Features

North-South issues resurfacing in international politics

Published

5 years ago

2021/07/15

Famine is making a strong comeback in the African continent and in a country of the Middle East and unless the world takes strong note of the spectre and begins to deal with it unitedly it could strike in other vulnerable parts of the South as well. We have it on the authority of the UNHCR that the following countries are in danger of being ravaged by famine: South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Syria.

These countries have been witness to endemic conflict and deprivation and in current times their problems have been steadily compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic and issues growing out of it. The UNHCR added: “People in extreme poverty worldwide are expected to rise between 119 million and 124 million as a result of the pandemic.” Speaking more recently on the spread of extreme poverty worldwide UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was quoted saying: “More than three quarters of these “new poor” are in middle income countries.”

Accordingly, it is not only the economically backward countries of the African continent that could be heading for extreme poverty and its debilitating consequences; middle income countries that have hitherto been showcased as economic growth centres of the South need to be on the alert as well against spreading poverty, currently caused in the main by the pandemic. Needless to say, these middle income countries have a vast geographical spread and have become notable economic success stories in every region of the South. It is clear that if nothing constructive is done about this phenomenon of creeping global poverty, economic ruin would be the world’s lot. May be, famine could spread well beyond the African continent.

However, how prepared is the world to take up this challenge of keeping a wide-ranging economic debacle at bay? More specifically, the issue is to what degree the world would be united in facing the challenge. That global unity and solidarity, at present, is hardly forthcoming on this score, is the answer. While it ought to be clear that the pandemic is aggravating the economic challenges of the world, the evidence is also at hand that support from the rich countries in tackling the pandemic and linked issues is leaving much to be desired.

Once again, UN chief Guterres presented the stark facts: “Rich countries have poured the equivalent of 28 per cent of GDP into weathering the Covid-19 crisis. In middle income countries this figure drops to 6.5 per cent; in least developed countries, to less than 2 per cent.” He was speaking of the need for G20 countries to take on the urgent task of “extending a lifeline” to countries on the verge of debt crises. It’s plain to see that the world’s richest countries could be more generous in meeting the challenge of alleviating the growing economic challenges of particularly the South.

The minds of the more seasoned commentators on global politics ought to go back, while focusing on the above questions, to the Southern-driven New International Economic Order of the seventies and early eighties. Those were the times when the North-South divide was one of the foremost issues in international politics. Besides the exploitation on several fronts suffered by the South at the hands of the North during colonial times, the situation was no better at the time the NIEO project was launched and campaigned for by the South, backed by NAM and other organizations that staunchly took up the cause of the South in international forums.

The North-South divide and issues that flowed from it soon became a thing of the past when the developing countries too went in a major way in the mid-seventies for economic liberalization and market-led growth, which came to be seen as comprising the keys to development. Market-led growth was the development paradigm which came to be advocated by the two foremost global financial institutions, the World Bank and the IMF, which enjoyed Western financial backing in a major way and which, essentially, advocated market economics; the only growth path known to the foremost capitalist countries of the West.

However, decades after the adoption of the free enterprise model and the downplaying of central planning in the management of their economies the South today, as is known, is no better off than what it was in colonial times. Essentially, Southern governments have found that ‘growth’ has not trickled down to their peripheries or their people. While a microscopic minority among their publics is flourishing, their masses have slid further into poverty and disempowerment. The South continues to be yoked to the West in numerous ties of exploitation and dependence and has earned for itself overwhelming debt traps from which escaping is proving almost impossible. Put in a nutshell, so to speak, this is where the South in general stands today in political and socio-economic terms.

However, in the current Covid-19 crisis, unlike at the times when North-South questions first came to the fore, almost the entirety of the world seems to be facing overwhelming odds. The foremost powers of the West are likely to imagine that they will be spared many of the crippling socio-economic issues flowing from the pandemic but this is wishful thinking. An economic debacle in the South will eventually cripple the North, inasmuch as it weakens the South. It ought to be plain to see that a South that has lost its economic strength will not be in a position to offer the North any trading or investment opportunities, for example.

Besides, economically crippled Southern societies will prove the breeding ground of increased criminality and runaway law and order problems. Identity politics, which usually pave the way for “terrorism” and extremism of numerous kinds, will initially blight Southern societies and eventually those of the North as well.

Needless to say, the West is having a sizeable crop of law and order problems that has its origins in Southern religious extremism, for instance, and it is plain that economic deprivation is the most fertile field for the breeding of these extremisms. Besides, if Southern refugees are a major problem in the North, it is because socio-economic distress is prompting them to flee their countries of origin; the numerous “boat people” being just one case in point.

Accordingly, North-South issues are back in world politics, but with the difference that the North is not in the almost unassailable position that it was in, in the seventies, when ‘North-South’ first made it to the Southern political lexicon in particular. Issues coming to the fore in the wake of the pandemic, it is hoped, would force the North to see the wisdom in supporting the South economically. That is a chief means of staving off an economic cataclysm.

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Features

Acid test emerges for US-EU ties

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday put forward the EU’s viewpoint on current questions in international politics with a clarity, coherence and eloquence that was noteworthy. Essentially, she aimed to leave no one in doubt that a ‘new form of European independence’ had emerged and that European solidarity was at a peak.

These comments emerge against the backdrop of speculation in some international quarters that the Post-World War Two global political and economic order is unraveling. For example, if there was a general tacit presumption that US- Western European ties in particular were more or less rock-solid, that proposition apparently could no longer be taken for granted.

For instance, while US President Donald Trump is on record that he would bring Greenland under US administrative control even by using force against any opposition, if necessary, the EU Commission President was forthright that the EU stood for Greenland’s continued sovereignty and independence.

In fact at the time of writing, small military contingents from France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands are reportedly already in Greenland’s capital of Nook for what are described as limited reconnaissance operations. Such moves acquire added importance in view of a further comment by von der Leyen to the effect that the EU would be acting ‘in full solidarity with Greenland and Denmark’; the latter being the current governing entity of Greenland.

It is also of note that the EU Commission President went on to say that the ‘EU has an unwavering commitment to UK’s independence.’ The immediate backdrop to this observation was a UK decision to hand over administrative control over the strategically important Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to Mauritius in the face of opposition by the Trump administration. That is, European unity in the face of present controversial moves by the US with regard to Greenland and other matters of contention is an unshakable ‘given’.

It is probably the fact that some prominent EU members, who also hold membership of NATO, are firmly behind the EU in its current stand-offs with the US that is prompting the view that the Post-World War Two order is beginning to unravel. This is, however, a matter for the future. It will be in the interests of the contending quarters concerned and probably the world to ensure that the present tensions do not degenerate into an armed confrontation which would have implications for world peace.

However, it is quite some time since the Post-World War Two order began to face challenges. Observers need to take their minds back to the Balkan crisis and the subsequent US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in the immediate Post-Cold War years, for example, to trace the basic historic contours of how the challenges emerged. In the above developments the seeds of global ‘disorder’ were sown.

Such ‘disorder’ was further aggravated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago. Now it may seem that the world is reaping the proverbial whirlwind. It is relevant to also note that the EU Commission President was on record as pledging to extend material and financial support to Ukraine in its travails.

Currently, the international law and order situation is such that sections of the world cannot be faulted for seeing the Post World War Two international order as relentlessly unraveling, as it were. It will be in the interests of all concerned for negotiated solutions to be found to these global tangles. In fact von der Leyen has committed the EU to finding diplomatic solutions to the issues at hand, including the US-inspired tariff-related squabbles.

Given the apparent helplessness of the UN system, a pre-World War Two situation seems to be unfolding, with those states wielding the most armed might trying to mould international power relations in their favour. In the lead-up to the Second World War, the Hitlerian regime in Germany invaded unopposed one Eastern European country after another as the League of Nations stood idly by. World War Two was the result of the Allied Powers finally jerking themselves out of their complacency and taking on Germany and its allies in a full-blown world war.

However, unlike in the late thirties of the last century, the seeming number one aggressor, which is the US this time around, is not going unchallenged. The EU which has within its fold the foremost of Western democracies has done well to indicate to the US that its power games in Europe are not going unmonitored and unchecked. If the US’ designs to take control of Greenland and Denmark, for instance, are not defeated the world could very well be having on its hands, sooner rather than later, a pre-World War Two type situation.

Ironically, it is the ‘World’s Mightiest Democracy’ which is today allowing itself to be seen as the prime aggressor in the present round of global tensions. In the current confrontations, democratic opinion the world over is obliged to back the EU, since it has emerged as the principal opponent of the US, which is allowing itself to be seen as a fascist power.

Hopefully sane counsel would prevail among the chief antagonists in the present standoff growing, once again, out of uncontainable territorial ambitions. The EU is obliged to lead from the front in resolving the current crisis by diplomatic means since a region-wide armed conflict, for instance, could lead to unbearable ill-consequences for the world.

It does not follow that the UN has no role to play currently. Given the existing power realities within the UN Security Council, the UN cannot be faulted for coming to be seen as helpless in the face of the present tensions. However, it will need to continue with and build on its worldwide development activities since the global South in particular needs them very badly.

The UN needs to strive in the latter directions more than ever before since multi-billionaires are now in the seats of power in the principle state of the global North, the US. As the charity Oxfam has pointed out, such financially all-powerful persons and allied institutions are multiplying virtually incalculably. It follows from these realities that the poor of the world would suffer continuous neglect. The UN would need to redouble its efforts to help these needy sections before widespread poverty leads to hemispheric discontent.

Features

Brighten up your skin …

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

Hi! This week I’ve come up with tips to brighten up your skin.

* Turmeric and Yoghurt Face Pack:

You will need 01 teaspoon of turmeric powder and 02 tablespoons of fresh yoghurt.

Mix the turmeric and yoghurt into a smooth paste and apply evenly on clean skin. Leave it for 15–20 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water

Benefits:

Reduces pigmentation, brightens dull skin and fights acne-causing bacteria.

* Lemon and Honey Glow Pack:

Mix 01teaspoon lemon juice and 01 tablespoon honey and apply it gently to the face. Leave for 10–15 minutes and then wash off with cool water.

Benefits:

Lightens dark spots, improves skin tone and deeply moisturises. By the way, use only 01–02 times a week and avoid sun exposure after use.

* Aloe Vera Gel Treatment:

All you need is fresh aloe vera gel which you can extract from an aloe leaf. Apply a thin layer, before bedtime, leave it overnight, and then wash face in the morning.

Benefits:

Repairs damaged skin, lightens pigmentation and adds natural glow.

* Rice Flour and Milk Scrub:

You will need 01 tablespoon rice flour and 02 tablespoons fresh milk.

Mix the rice flour and milk into a thick paste and then massage gently in circular motions. Leave for 10 minutes and then rinse with water.

Benefits:

Removes dead skin cells, improves complexion, and smoothens skin.

* Tomato Pulp Mask:

Apply the tomato pulp directly, leave for 15 minutes, and then rinse with cool water

Benefits:

Controls excess oil, reduces tan, and brightens skin naturally.

Features

Shooting for the stars …

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

That’s precisely what 25-year-old Hansana Balasuriya has in mind – shooting for the stars – when she was selected to represent Sri Lanka on the international stage at Miss Intercontinental 2025, in Sahl Hasheesh, Egypt.

The grand finale is next Thursday, 29th January, and Hansana is all geared up to make her presence felt in a big way.

Her journey is a testament to her fearless spirit and multifaceted talents … yes, her life is a whirlwind of passion, purpose, and pageantry.

Raised in a family of water babies (Director of The Deep End and Glory Swim Shop), Hansana’s love affair with swimming began in childhood and then she branched out to master the “art of 8 limbs” as a Muay Thai fighter, nailed Karate and Kickboxing (3-time black belt holder), and even threw herself into athletics (literally!), especially throwing events, and netball, as well.

A proud Bishop’s College alumna, Hansana’s leadership skills also shone bright as Senior Choir Leader.

She earned a BA (Hons) in Business Administration from Esoft Metropolitan University, and then the world became her playground.

Before long, modelling and pageantry also came into her scene.

She says she took to part-time modelling, as a hobby, and that led to pageants, grabbing 2nd Runner-up titles at Miss Nature Queen and Miss World Sri Lanka 2025.

When she’s not ruling the stage, or pool, Hansana’s belting tunes with Soul Sounds, Sri Lanka’s largest female ensemble.

What’s more, her artistry extends to drawing, and she loves hitting the open road for long drives, she says.

This water warrior is also on a mission – as Founder of Wave of Safety,

Hansana happens to be the youngest Executive Committee Member of the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) and, as founder of Wave of Safety, she’s spreading water safety awareness and saving lives.

Today is Hansana’s ninth day in Egypt and the itinerary for today, says National Director for Sri Lanka, Brian Kerkoven, is ‘Jeep Safari and Sunset at the Desert.’

And … the all-important day at Miss Intercontinental 2025 is next Thursday, 29th January.

Well, good luck to Hansana.