Sri Lanka, Sept. 14 -- Much of the non-Western world's leadership was in China recently for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin and Beijing's military parade marking the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan. Sri Lanka was absent from both events. It was also absent from last year's BRICS summit at Kazan, in Russia, although it had applied to become a member.

Its staying away from summits of regional groupings not only carries a serious opportunity cost for an economy still rebuilding, but it has also exposed a coordination problem in Colombo's foreign-policy machinery. When questioned about the absence, Sri Lankan Government spokespersons have given several explanations for their absence at these forum...