“The prolongation of military commands made Rome a servile state”. Machiavelli (The Discourses) By Tisaranee Gunasekara Stratospheric defence costs constitute Lankan economy’s deadliest ticking time-bomb. Militarization is menacing Southern (and Lankan) economic wellbeing as much as it is impeding Northern democracy. The fundamentally weak Lankan economy can ill afford the huge amounts of money sp...

Global banking giant HSBC is upbeat on Sri Lanka’s external trade, predicting exponential growth above global average over the next 15 years. In its October 2011 dated HSBC Trade Connections Trade Forecast Quarterly Update, HSBC said Sri Lanka’s external trade would grow in volume terms by 105% by 2025 and value wise by 83% to ...