Creating Peace in Sri Lanka: Civil War and Reconciliation

Sri Lanka, one of the most promising states in Asia following independence in 1948, has been torn apart for the past fifteen years by a vicious civil war. The majority Sinhala and minority Tamils have killed each other with increasing ferocity. The Tamils, who are primarily Hindu, fear losing their identity and being overwhelmed by the majority, who are Buddhist. The Sinhala, in turn, fear that the Tamils, with the backing of their ethnic kin in the Indian province of Tamil Nadu, will destabilize and take over control of the Sri Lankan government. Colonial-era rivalries and deep-rooted distrust fuel the tensions. What will bring about an end to this destructive conflict, and how will the island nation heal its physical and psychic wounds following a peace? How will a sustainable peace be arranged? Can mediation help? This book of essays by Sri Lankan and Western authors examines the causes of war and the possibilities for peace. Contributors are Chandra R. de Silva, Old Dominion University
Rohan Edrisinha, University of Colombo
Saman Kelegama, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka
David Little, United States Institute of Peace
Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, Columbia University
Teresita C. Schaffer, former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka
David Scott, Johns Hopkins University
Donald R. Snodgrass, Harvard Institute for International Development
Jayadeva Uyangoda, Sri Lanka Foundation
William Weisberg and Donna Hicks, Harvard University. A World Peace Foundation Book