Asanga Abeyagoonasekera – författare

Having celebrated its 70th year of independence in 2018, Sri Lanka, a strategically-positioned island nation, now finds itself with the potential to be a super connector in fast-developing Asia. While carving out a place for itself in the international arena, Sri Lanka has simultaneously had to look inwards to recover and rebuild its potential, bruised by an era of colonial rule and nearly 30 years of a civil war, with two youth insurrections.This book examines these twin dimensions. First, how Sri Lanka is negotiating its international reach and the spheres of influence that extend from other Asian and world powers, and second, how the country is engaging in nation-building, from days of racial riots to ones of peace-building, reconciliation, more robust governance, and the development of cyber security.Written from the perspective of a Sri Lankan academic and the head of the national security think tank, this book offers insights into how the country has addressed its post-conflict as well as geopolitical challenges, navigated through domestic politics, and ramped up peace-building efforts, to now reach a junction where it can put its foot firmly on the road to prosperity in a new Asian world order.

This book is a compilation of essays on several themes intended to provoke thought on and promote understanding about everyday political and social life on an island facing constant geopolitical and domestic political challenges. The themes of this books are: 4/21 Terror Attack and National Security; China, Belt and Road Initiative and Sri Lankan Foreign Policy; Geopolitics; Sustaining Democracy and Facing a Pandemic; and Domestic Political Stability, Leadership and Economic Crime.Most essays have captured the domestic viewpoint from which to begin drawing a wider picture of the global geopolitical tapestry. The chapters enframe a variety of domestic political incidents, conflicts of various actors, and the conundrum of an island in the Indian Ocean, stuck in the triangular maritime power dynamics among the United States, China, and India. They also examine the influences from foreign nations towards Sri Lanka's foreign policy and the dynamics of security challenges in the larger geosphere and marine sphere of South Asia and the Indian Ocean respectively. The chapters offer the reader an Olympian viewpoint of the challenges Sri Lanka faces, attempting to find connections and patterns towards greater external geopolitical influence and how it impacts domestic politics.

This book is a compilation of essays on several themes intended to provoke thought on and promote understanding about everyday political and social life on an island facing constant geopolitical and domestic political challenges. The themes of this books are: 4/21 Terror Attack and National Security; China, Belt and Road Initiative and Sri Lankan Foreign Policy; Geopolitics; Sustaining Democracy and Facing a Pandemic; and Domestic Political Stability, Leadership and Economic Crime.Most essays have captured the domestic viewpoint from which to begin drawing a wider picture of the global geopolitical tapestry. The chapters enframe a variety of domestic political incidents, conflicts of various actors, and the conundrum of an island in the Indian Ocean, stuck in the triangular maritime power dynamics among the United States, China, and India. They also examine the influences from foreign nations towards Sri Lanka's foreign policy and the dynamics of security challenges in the larger geosphere and marine sphere of South Asia and the Indian Ocean respectively. The chapters offer the reader an Olympian viewpoint of the challenges Sri Lanka faces, attempting to find connections and patterns towards greater external geopolitical influence and how it impacts domestic politics.

Having celebrated its 70th year of independence in 2018, Sri Lanka, a strategically-positioned island nation, now finds itself with the potential to be a super connector in fast-developing Asia. While carving out a place for itself in the international arena, Sri Lanka has simultaneously had to look inwards to recover and rebuild its potential, bruised by an era of colonial rule and nearly 30 years of a civil war, with two youth insurrections.This book examines these twin dimensions. First, how Sri Lanka is negotiating its international reach and the spheres of influence that extend from other Asian and world powers, and second, how the country is engaging in nation-building, from days of racial riots to ones of peace-building, reconciliation, more robust governance, and the development of cyber security.Written from the perspective of a Sri Lankan academic and the head of the national security think tank, this book offers insights into how the country has addressed its post-conflict as well as geopolitical challenges, navigated through domestic politics, and ramped up peace-building efforts, to now reach a junction where it can put its foot firmly on the road to prosperity in a new Asian world order.

Winds of Change explores how China's Belt and Road Initiative, India's diplomacy under Prime Minister Modi, and America's Indo-Pacific strategy are reshaping strategic landscapes across all of Asia with particular attention to the international relations of a Sri Lanka which in 2024 elected its first Marxist-leaning leader. President Dissanayake's inaugural visit to China secured USD 3.7 billion in foreign direct investment, and this momentous political shift reflects a broader regional transformation across South and Southeast Asia, as nations navigate the competing influences of China, India, and the United States amid rising geopolitical tensions.Drawing on firsthand experience, regional travel, exclusive interviews, and research, this book examines four key themes: the Geopolitics of Belt and Road, India-China Regional Diplomacy, Geopolitical Power Rivalries, and Sri Lanka's Domestic Political Challenge. Looking at how countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, and Vietnam are adjusting to shifting power dynamics, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Nepal struggle to maintain balance amid India'China tensions, this book goes on to investigate whether a second term for Trump could accelerate a global order increasingly tilted toward China. Key questions include: How do South and Southeast Asian nations perceive India's and China's regional diplomacy? How are India'China tensions affecting Sri Lanka, and what does this mean for regional stability?Revisiting the geopolitical theories of Nicholas J Spykman alongside modern-day thinkers, Winds of Change blends historical analysis with contemporary geopolitics, providing a nuanced perspective on a region at the heart of 21st-century power struggles. It is essential reading for policymakers, scholars, and global affairs enthusiasts.

Winds of Change explores how China's Belt and Road Initiative, India's diplomacy under Prime Minister Modi, and America's Indo-Pacific strategy are reshaping strategic landscapes across all of Asia with particular attention to the international relations of a Sri Lanka which in 2024 elected its first Marxist-leaning leader. President Dissanayake's inaugural visit to China secured USD 3.7 billion in foreign direct investment, and this momentous political shift reflects a broader regional transformation across South and Southeast Asia, as nations navigate the competing influences of China, India, and the United States amid rising geopolitical tensions.Drawing on firsthand experience, regional travel, exclusive interviews, and research, this book examines four key themes: the Geopolitics of Belt and Road, India-China Regional Diplomacy, Geopolitical Power Rivalries, and Sri Lanka's Domestic Political Challenge. Looking at how countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, and Vietnam are adjusting to shifting power dynamics, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Nepal struggle to maintain balance amid India'China tensions, this book goes on to investigate whether a second term for Trump could accelerate a global order increasingly tilted toward China. Key questions include: How do South and Southeast Asian nations perceive India's and China's regional diplomacy? How are India'China tensions affecting Sri Lanka, and what does this mean for regional stability?Revisiting the geopolitical theories of Nicholas J Spykman alongside modern-day thinkers, Winds of Change blends historical analysis with contemporary geopolitics, providing a nuanced perspective on a region at the heart of 21st-century power struggles. It is essential reading for policymakers, scholars, and global affairs enthusiasts.