random thoughts

 The recent visit by the house majority leader Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan brought attention back on the 'renegade province'. China has been looking for an excuse to launch a military offesive to regain Taiwan. The military exercise is aimed at an economic blockade of Taiwan and as a warning against recognising the break-away province by any country. It will be difficult for China to keep up the pressure for long but it wants to make it clear to the domestic more than the international audience that it can go to any lengths to defend its 'sovereignity'.  The visit by the third-in-line for the US Presidency Nancy Pelosi is the first by a high-ranking US official in 25 years. The reaction by China in the previous instance was similar but the intensity this time around is much more. China is now a superpower with a formidable military to back its rhetoric. Taiwan is no match for an aggresive China but the continued support by US has kept Taiwan out of direct confrontation. Thin...

Sri Lanka is in the news for the last one week, hogging the headlines over even the war in Ukraine. The Rajapaksas' are out, President Gotabaya out of Sri Lanka and presently in Singapore awaiting asylum in a third country. Ranil Wikramasinghe has appointed himself the acting president, after facing flak over not resigning as prime minister, and imposed a state of emergency. The protesters are not convinced and want a complete break from the past politicians who they hold responsible for the worst economic situation the country is going through. Srilanka is facing a two front challenge- economic and governance. And to make matters worse one is responsible for the other. So, logically, if governance is stabalised it will automatically ensure economic revival. Political stability is a must for both an IMF bailout and for attracting future investments back to Sri Lanka. The island nation was brought to the brink of bankrupcy due to the muddled policy decisions under the Rajapaksa rule...