Article
Review: The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, Ethnicity, Political Economy by Asoka Bandarage
Civil Wars
(2010)
Abstract
The conflict involving the Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has been, until recently, one of the world's most intractable. Even after the military defeat of the Tigers in 2009, the protracted nature of the conflict and the intensely divisive politics that contributed to it, belie an easy resolution. Asoka Bandarage delves into the history and socioeconomic context of the conflict in order to provide readers with a thorough understanding of the dynamics of the situation. For example, she explains how the government's politically driven quota policies in education and employment led to different experiences within the Sinhala and Tamil communities, leading to deep-rooted intra-community and intra-class divisions. She questions dualist interpretations of the conflict and highlights many of the lesser-known nuances and complexities of Sri Lankan politics. As Sri Lanka moves into a post-LTTE era, policymakers and practitioners would do well to pay attention to the author's discussion of the multiple layers to the conflict. At the same time, Bandarage's conceptual framework remains somewhat unclear, and could have benefited from a stronger theoretical focus.
Keywords
- LTTE,
- Sri Lanka,
- Terrorism
Disciplines
Publication Date
2010
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13698249.2010.484911
Publisher Statement
Taylor & Francis Group
Citation Information
Bidisha Biswas. "Review: The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, Ethnicity, Political Economy by Asoka Bandarage" Civil Wars Vol. 12 Iss. 1-2 (2010) p. 176 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/bidisha-biswas/13/