Sri Lanka votes: Rebirth of a nation?
A stern accounting of system failure. A novel on life after death. And serendipity...
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The Big Story:
Sri Lanka holds its first election since going bankrupt in 2022 and triggering street protests that forced its president and prime minister to flee the teardrop-shaped island nation. Does this presidential poll signal the rebirth of Sri Lanka, very appropriate for a majority Buddhist country?
Is Sri Lanka doomed to be a doleful template, like Kenya, Argentina, Pakistan, Tunisia and Angola, all of which are struggling with out-of-control debt and consequent domestic turmoil?
Many Sri Lankans remain gloomy about the economic and political outlook, saying the key demand of the 2022 struggle for transformative change is unmet.1
This Week, Those Books:
A stirring account of how the global system failed Sri Lanka.
A Booker Prize-winning novel on life after death in the island nation.
BONUS: Serendipity…fables from long ago, lovingly retold.
And if you want another read on elections, this specially unlocked post from the archives will be freely available for one week: Happy 2024, the year of elections
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