A Turning Point? From Civil Struggle to Civil War in Sri Lanka

Abstract

An analysis of intrastate violence focuses on events that led to the outbreak of civil war in Sri Lanka. Varied definitions of war are discussed, noting differences between a state of war & actual warfare. Special attention is given to the turning point when violence begins to be used regularly in an effort to solve conflict. Conflicts involving Sri Lanka's two main populations (Sinhala & Tamil) during the early years of independence are examined, along with their political consequences & shifts in Sinhala-Tamil relations. It is contended that the escalation of violence involved choices by the main actors that aggravated the situation. Although the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1983 is often considered the moment civil struggle became civil war, it is argued that overestimating the impact of that event prevents understanding the chain of violent & nonviolent historical events that created the process of escalation that led to civil war. The stages in that process are described as differences in culture; differences in interest; tension; conflict; irregular eruptions of violence; & civil war. 3 Figures, 34 References. J. Lindroth