Reconciliation in Sri Lanka once again...
Abstract
This SADF Focus outlines the causal developments and offers an assessment of Sri Lanka’s current constitutional and political crisis. With the unprecedented return of Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa, domestic and international observers are unsure about the future of Sri Lanka’s national reconciliation, as well as the relationship between the Buddhist...