Sri Lanka Naval Officer graduates with Honours from the US Coast Guard Academy
When the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut held the 140th Commencement Exercise on May 19, with President Joe Biden taking part as chief guest and delivering the keynote speech, among the graduates who passed with First Class was Sri Lanka’s Wishwa Fonseka, a Sub Lieutenant. He graduated with honours in Naval [...]
Parliament revisited; Recalling the early days of wading in gumboots to visit the Duwa
Winding my way along the old road to what was then known as Kotte many nostalgic memories keep flowing in. This old road has now been replaced by a four-lane freeway which I traversed for over 33 years leading to the new Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte as the area is now known. Most of all I [...]
The UN: Where diplomacy is 97% alcohol and 2% protocol
UNITED NATIONS – – A former US ambassador to the United Nations once provided an amusingly light-hearted definition of diplomacy: 97 percent alcohol, 2 percent protocol and one percent Geritol, a multi-vitamin drink probably meant to energise negotiations. But diplomacy at the UN is much more than socialising — even as receptions and cocktail parties [...]
Vaccines and the West’s credibility crisis
CAMBRIDGE – The proper functioning of any interconnected economic system depends on trust. And a global system that has been designed by advanced economies requires a significant level of buy-in from the developing world. Both become even more important as more developing economies, led by China, gain systemic importance. With the world trying to recover [...]