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A CONTRACTUAL DISPUTE IN THE MALDIVES: SOME FACETS OF A COUNTRY IN A MULTI-FACETED CRISIS
Abstract
The as yet incomplete lifespan of a contractual dispute between the government of the Republic of the Maldives and a multi-national consortium selected to develop, manage and operate the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (on Hulhule’ island, near the capital island of Male’) affords the observer a cross-section of Maldivian politics, society, and economy. This article details the life history of this dispute from bidding process and selection of the contracting parties, through terms, partial performance, and breach, against the backdrop of political instability and societal uncertainty that fully manifested itself in 2012. The article traces the unraveling both of the first elected party and President together with the contract, and the reverberations of political activism and executive decisions on Maldives-India relations and on the standing of the country. It concludes with recent developments and the current position of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in Maldivian society and electoral politics.
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Journal of South Asian Studies
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