Friday, August 2, 2013

India's Interests in Sri Lanka: Balancing Tamil vs Strategic Interests

Following discussions with a senior Sri Lankan official from Colombo, it does not instill any confidence that the ethnic reconciliation issue is reaching any settlement!  The fact that the government is not in favour of devolution of power is an indication of this.  Heavy military presence in the north and east -- another indicator -- is an issue that does not generate any confidence among the Tamils.  On the other hand, the government's fear is that there could be still radical elements present within the larger Tamil populace who could trigger problems for the government.  It has become a catch-22 situation!!

A second set of issues regarding Sri Lanka, from an India perspective is the role of external powers and how Sri Lanka may itself be maneuvering its position in the larger Asian geopolitical context.

This flows into what we at ORF have been debating for about two years now.  Our work will be brought out as a book in the next couple of months.  And I look forward to hearing more views in this regard.  

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