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UPI ID : enb@axis.com
UPI ID : enb@axis.com
Geopolitical shift: Sri Lanka-US tariff deal on final stretch17 Sep 2026 | By Nethmi RajawasamAs Sri Lanka is yet to finalise on its tariff agreement with the US, with 90% of the paperwork involving the agreement through with, it must reckon with the marked shift of the US administration’s interests in trade, from focusing on it though multilateralism to leveraging it as a strategic geopolitical tool, former Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States Mahinda Samarasinghe said recently (14).“I would say that we have finished 90% of the content of the agreement, as I speak to you today. Once we agree in principle to the content, we have to then embark on the domestic processes that are needed to give legal effect, to start implementing the agreement,” Samarasinghe said, speaking at the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors members’ meeting.“An aspect of this geopolitical strategy was the conscious moving away by the US towards preferring to negotiate on a one-on-one basis to achieve trade agreements with whoever they were negotiating with, as opposed to sticking to multilateral agreements or a multilateral framework.” “When we started negotiations, whether it was the WTO or any other multilateral trade agreement that Sri Lanka was a signatory to, and other countries were part of, was not relevant as far as the tariff negotiations were concerned. This was the strategy adopted for all countries. It was a one-on-one negotiation process that took place outside the gambit of multilateralism, or international frameworks,” Samarasinghe said.He further noted that even the European Union with its 27 nation-bloc has finalised its own agreement. “Negotiations are still taking place between Sri Lanka and the US, to finalise the trade agreement that quite a number of other countries have already signed and put to effect. For example, the EU which has 27 countries within the block, has finalised their agreement. Approximately 50 countries have finished signing the agreement and some of them are already implementing the agreement. Sri Lanka is in its last stages of finalising the agreement.” Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the first week of August acknowledged that Sri Lanka was yet to formalise the agreement with the US, which entails the crucial tariff reduction from 44% to 20%.“We get 44% based on our Trade deficit. That is their principle. We consider reducing it from 44% to 20% as an important outcome of the discussions and the agreement between them and us,” President Dissanayake noted, speaking of the discussions held between the Sri Lankan delegation and Sri Lanka since the tariff announcement in April of 2025.Samarasinghe explained that it is widely accepted that the US’s intention of leveraging its tariff regime is not solely meant to bolster its own domestic industries, but to wield its dominance as one of the largest export markets in the world to create supply-chain dependence and inward foreign investment. “The general consensus in the world today is that it is not only domestic compulsions, such as revenue generation in the US; or giving a comparative advantage to the manufacturing, industrial base, the producers in the US to be able to compete with the rest of the world. It was not only those domestic compulsions that influenced the tariff regime, but in fact the carrot and stick approach, which can also be termed as the geopolitics of the tariff strategy.”The US commands around 25% of Sri Lanka’s total yearly exports earnings, with approximately $ 3 billion earned in 2025. Expanding on his thesis, he used India’s journey through the negotiations – which had been penalised with an additional 25% surcharge for its importation of discounted Russian crude oil and military equipment. “Our neighbour had to face a 25% surcharge, on top of the reciprocal tariffs that were announced in April 2025. This surcharge made the total tariff for the country 50%, which made it very difficult to maintain its market share in the most lucrative export market in the world. Fortunately they were able to skillfully negotiate, out of that position of having to face a 50% tariff to export to the US market, and roll back the 25% in February of 2026.” Further, he used the 40% transshipment surcharge that had been leveraged against Vietnam, on the basis of accusing Beijing of routing Chinese goods through Vietnam to dodge American duties.“Vietnam had to face a 40% surcharge as a result of transshipment activity going through it. As a result of agreeing to a rigorous supervision mechanism, with the consent of the US – it was agreed that the 40% would not be implemented. The 40% is still on the books, as the rigorous supervision takes place, with the cooperation of Vietnam, so that transshipment of goods produced in another country is not shipped through Vietnam.” Samarasinghe elaborated on his explanation as to why the US has turned to leveraging its tariff regime as a strategic tool, by using Bangladesh’s 0% tariff rate on specific Bangladeshi textile and apparel goods entering the US market.“The supply chain had been identified as crucial in giving countries the ‘carrot’ they were offering. The signing of the agreement between Bangladesh and the US. It was such that the supply-line shifted the raw materials that were being brought into the production, from a certain country, towards getting the raw materials such as cotton and fibre from the US market. Based on that, Bangladesh were to be given a quota, which would be 0%, against the 10% Bangladesh was to pay.” The “sero-rated” provision enables certain garments and textile products manufactured in Bangladesh to qualify for sero reciprocal tariffs only if they are made using US-produced cotton and man-made synthetic fibers. This was in addition to the country gaining a significant reduction in the general tariff rate to the US reduced from 37% to 19%.“This is a clause that Sri Lanka would also like to have, because Bangladesh is one of our strongest competitors and we want to ensure that we retain our competitive position, because of the importance of the US markets for Sri Lankan exports,” Samarasinghe concluded.
Gas prices are about to take a big jump, analysts say, with the worst still to comeThe forecast of economic impacts beyond November’s midterms contrast with the Trump administration’s optimistic messaging.Washington Post 17-09-26By Evan Halper,Rachel Chason andJoyce Sohyun LeeThe effects of the U.S.-led war on Iran are about to intensify in the form of huge jumps in the prices of gasoline and diesel, analysts predict. And despite the Trump administration’s assurances, a new and potentially even more economically damaging phase of the war may be about to begin.The national average price for regular gasoline stood at $4.44 on Thursday, according to AAA, with a range of $6.09 in California to $3.92 in Indiana. That’s still below the all-time national record of $5.02 in June 2022. But diesel, which has a big influence on trucking and retail prices, has continued to hit records, with the national average at $6.40 on Thursday. In California, diesel is averaging $8.35.The cost increases are landing particularly hard in several political battleground states in the Midwest, where prices jumped as much as 25 cents per gallon overnight, according to AAA.Damage inflicted on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline last week, along with continuing strikes on oil infrastructure and contested control over a key waterway, threaten to elevate what had been a shipping crisis into a broader disruption of oil.The 745-mile pipeline is Saudi Arabia’s principal overland alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, linking eastern oil fields to Red Sea export terminals.U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday that the pipeline would be operational again in a matter of days, and the White House has touted renewed tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.But analysts who reviewed images of the pipeline damage anticipate a significantly longer disruption, likely resulting in high prices for consumers well beyond the midterm elections. And maritime tracking organizations say that far less oil is getting through the Strait of Hormuz than the Trump administration claims.A satellite image shows the Saudi Arabia East-West pipeline after a strike that hit it on Friday. (Vantor/Reuters)Andrew Lipow, a consultant who advises clients on protecting and repairing oil infrastructure, said photos of the pipeline “show a significant amount of damage” and that repairs are likely to “take a month or two.”“They will need to replace piping, valves, all the electrical stuff,” he said. “It is not like you can just go to Costco and pick that stuff up off-the-shelf.”Satellite imagery reviewed by The Washington Post revealed damage to at least two pumping stations along the pipeline.Drone attacks on one, beginning last Thursday, were widely reported, and high-resolution imagery collected by Vantor on Sunday showed extensive and significant damage.At least one other pumping station, about 130 miles east of the first, was also damaged around that time, according to a review of imagery by The Post. A plume of dark smoke, so large it could be seen from space, rose from the western side of the station in a Sept. 10 Planet satellite image.A satellite image shows damage to a second pumping station along Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, in Al Dhekra. (Vantor)Because of the shortage of crude oil and the damage the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine have inflicted on refineries that turn it into diesel and gasoline, market analysts are warning that fresh price shocks are about to hit motorists.Tom Kloza, chief energy adviser for Gulf Oil, predicted on X that Wednesday would “see staggering increases at the pump for both gasoline & diesel.”“Fuel margins have yet to catch up with previous wholesale hikes,” he wrote. “Watch for huge increases in Great Lakes and Rocky Mountain states in particular.”“Buckle up,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at the price-tracking platform GasBuddy, wrote Wednesday morning. “Gas and diesel look set for a spike over the next 48 hours, hardest in parts of the nation’s interior.”Gas prices are also shooting up particularly fast in the political battleground states of the Midwest, where rising crude prices have been compounded by a power outage at the ExxonMobil Joliet refinery near Chicago, which typically produces 11 million gallons of gasoline and diesel per day and is a crucial supplier for the region.The price for a gallon of regular spiked 25 cents between Wednesday and Thursday in Iowa, according to AAA. In Wisconsin, it was up 23 cents. In Michigan, it was up 22 cents.The disruption to the global energy market has come largely as a result of retaliation by Iran and its proxies to U.S. strikes and economic warfare against Iran.President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, when U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In recent weeks, Trump has looked to use a naval blockade and economic sanctions to punish Iran.Instead of capitulating, Iran and its proxies are growing more aggressive.Saudi Arabia blamed the pipeline damage on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have also been escalating their attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and have gained territory that gives Iran control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait.On Wednesday, fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis escalated even further, with the Houthis saying they had downed an F-15 plane and Saudi Arabia accusing the Houthis of firing a drone near the holy site of Mecca, which the Houthis denied.Taking all that into account, market analyst forecasts are darkening.“We noted that diesel prices could rise to $6.65/gal by election day based on trends five days ago. Well, trends have worsened — diesel surpassed $6.26/gal already,” Liz Thomas, chief market strategist for the banking and investment firm SoFi, posted on X.Already, American motorists have paid an additional estimated $107 billion in extra gasoline and diesel costs as a result of the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.The deteriorating outlook comes as the war nears its seven-month mark, with no end in sight and recent diplomatic efforts faltering.Trump has tried to downplay the risk, saying over the weekend that “everything will work out just fine,” when asked about developments in Yemen that appeared to choke off Saudi Arabia’s remaining outlet for oil exports.Prices in the U.S. are rising so fast that industry officials are bracing for potential intervention from the White House or Congress, which has few tools left to confront the spiraling costs. One of the remaining options would be an export ban on diesel, which could create chaos in global markets and not necessarily lower prices in the U.S., as domestic refineries are already running at capacity.Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) told reporters Tuesday that he is open to considering it. “We’ll be looking at any proposal that is a viable solution, but I do think if we have the supply in this country and we’re exporting it right now that might be one way of getting at it,” he said in response to a question, according to a report in Bloomberg News. “If that would take pressure off of prices, you know, I’m open to exploring it.”Some economists immediately warned such a move would only worsen the energy crunch in the U.S. and abroad.“The diesel problem is a refining capacity and crude quality problem layered on a war,” Tracy Shuchart, senior economist at the commodities trading platform NinjaTrader, posted on X. “An export ban addresses neither and makes both worse.”The East-West pipeline has also exposed the limits of Washington’s effort to protect Gulf energy flows. Amid uncertainty around when the pipeline will open again, industry officials are bracing for even more attacks.Analysts note there are several more vulnerable pumping stations along the pipeline route that could create even more chaos if damaged.Visual analysis by The Post showed that a third oil facility, an Aramco bulk plant in Abha, a city in the southwest of the country, also appeared to have suffered damage last week. Video taken at a distance from the plant showed the plant on fire, and Planet satellite imagery from Sept. 8 showed a smoke pillar measuring at least 20 miles in length.Aftermath imagery taken the following day showed at least six storage tanks appeared to have been impacted.And while the pipeline has been the “headliner,” said Brett Erickson, geopolitical expert who sits on the board of Seton Hall’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been “hammering” other Saudi oil infrastructure.On Wednesday, in the most recent example, the Houthis said that they attacked Saudi Arabia’s Aramco facility in Yanbu with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones, causing large fires and destruction.“What has become clear is the inability of Saudi Arabia to protect its infrastructure,” Erickson said, adding that satellite imagery shows that during the pipeline attack on Friday, it was not just one pumping station that was hit, but three.“It is intentional that the Houthis and Iraqi militias have not struck the pipeline more,” he said. “Because the real death knell will be getting it repaired to 95 percent, then striking again. That is really where they become dangerous.”Fire data from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System also detected a flare on Wednesday over the Aramco refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, where the East-West pipeline runs to, this week, but The Post was unable to verify what the cause of the flare was.Bob McNally, who founded the research firm Rapidan Energy Group and was an energy adviser in the George W. Bush administration, predicted that Iran is going “to keep trying to raise the price of crude oil to pressure Trump to capitulate.”He said the U.S. has made progress helping ships navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, despite constant threats of Iranian attacks. But that success has been offset by the potentially more enduring damage caused by attacks on oil infrastructure.The East-West pipeline was a key factor in keeping fuel prices from soaring even higher than they did in the past several months. It was part of what McNally described as a three-legged stool that helped mitigate the economic damage from the halting of most shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The other two legs of that stool were China cutting back its imports of oil substantially — easing the global shortage — and the U.S. and other countries tapping hundreds of millions of barrels of emergency reserves. Now, the reserves are mostly tapped out, China’s appetite for imported oil has come roaring back, and the pipeline has been knocked out of commission. At the same time, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is far from restored to the level it was at before the war.
தோழர்கள் அப்பு பாலன் நினைவு நீடூழி வாழ்க!பாசிச இந்திராவின் 21 மாத கால (from 25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977),அவசரகால (எமெர்ஜென்சி) ஆட்சியில், நாட்டின் உண்மையான விடுதலைக்காகப் போராடிய நக்சல்பாரி தோழர்கள் நரபலி கொள்ளப்பட்டனர். மத்தியுடன் கைக்கோர்த்த கருணாநிதி நிர்வாகம், தமிழ்நாட்டிலுள்ள தோழர்கள் மீது கடுமையான ஒடுக்குமுறைகளை ஏவியது. அப்போதுதான் தோழர் அப்பு வேட்டையாடப்படார். மக்களின் எதிர்புக்கு அஞ்சி எமர்ஜென்சியை விலக்கிக்கொண்ட பிறகு, மீண்டும் ஆட்சிக்கு வந்த இந்திரா காங்கிரஸ், மாநிலத் தரகு எம்.ஜி.ஆர். ஆட்சியோடு கூட்டு சேர்ந்து பாசிச அடக்குறைகளைக் கட்டவிழ்த்தது.`குளத்தை வற்ற வைத்து மீன்களைக் கொல்ல` திட்டமிட்டது. தருமபுரி பகுதியில் நிலப்பிரபுத்துவக் கொடுமைகளுக்கு எதிராக பல்வேறு மக்கள் திரள் போராட்டங்களை கட்டியமைத்த `மக்கள் யுத்தக் குழு`வின் பாலன் தோழரையும் படுகொலை செய்தது. அத்தகைய தியாகத் தோழரின் நினைவாகவும், அப்பு உள்ளிட்ட இதுவரையில் இந்தியாவின் சுதந்திரத்திற்காகவும், ஜனநாயகத்திற்காகவும் உயிர்நீத்த அனைத்து வீரத் தியாகிகள் நினைவாகவும் செப்-12ஐ தியாகிகள் தினமாக கடைபிடித்து வருகிறோம்.சற்று ஏறத்தாழ இதே காலத்தில் இந்திரா,கருணாநிதி,எம்.ஜி.ராமச்சந்திரன் ஆகியோர் ஈழப்போராட்டத்தின் ஆதரவாளர்கள் ஆகினர்!ஈழக் குழுக்களுக்கு பயிற்சியும் ஆயுதமும் அளிக்க இந்திரா முடிவு செய்தார்.மாநிலத் தரகு நிர்வாகங்கள் அதை உறுதி செய்தன.திருத்தல்வாத இந்திய இடதுசாரிகள் இதற்கு முற்போக்கு வர்ணம் தீட்டி கொள்கைப் பிரச்சாரம் செய்தனர்.எம்.ஜி.ராமச்சந்திரனின் பண உதவிக்கு பிரபாகரன் அவர்கள் நன்றி செலுத்தினார்.போட்டிக்கு கருணாநிதி டெலோ,புளொட் குழுக்களை ஊக்குவித்தார்.தமிழக மக்களிடையே தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகளுக்கு வளர்ந்து வந்த ஆதரவின் காரணமாக மத்திய மாநில ஆளும் வர்க்கங்களைச் சார்ந்து ஒரு இனமானக் கும்பலும், அது சார்ந்த ஒரு ஆதரவு வலையமைப்பும் உருவாகியது.பெருமளவுக்கு இதில் தங்கியிருந்து புலிகள் யுத்தம் செய்தனர். யுத்தம் முன்னேறி வளர்ந்து வந்தது.இவ்வாறு போராட்டம் முழுவதும் தனது கட்டுப்பாட்டில் இருப்பதாகக் கணிப்பிட்ட இந்தியா, ஆயுதக் குழுக்களை இலங்கை அரசுடன் சமரசம் செய்து ஆயுதப் போராட்டத்தைக் கைவிட நிர்ப்பந்தித்தது.1985 திம்புவில் இந்தியா தனது உண்மை முகத்தைக் காட்டி ஈழத்தின் முதுகில் குத்தியது. சகோதரப் படுகொலைகளை தூண்டியது. இந்திய ஆக்கிரமிப்புப் படையை ஏவி புலிகளை நிராயுதபாணியாக்க முயன்றது.தோல்விகண்டு மூக்குடைபட்டு திரும்பியது.ஆனாலும் பத்தே ஆண்டுகளில் (1987-1977), இந்திய இலங்கை ஒப்பந்தம் கைச்சாதாகிவிட்டது!இது விரிவாதிக்க ஒப்பந்தம், இலங்கை தனது இறையாண்மையை அடகுவைத்த ஒப்பந்தம்.இது முதல் கடந்த 40 ஆண்டுகளில், மொத்தமாக 50 ஆண்டுகளில் இலங்கையை இந்தியா அறிவிக்கப்படாத ஒரு அண்டை மாநிலமாக்கிவிட்டது. அரசியல் பொருளாதாரத் துறைகளில் மட்டுமல்ல, இராணுவ பாதுகாப்புத் துறைகளிலும் அடிமைப்படுத்தி விட்டது.ஈழ தேசத்தை அடிமைப் படுத்தி ஆட்சி செய்யும் சிங்களம் தான் அடிமைப்பட்டுக்கிடப்பது தர்க்க ரீதியில் தவிர்க்க இயலாதுதான்!தனது மூன்று நாள் சுற்றுப் பயணத்தை முடித்துக்கொண்டு இந்திய பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சர் நேற்றைய தினம் நாடு திரும்பியுள்ளார்.பாதுகாப்பு ஒப்பந்தங்கள் கைச்சாத்திடப் பட்டதாகக் கூறப்படுகின்றது. ஆனால் சந்தர்ப்பவாத ஜே.வி.பி கும்பல் இதற்கு மக்களிடம் அனுமதி கோரவில்லை.மக்களுக்கு பகிரங்கப் படுத்தவில்லை.நாடாளமன்றத்தில் கூட விவாதிக்கவில்லை.ஆசிய பசுபிக் பிராந்தியத்தில் அமெரிக்க நலன்களுக்கு சேவகம் செய்யும் குவாட் கூட்டின் மூன்று அடியாள் நாடுகளில் இந்தியா முக்கிய நாடாகும்.இலங்கையை இந்தியாவுக்கு அடிபணிய வைப்பதன் மூலம் குவாட் கூட்டின் இராணுவப் பணிகளில் இலங்கையை கட்டாயமாக இணைக்கின்றது இந்தியா. இதற்கு துணைபோயுள்ளது அனுரா ஆட்சி.இதனை ``அண்டை நாடுகளோடு கொண்டு கொடுத்தல்`` என்று விளக்கமளிக்கின்றது இந்தியா.இந்தியாவும் இலங்கையும் கலாச்சார இரட்டையர்கள் என்று ராமாயணக் கதை அளக்கின்றது!அண்மைக்காலமாக அகண்ட பாரதம் கொஞ்சம் சுருங்கி சுருண்டுவிட்டது.டிரம்பின் இரண்டாவது ஆட்சிக்காலம் உலகப் பாசிசத்தின் பயிற்சிக் களமாக உள்ளது.இது அடுத்தடுத்த அமெரிக்க ஆட்சிகளில் எவ்வாறு அமையும் என்பதைப் பொறுத்து இருந்துதான் பார்த்துக் கணிக்க வேண்டும்.எனினும் இச் சர்ச்சைகளுக்கு மத்தியிலும் உலக மறுபங்கீட்டில் இந்தியாவின் அமெரிக்க சார்பு நிலையில் எந்த மாறுதலும் இதுவரையில் ஏற்படவில்லை.உலக மறுபங்கீட்டுச் சேவகத்தின் விளைவான உள்நாட்டு நெருக்கடியை சமாளிப்பதற்கும், அண்டை அயல் நாடுகளை தன் குடையின் கீழ் தயார் செய்வதற்கும் இந்தியா, விரிவாதிக்கத்தையே தனது பிரதான ஆயுதமாகக் கொண்டுள்ளது.இந்தியப் பாசிசம் என்பதும் விரிவாதிக்கத்திலேயே கட்டப்படுள்ளது.எனவே நக்சல்பாரி புரட்சிகர தோழர்கள் அப்பு பாலன் நினைவு தினத்தில்;இந்திய விரிவாதிக்க உலக மறுபங்கீட்டுப் பாசிசம் ஒழிக,உலகத் தொழிலாளர்கள், ஒடுக்கப்பட்ட தேசங்கள் ஒன்றுபடுகஎன உரத்து முழங்குவோம்!புதிய ஈழப் புரட்சியாளர் 12-09-2026
