Visits from US Secretaries of State to Sri Lanka are rare. In the past seventy-two years there have been only four visits - 1956, 1972, 2005 and 2015 - before Mike Pompeo’s visit last week. The Sri Lankan discourse on the visit has paid a great deal of attention to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant of $480m on offer. For nationalists, especially from the ranks of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration, it is a convenient target for criticism that also diverts public attention from other pressing problems people currently face. As Secretary Pompeo told the local media that Sri Lanka can decide between taking the grant or turning it down.
USA vs China
Pompeo’s visit to South Asia is connected with far more important geopolitical and security issues, especially in the Indo-Pacific region that involve, three big-league players, USA, India, China. USA still remains the sole superpower in the world. In 2019 the GDP of US was $21.5 trillion accounting for about 24% of the total global output. In the same year the military budget was $732 billion and that was about 37% of total global military spending. The share of the emerging global superpower China in global output was 16.4% and in military spending 13.0%.
Denne historien er fra November 04, 2020-utgaven av Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 04, 2020-utgaven av Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
I Request UNPers To Vote At This Election And Save The Country And The Party
Wrong doers are being turned innocent by manipulating the law under this regime
Ecuador Declares Emergency In Prisons -116 Inmates Killed
Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso imposed a state of emergency on the prison system, after deadly clashes among gang members in a coastal prison killed at least 116 people.
Implications Of Covid-19 On Pregnant Mothers
The daily surge in Covid-19 figures presents pregnant women and their families with additional uncertainty.
Sri Lanka And Bangladesh Meet In Saff Curtain Raiser Today
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will clash in the curtain raiser match of the SAFF Football Tournament at the Maldives National Stadium in Male, today.
The Taliban And The UN's Democracy Dilemma
The United Nations is often derided as a talk shop.
How to restore loss of smell, taste after COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world anosmia and dysgeusia were quickly recognised as two of the key presenting symptoms.
JAFFNA STALLIONS OWNERSHIP GROUP HIT BACK AFTER REMOVAL
Say they signed a term sheet to continue as Jaffna franchise owners | Refute reasons given by IPG for ineligibility
German parties proceed to first coalition talks after polls
BERLIN (DPA), 29 SEPT, 2021 - The parties hoping to be part of Germany’s first government in 16 years without Angela Merkel as chancellor have taken their first steps towards coalition talks, with the country’s political future still in the balance.
Russia threatens YouTube ban after German RT outlet blocked
MOSCOW (DPA), 29 SEPT, 2021 - Moscow threatened on Wednesday to block the YouTube video platform after the internet media firm removed the German-language channels of Russia’s RT state media outlet.
Sri Lankan Footballers out to end 26-year long wait
Sri Lanka will look to end a 26-year-old hoodoo when they compete in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in the Maldives from October 1 to 16.