An upset in Sri Lanka propels an outsider into power
The new president leads a party with Marxist roots
TWO YEARS have passed since Sri Lanka—crippled by covid-19, excessive borrowing and a series of policy blunders—defaulted on its debts. Inflation soared, the rupee plunged in value and fuel supplies ran out. Massive protests toppled the China-friendly president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who promptly fled to the Maldives. Things are no longer so terrible. Leaders have tamed inflation, secured a bail-out from the IMF and reached agreement with the country’s creditors on restructuring its debts.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “All change”
From the September 28th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
America v China: who controls Asia’s internet?
Amid an explosive data and AI boom the superpower contest hots up
China is using an “anaconda strategy” to squeeze Taiwan
Taiwan’s navy commander warns that his forces are increasingly strained
America is losing South-East Asia to China
President Joe Biden will not attend this year’s East Asia Summit
India has a unique opportunity to lead in AI
Its development will be unlike China’s or America’s
Japan’s new prime minister is his own party’s sternest critic
This could make it harder for Ishiba Shigeru to govern effectively
Ishiba Shigeru will become Japan’s next prime minister
The maverick won his fifth bid for leadership of the ruling party