Rain on a parched land: reconstructing a post-conflict Sri Lanka

Abstract

The Tamil insurgency in Sri Lanka is one of the longest running ethnic conflicts in recent years. The ethnic war involving the government forces and rebels, which lasted from 1983 to 2002, claimed some 64,000 lives – most of them civilians. With peace talks held in earnest between the disputants it appears the two-decade long conflict may finally be over. Cessation of hostility, of course, poses even greater challenges – notably in post-conflict reconstruction. What should be the preferred mode of interaction between the Tamil rebels and the Sri Lankan state in the new changed environment? Do international actors have a role to play in post-conflict reconstruction? How do we address the deep-seated animosities existing between Tamils and Sinhalese? This article contends that post-conflict reconstruction is society and context specific. By using several interlinked variables, the article suggests that the best chance of putting the war-ravaged society on the road to recovery depends on addressing the recommendations contained within these variables.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the referees for their helpful suggestions.

Notes

This refers to ‘Tamil demand for (a) a distinct nationality; (b) right to self-determination; (c) recognition of the north and northeast of the country as the traditional Tamil homeland’. The Sri Lankan government has always rejected such demands as violating the country's sovereignty.

Pravada (Colombo), 16 Sept. 2002.

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The literature is too extensive to itemize, but for a brief overview, see Stanley J. Tambiah, Sri Lanka: Ethnic Fratricide & Dismantling of Democracy, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.

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As Mason and Fett suggest, ‘the longer a civil war lasts, the greater the likelihood participants motivation to negotiate a solution rather than continue with the conflict’, T. David Mason and Pattrick J. Fett, ‘How Civil Wars End: A Rational Choice Approach’, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol.40, No.4, p.552. Also, see Fen Osler Hampson, Nurturing Peace: Why Peace Settlements Succeed or Fail, Washington, DC: US Institute of Peace, 1996.

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