Matt Yglesias

16 Responses to “After the Tamil Tigers”

1. SomeCallMeTim Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 9:25 am

   “With malice toward none, with charity toward all,”

   Gawd knows that’s worked out like gangbusters for us.

2. Matt B Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 9:28 am

   With malice toward none, with charity toward all.

   So you’re saying that Rajapaksa and Wickremanayake need to invest in some good bodyguards for the immediate future?

3. kid bitzer Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 9:44 am

   they are losing, because they are losing all their territory.

   they lost territory, because they held territory.

   they held territory, because they were extremely successful for a while, converting an insurgency into an actual mini-state.

   but that’s not how they started: they started as the very scattered insurgents, and the pioneers of suicide bombing.

   and they may go back to that again.

   i don’t have any feeling as to whether this new turn of events is a victory for all right-thinking people or the crushing of a legitimate independence movement–i simply do not know enough about sri lankan history.

   but at the level of counter-insurgency doctrine, i think it is highly premature to chalk this up as a victory for government forces and a defeat for insurgents.

   the irish were slaughtered at the post office in 1916. that didn’t prevent their descendants from blowing up bombs all over london many decades later.

4. Just Dropping By Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 9:49 am

   I keep wanting to hear some analysis about why the Sri Lankan government was finally able to so decisively gain the upperhand.

5. Dade Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 10:49 am

   There was a brilliant analysis on BBC Radio this morning by Charu Lata Hogg. She said and I agree that one of the key factors that gave the Sri Lankan authorities the upperhand this time around was the support they received from China – military and diplomatic. For example, China blocked any damaging UN Security Council resolutions against their miltary offensive.
   The Sri Lankans were also able to play off India and China to great advantage achieving the routing of the LTTE.
   My only overall concern is this: now that they’ve won the war, will they be able to win the peace?

6. RicksterSherpa Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 10:58 am

   Think Ireland and its 400 year history of “Troubles.”

7. Rich in PA Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 11:09 am

   For #4: I think the SL government was successful because they finally really tried to win. Governments almost always have what it takes to defeat insurgencies; it’s nice to have a well-heeled diaspora supporting you, but even a rickety government has far more resources, and all kinds of institutional advantages that no insurgency can hope for except under exceptional circumstances. To me what’s worth exploring is not so much how the government side won in 2009, but rather why it lost for so many years. Same deal with Colombia, by the way.

8. Tyro Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 11:39 am

   I keep wanting to hear some analysis about why the Sri Lankan government was finally able to so decisively gain the upperhand.

   The Sri Lankan government decisively gains the upper hand with a certain amount of regularity every 5 to 10 years.

9. Tyro Says:
   May 18th, 2009 at 11:48 am

   More seriously, The Globe and Mail claims that the tsunami back in 2004 had a decisive role in weakening the Tamil Tigers, destroying their navy, decimating their homeland and (they claim) killing many children being raised to join the Tigers. It strikes me that breakaway rebel states probably weren’t prime recipients of reconstruction aid after the tsunami, so the damage probably hit them much worse compared to the Sri Lankan government.

10. StevenAttewell Says:
    May 18th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    I’m with Tim and Matt – analogies to the Civil War and Reconstruction are not useful in these circumstances, especially since it was Andrew Johnson’s implementation of “with malice toward none, with charity toward all” that kept the planters secure in their lands and politically dominant, ensuring the legal and extra-legal campaign to keep the freedman down would have a strong base of support.

11. El Cid Says:
    May 18th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    FWIW, the statement issued by the Council of the European Union:

    Council conclusions on Sri Lanka

    2942nd GE
    ERAL AFFAIRS Council meeting
    Brussels, 18 May 2009

    The Council adopted the following conclusions:

    1. The EU has monitored the events of the last 48 hours and is appalled by the loss of innocent lives as a result of the conflict and by the high numbers of casualties, including children, following recent intense fighting in northern Sri Lanka.

    2. As the fighting draws to an end, the EU reiterates its call on the Government of Sri Lanka urgently to proceed towards a comprehensive political process. It therefore calls on the President of Sri Lanka to outline a clear process leading to a fully inclusive political solution, based on consent, equality and the rule of law. Long-term security, post-conflict reconstruction and prosperity in Sri Lanka can only be achieved through such a process, to address the legitimate concerns of all Sri Lanka’s communities. The EU expects all parties
    to engage without delay and stands ready to support this process.

    3. The EU calls on the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to take all necessary steps to prevent further loss of life, welcoming the reported escape out of the combat zone of a significant number of civilians. The EU reiterates the need for all parties to a conflict to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law. The EU calls for the alleged violations of these laws to be investigated through an independent inquiry. Those accountable must be brought to justice.

    4. The EU acknowledges steps already taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address the humanitarian situation of those it is holding in camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), but significant obstacles remain. The civilian nature of the camps, freedom of movement and early return for IDPs should be ensured. Full and unhindered access to all IDPs must be guaranteed and current restrictions on the humanitarian aid agencies, such as visa and checkpoint problems, should be removed. The EU calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to give the ICRC a monitoring role and share with them lists of persons screened by the Government while leaving the conflict zone.

    5. The EU calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to take, without delay, all necessary steps to facilitate the evacuation of civilians, as well as the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance to them, in line with its obligation to protect all people under its jurisdiction. The EU underscores that fighting terrorism must be done in full respect for the rule of law and Human Rights.

    6. The EU welcomes the UN Security Council Press Statement of 13 May and continues to support the efforts of the UN to help alleviate the situation in Sri Lanka. It supports an early visit by the Secretary-General to the country. The EU urges the Government of Sri Lanka to extend full cooperation to the UN in order to resolve the humanitarian crisis.

    7. The EU condemns the LTTE, a terrorist organisation, in particular for the use of civilians as human shields and the forced recruitment of civilians. The EU calls on the LTTE to lay down its arms and to renounce terrorism and violence once and for all.

    8. The EU expresses its deep concern about the human rights situation, and considers that ensuring respect of media freedom is crucial. It welcomes the work being undertaken by the UN Special Rapporteurs and joins their call for thorough monitoring of developments. The EU continues to call for appropriate action by the United Nations Human Rights Council.

    9. The Council will keep the situation in Sri Lanka, including its humanitarian aspects, under close scrutiny and will revert to the issue as appropriate.

    Not unreasonable concerns.

12. Jeffrey Davis Says:
    May 18th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost is mandatory reading.

13. Brian Oregon Says:
    May 18th, 2009 at 3:35 pm

    Sri Lanka won the “war” now because they determined to retake the Tamil-controlled land even at the expense of the civilian population. (In the same way the US could have “won” the Vietnam war if we had been willing to mercilessly bomb the north into submission.)

    Defeating the Tamil army won’t stop Tamil people from wanting independence so unless the SL government makes a strong effort to bring Tamil people into mainstream SL society, an underground guerilla insurgency will surely go on.

14. Gitai Says:
    May 18th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    If they were to grant equal recognition of Tamil in government documents, schools, and other official aspects and institute an affirmative action program akin to India’s, in one generation, the desire to wage civil war would be eradicated.

15. Syd B Says:
    May 19th, 2009 at 3:12 am

    maybe we can give the tamils a homeland in palestine

16. The End Of The Tiger? « Around The Sphere Says:
    May 19th, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    [...] UPDATE #5: Matt Y [...]