Vetted by NeuralPress's Multi-Agent Verifier for strict factual validity and event relevance. Our compliance engine cross-checks and filters search results to ensure zero false correlations or misleading content.
Primary Sources
War with Iran and unravelling of the global order - II
Delivering the keynote address at the 54th Memorial of the late Minister Philip Gunawardena, former Foreign Secretary HMGS Palihakkara, called for a culture of consensus on key public policy issues in the country as the way forward from recovery to sustainable growth in a world of deepening violence and diminishing cooperation. Excerpts. Today, we gather to honour and remember the late Hon. Philip Gunawardena—virtually a household name to my generation, fondly known to the ordinary folks just as Philip ‘Mathithuma’- a leader whose life was woven into the very fabric of Sri Lanka’s struggle for justice, dignity, and independence. Philip Gunawardena was not merely a political leader; he was a visionary, a reformer, and a fearless voice for the common people. While he was an iconic figure and a staunch socialist, he remained a pragmatic modernist as well. This, obviously, is quite a complex and difficult political binary to maintain. As history has it, he did acquit himself doing it. At a time when speaking truth to power demanded immense courage, he stood unwavering. He believed deeply that a nation’s strength lies not in privilege, but in equality—in uplifting farmers, workers, and the forgotten voices of society. The famous Paddy Land Act and the concept of Apex Cooperative Bank which later transformed into the present-day Peoples Bank and many other public policy and institutional creations are emblematic of his deep knowledge of the economic challenges and his holistic approach to development. On the other hand, others saw Philip demonstrating hard-nosed pragmatism, not a naïve ideological bent. Dr. Sarath Amunugama, a friend and a public servant turned politician said of Philip: “On Socialism itself Philip had a different perspective – You talk of Socialism. You cannot socialise poverty. You can only socialise plenty. And if people cannot work, if they cannot produce, you cannot have Socialism.” * The volume being launched today contains Philip Gunawardena’s speeches and initiatives, documents in great detail the drive and substance he deployed to deliver social justice and economic outcomes to those working classes. He was aptly called the “Father of Socialism” in Sri Lanka, even lionised as the Boralugoda Sinhaya. But titles and appellations alone cannot capture the spirit of the man. People were captivated not only by the inimitable force of his articulation and commitment but perhaps equally or even more, by substance and cogency of his argument. He...
The US-Iran War: How It Is Redefining the Global Order
The conflict between the United States and Iran that erupted on February 28 is no longer a discrete military episode; it has morphed into a structural rupture in West Asia’s strategic equilibrium. What began as a calibrated, high-impact decapitation strike, jointly executed by Washington and Israel under Operation Epic Fury, has evolved into a grinding air campaign with consequences that far exceed its original intent. If the opening salvo was meant to shock Tehran into submission, the subsequent trajectory suggests instead a familiar paradox of modern warfare: coercion has yielded consolidation, not capitulation. The early hours of the conflict were marked by a dramatic escalation ladder. The assassination of Ali Khamenei, alongside senior figures such as Ali Larijani, was designed to decapitate the Iranian regime’s command structure. Yet, far from triggering systemic collapse, it catalysed a rapid and relatively disciplined succession. Mojtaba Khamenei emerged as Supreme Leader with remarkable speed, while hardline elements consolidated operational authority. This outcome underscores a critical misreading that has historically plagued external interventions in the region: the resilience of ideological states under siege. The assassination of Ali Khamenei, alongside senior figures such as Ali Larijani, was designed to decapitate the Iranian regime’s command structure. Indeed, Iran’s response has been emblematic of its long-standing strategic doctrine—eschewing symmetry in favour of persistence. Ballistic missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli cities, US bases in the Gulf, and critical energy infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain have signalled both capability and intent. While the tempo of these attacks has diminished significantly, their continuation has ensured that the psychological and economic costs remain disproportionately high. Tehran’s strategy is not to win outright but to deny victory. From a geopolitical standpoint, the conflict has already begun to reorder regional alignments. The Gulf monarchies, historically ambivalent about direct confrontation with Iran, now find themselves in unprecedented operational coordination with both the US and Israel. This emergent alignment, while tactically effective, exposes the fragility of the region’s security architecture. It is less a cohesive alliance than a convergence of anxieties, held together by immediate threat perceptions rather than long-term strategic coherence....
A war redefining global order - Opinion News | The Financial Express
The conflict between the United States and Iran that erupted on February 28 is no longer a discrete military episode; it has morphed into a structural rupture in West Asia's strategic ...
Iran war escalation is redrawing the rules of war - Policy Circle
The larger concern is what Iran war escalation means for international law and global order. The idea behind humanitarian law is simple: certain actions must remain unacceptable, regardless of who is fighting.
