The New Normal: Platform for Serious Talks

Episode 11: Trump will lose - Allan Jay Lichtman reaffirms the prediction

On November 3rd of this year, voters of the United States are going to vote for the presidential election.  Who is going to win the election? Many pre-polls and predictions are occupying the media. Out of all of them one man who earned the credibility and reputation for predicting the winner of the presidential elections since the early 80s.  His predictions were never wrong.  In 1981 He and his intellectual partner late Prof Vladimir Keilis-Borok published a phenomenal paper in which they have introduced a scientific formula to predict the winner of one of the most important democratic elections in the world.   Guest of this episode of the New Normal is Allan Jay Lichtman. He is Professor of History at American University.  He received his PhD from Harvard University in 1973 with a speciality in modern American history and quantitative methods. He became an Assistant Professor of History at American University in 1973 and a Full Professor in 1980. He has been an expert witness in more than 75 civil and voting rights cases.   Professor Lichtman talked with Nilantha Ilangamuwa by joining The New Normal from his home in Washington DC.

Episode 10: Sanctions are bringing suffering and death - UN Special Rapporteur

The use of economic sanctions has throughout history been an integral component of the foreign policy of most nation-states. As a blunt tool of diplomacy, the concept of sanctions has been around at least from the time of the ancient Greeks, when Athens imposed a trade embargo on its neighbour Megara in 432 B.C. Since then, there has been a long history of countries blockading their enemies to compel a change in behaviour.  In the late nineteenth century, economic sanctions were generally used during times of war and took the form Export controls on strategic supplies and blockades against targeted countries.  But how did this tactic morph into today’s “targeted” or “smart” sanctions — measures such as arms embargoes, asset freezes, and travel bans on key individuals and organizations? They may be more humane and high-tech than a flotilla at sea, but are sanctions any more effective today than they were 2,400 years ago?  The history tells us, how sanctions failed.  Our guest t of this episode is Alena Douhan. She is a professor of the Department of International Private and European Law, Belarusian State University. Her research is focused on the law of international security, application of sanctions by states and international organizations, status of individual in International law, Human Rights in Cyber-Age, law of international treaties. She was appointed by the Human Rights Council, as the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. She took her office on 25 March 2020.  She talked to Nilantha Ilangamuwa from her residence in Minsk, Belarus

Episode 9: Mafia group destroys my beloved nation Venezuela - María Corina Machado

Unfortunately, a group of criminals have robbed and destroyed Venezuela in the last few decades.  Therefore, the prevailing political crisis is deepening day by day; people are struggling to get rid of this highly sophisticated mafia rule, María Corina Machado one of the leading opposition figures in Venezuela said. In this episode of The New Normal, Nilantha Ilangamuwa talked to María Corina Machado to have insights about the situation in the oil-rich nation in Latin America. Maria is a founding member of Vente Venezuela. She was elected Member of the National Assembly of Venezuela in September 2010, having obtained the highest number of votes of any candidate in the race. However, for her role in civil society, she was accused by the Hugo Chávez government of conspiracy and treason and was forbidden from leaving the country without judicial authorization for several years. On March 2014, she spoke before the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, after the Republic of Panama, yielded its speaking rights so that she could denounce Human Rights violations in Venezuela. For this reason, according to her, she was arbitrarily removed from her elected post by the President of the National Assembly. She says it a violation of due process and international customary law. She faces accusations of treason, terrorism and homicide, as well as repeated threats of incarceration. But her fight for democracy is continuing.

Episode 08 : Rule of Law is worsening in Myanmar- Than Than Nu

Rule of Law is worsening as State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is isolating herself without initiating a constructive approach to consolidate the political parties and movements in the country, Daw Than Than Nu, founding member of Democratic Party in Myanmar told the New Normal of Truth Side TV. Talking to Nilantha Ilangamuwa from her home in Yangon, She has recalled the memories of her father and the current situation in Myanmar. The country is once known as the rice of Bawl of Asia.  Daw Than Than Nu is a daughter of the first Prime Minister of Myanmar (Burma) U Nu.  Prime Minister U Nu has ruled Myanmar twice but he was ousted in a military coup by one of his most trusted men in 1962. Then, Than Nu left the country with her father and briefly lived in Thailand before settling down in India. She worked as a translator-announcer at the New Delhi office of All India Radio for two decades and was heavily involved in providing assistance to Burmese refugees in India in the years following the 1988 student uprising. Daw Than Than Nu returned to Myanmar in 2003 and contested the 2010 general elections.

Episode 07: Israel-Palestine Conflict: Claiming our sovereignty is our right

We are not planning to annex any part of Palestinian territory but we are planning to claim our sovereignty,” Director of Foreign Affairs at Israel's Likud Party, Mr Eli Vered Hazan told The New Normal of Truth Side TV. Joining by Nilantha Ilangamuwa from his house in Jerusalem, Mr Hazan, a strong supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to justify every action of the incumbent government which is under fire due to a series of protests in locally and internationally as well as lack of majority in the Knesset. However, Mr Hazan did not hesitate to give us his frank opinions on reports issued by the international community including, The United Nations over Israel and President Donald Trump's favourable policies on Israel.  Mr Eli Vered Hazan is also a lecturer at the S.I.D College and a regular guest and contributor to Israeli and international news channels.‏ He has served as an adviser to the Minister of Education; Parliamentary adviser to the Chairman of the Likud faction and the Coalition; and a publicist for Israel Hayom Newspaper.  Studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Eli has completed a German language course at the University of Vienna, Austria.