Assessments

Bangladesh

Maldives

Sri Lanka

International Monetary Fund representative Rahul Anand (center) speaks during a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Nov. 9, 2022. 

Economics

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives all face varying degrees of financial and economic risks in the years ahead unless they enact far-reaching (and politically unpopular) reforms.

Where Are South Asia's Most Vulnerable Economies Headed?

Snapshots

Supporters of the opposition National Peoples Power (NPP) take part in a protest in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to urge the government to hold local elections as scheduled on Feb. 26, 2023. 

Military & Security

Politics

The delayed ballot will offer a key glimpse into the country's political climate since last year's mass protests, and could weaken its new government's ability to enact IMF-mandated reforms.

The Significance of Sri Lanka's Upcoming Local Elections

China

India

China's ambassador to Sri Lanka (left) gestures upon the arrival of China's research and survey vessel, the Yuan Wang 5, at the Hambantota port on Aug. 16, 2022. 

As Beijing and New Delhi's rivalry intensifies, Colombo's attempts to maintain ties with (and financial aid from) both regional powers increasingly risks backfiring on the cash-strapped island nation.

For Sri Lanka, India's Anger Over a Chinese Ship Visit Highlights a Foreign Policy Dilemma

A vendor holds a newspaper with Sri Lanka's President-elect Ranil Wickramasinghe on the front page at a newsstand in Colombo on July 21, 2022. The six-time prime minister was sworn in as president later that day.

Wickremesinghe’s controversial ties to his ousted predecessor will impede his ability to appease protesters and lead the South Asian country out of its economic crisis.

In Sri Lanka, a New President Emerges From the Fray. Is He Up to the Task?

Columns

On Security

Opposition activists outside Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's private residence on June 22, 2022, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Social Issues

By focusing on an immediate demand to force out an unpopular government, protesters could be setting themselves on an uncertain and potentially dangerous new course.

Why What Happens Next in Sri Lanka May Be More Dangerous

Security

Guidance

Zambia

Iran

Syria

Turkey

Italy

Russia

A protester waves Sri Lanka's national flag outside the presidential palace in Colombo on July 13, 2022. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Sri Lanka Picks a New President, a Russia-Turkey-Iran Summit

Anti-government protesters gather outside the presidential palace in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 9, 2022.

Energy

The president and prime minister’s resignations may briefly restore order, but the need for austerity measures could collapse the next government and spur new bouts of unrest.

Amid Mounting Protests and Economic Turmoil, Sri Lanka’s Leaders Call It Quits

Pakistan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a press conference with his Pakistani counterpart (not pictured) in Beijing, China, on Sept. 8, 2017. 

Beijing's hesitance to fully bail out Pakistan, one of its closest partners, bodes ill for the growing number of developing countries seeking debt relief.

Facing Economic Issues at Home, China Scales Back Its Foreign Debt Assistance

Media

Podcasts

What led to the current economic situation in Sri Lanka?

 Essential Geopolitics: What's Happening in Sri Lanka?

Flames engulf a vehicle belonging to the security personnel and a bus near outgoing Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's official residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 9, 2022. 

The crisis is nearing a tipping point, with protesters now targeting political leaders' homes, and with the military now armed with sweeping powers to contain them.

The Potential Outcomes of Sri Lanka's Escalating Political Unrest

People hold up posters with ''#GoHomeGota,'' a slogan used to call for the resignation of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, at an anti-government protest in Colombo on April 5, 2022

Protests over food and fuel shortages have morphed into a mass anti-government movement that is poised to only grow amid the country's grim financial prospects.

Sri Lanka's Mounting Economic Crisis Could Give Way to a Political Reckoning

Mexico

United States

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches May 10, 2019 in the Red Sea from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. A U.S. Navy Red Sea task force will begin operating April 17 in the waters near the Bab el-Mandeb.

The Weekly Rundown: G-20 Finance Ministers Meet, a Red Sea Maritime Operation Targets the Houthis

The Yemen Civil War

Chinese state-owned China Merchants Group announced plans to build a major logistics complex at Sri Lanka's Colombo port with an estimated cost of $392 million, bringing the firm’s total investment in Sri Lanka to around $2 billion, Agence France-Presse reported on May 1.

Sri Lanka: Chinese State-Owned Firm Plans to Build Port Complex

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $2.9 billion bailout plan for Sri Lanka, BBC reported on March 20.

Sri Lanka: International Monetary Fund Approves Bailout

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe informed Parliament that he had received a letter from the state-owned Export-Import Bank of China confirming financial assurances for the country's debt restructuring on March 6, ColomboPage reported the next day.

Sri Lanka: Colombo Expects IMF Bailout Approval Within Weeks After China Gives Financial Assurances

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared the transportation of goods and people an essential service ahead of nationwide strikes scheduled for March 1, News First reported on Feb. 28.

Sri Lanka: President Declares Transport an Essential Service to Prevent Large Protests

Sri Lanka's Election Commission announced that it will postpone local council elections originally scheduled for March 9 due to a lack of funds and will announce a new election date on March 3, News First reported Feb. 24.

Sri Lanka: Local Council Elections Postponed Due to Lack of Funds

Sri Lanka's Public Utilities Commission, the country's electricity regulator, approved a 66% power tariff hike, CNBC reported on Feb. 16.

Sri Lanka: Electricity Regulator Hikes Power Tariff by 66%

Thirty international bondholders sent a letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressing their intention to participate in debt restructuring talks with Sri Lanka, Reuters reported Feb. 3.

Sri Lanka: Bondholders Agree to Debt Restructuring Talks

In a letter to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Export-Import Bank of China agreed to suspend Sri Lanka's debt payments for two years, The Sunday Times reported on Jan. 23.

Sri Lanka: Colombo Says China Agrees to Defer Debt

Afghanistan

Algeria

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Bahrain

Lithuania

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Barbados

Benin

Egypt

Malta

Ukraine

Belize

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Bolivia

Burkina Faso

Cambodia

Germany

Iraq

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Brazil

Burundi

Finland

Israel

Nepal

Cameroon

Canada

Georgia

Jordan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

Chile

Federated States of Micronesia

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Central African Republic

Colombia

Fiji

Latvia

Lebanon

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chad

Costa Rica

Indonesia

Libya

Comoros

Cuba

Czech Republic

Japan

A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Morocco

Cote d'Ivoire

Denmark

Dominica

Kiribati

Moldova

Oman

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dominican Republic

Laos

Palestinian Territories

Djibouti

Ecuador

Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

Qatar

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Greece

Marshall Islands

Eritrea

France

Grenada

Mongolia

The island of Sri Lanka lies twenty miles off the southeastern tip of India. Slightly smaller than Ireland, the country sits at the center of the Indian Ocean, just northeast of the Maldives island chain.     Sri Lanka is divided into two geographic zones.     The southwest of the island is Sri Lanka's core. It consists of the inland Central Highlands, flanked to the west by Colombo's seaside lowlands. This area receives most of the island's rainfall and is the country's agricultural heartland, producing rice for food consumption and its cash crops: coconut, tea and rubber. It also contains the island's gem and graphite deposits. Colombo has a deep natural harbor, which receives substantial traffic from nearby shipping lanes.      The northern part of the island is divided into the inland Vanni region and the Jaffna Peninsula on Palk Bay. The north is dry and agriculture is only possible because of large, ancient reservoirs. Fishing is the primary economic activity. The north is connected to India by a chain of islands and sandbars known as Adam's Bridge, which has historically eased the movement of goods and people to and from the mainland.      Sri Lanka's main geographic challenge is to protect its core around Colombo, while promoting integration with the north. The most recent challenge to Colombo's dominance was from the Tamil Tigers insurgent group, who used the Vanni region and Jaffna peninsula regions as bases to mount terrorist attacks. Uniting the north with the core will allow Colombo to take advantage of low-end manufacturing leaving China, using its underdeveloped north as a source of cheap labor.

Female

Male

SITUATION REPORTS

Sri Lanka: Chinese State-Owned Firm Plans to Build Port Complex

Sri Lanka: International Monetary Fund Approves Bailout

Sri Lanka: Colombo Expects IMF Bailout Approval Within Weeks After China Gives Financial Assurances

Sri Lanka: President Declares Transport an Essential Service to Prevent Large Protests

Sri Lanka: Local Council Elections Postponed Due to Lack of Funds

Sri Lanka: Electricity Regulator Hikes Power Tariff by 66%

Sri Lanka: Bondholders Agree to Debt Restructuring Talks

Sri Lanka: Colombo Says China Agrees to Defer Debt

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support