| Title: | The 2020 Parliamentary Election: The Road Ahead for Sri Lanka |
| Abstract: | The Gotabaya Rajapaksa government won a landslide victory at the general election in August 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While his administration’s victory was anticipated, securing a two-thirds majority was historic and unprecedented. The key themes of national security, centralised leadership and economic development that dominated the parliamentary polls were similar to those brought up during the 2019 presidential elections. The election saw the emergence of two new parties, Gotabaya’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and Samagi Jana Balawegaya, which were the frontrunners. On the other hand, the two oldest and biggest political parties in the country, the United National Party and Sri Lanka Freedom Party, were relegated to the background.
The Institute of South Asian Studies and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Political Dialogue Asia hosted a panel discussion (webinar) on ‘The 2020 Parliamentary Election: The Road Ahead for Sri Lanka’ in August 2020. This series of papers is the outcome of the joint panel discussion. They provide important insights into the socio-political, economic, security and international challenges confronting Gotabaya’s government. |
| Date: | 21 December 2020 |
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| Title: | Navigating India-China Rivalry: Perspectives from South Asia |
| Author/s: | Chilamkuri Raja Mohan, Chan Jia Hao |
| Abstract: | Even before the deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese armed forces in the Himalayas in the summer of 2020 drew international attention to the growing conflict between the two Asian giants, the other South Asian states have been acutely sensitive to the complex dynamics between New Delhi and Beijing.
The relationship between India and China, emerging integration between South Asia and East Asia, Beijing’s growing footprint in the subcontinent and New Delhi’s expanding engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have always been of abiding interest to foreign policy watchers in this region and beyond. The Institute of South Asian Studies has put together a set of papers that explores how various South Asian countries are navigating between China that has risen to be a great power and India, which is at the heart of the subcontinent. Together, these papers provide important insights into what promises to be a consequential structural change in South Asian geopolitics. |
| Date: | 25 September 2020 |
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| Title: | Presidential Election 2019: Sri Lanka Under Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
| Abstract: | Gotabaya Rajapaksa became the eighth president of Sri Lanka following his decisive and clear victory at the presidential polls in November 2019. This election was arguably the most dynamic, competitive and hardfought with a record number of 35 candidates who contested for the top position. Despite the long list of candidates, the presidential election was primarily a two-man contest between Gotabaya and Sajith Premadasa. The Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore has prepared a series of post-election papers examining major issues and political, economic and social challenges relating to Gotabaya’s presidency. These include his foreign policy imperatives, relationship with India and China, economic priorities and policies, engagement with the minority communities and the likely impact of his government on social cohesion and development in the country. |
| Date: | 26 December 2019 |
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| Title: | Europe In The Indo-Pacific: Moving From Periphery To The Centre ? |
| Author/s: | John Joseph Vater, Patryk Kugiel, Jivanta Schottli, Dhruva Jaishankar, Shutaro Sano, Darshana M. Baruah, Malcolm Cook, Frederic Grare |
| Date: | 27 September 2019 |
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| Title: | Trump and Modi: Prospects for US-India Burden Sharing |
| Author/s: | The Asia Foundation and Institute of South Asian Studies |
| Abstract: | This collection of papers is a first cut at understanding the potentially new strategic synergy between Washington and Delhi and assessing how it may play out in specific areas in the years ahead. The Asia Foundation and ISAS will continue to support this discourse as it develops in the coming years. |
| Date: | 22 June 2019 |
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