In this episode of South Asia Geoeconomic Adda, Dr. Harsha de Silva — economist, parliamentarian, and Chair of Sri Lanka’s Committee on Public Finance — joins Dr. Sanjay Kathuria to dissect Sri Lanka’s journey from economic collapse to cautious recovery. They discuss what went wrong after the post-war boom, the 2022 debt default, and the hard lessons from Sri Lanka’s dealings with China, India, and the IMF. Harsha reflects on India’s critical support during the crisis, the burden of bad policy choices, and why trade liberalization remains politically difficult. How can Sri Lanka cope with the high 20 percent additional “reciprocal tariffs” of the current US administration? The conversation probes whether Sri Lanka can rebuild credibility, manage debt that exceeds 100 percent of GDP, and find balance in an increasingly polarized region. A candid look at a nation walking the tightrope between reform and relapse. SAGA is hosted by Dr. Sanjay Kathuria, a pre-eminent thinker and commentator on South Asia, contemporary geoeconomic issues, economic development, and trade and globalization. He is co-founder of the Trade Sentinel and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress in New Delhi.