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

"This study is yet another valubale addition to Robert Rotberg's exellent collection of books on conflict and its prevention.... This book is essential reading for those interested in understanding the incentives and disincentives of the two major ethnic groups and myriad intra-Sinhalese and intra-Tamil antagonists.
" — Book Notes

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"Robert Rotberg has done an excellent job in putting this book together.... The volume gives us stimulating reflections on the Sri Lanka conflict in particular, and on conflict and its resolution in general." —Nicholas Van Hear, Center for Development Research, Copenhagen, Journal of Refugee Studies, 9/1/2000

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"These papers constitute an innovative contribution to the literature on the ethnic conflict in Sri lanka that has been draining the island's material, emotional, and moral resources for over fifteen years. While the different papers deal with the socio-economic, ethico-religious, and related aspects of the conflict, the work as a whole is distinctive in its orientation toward a solution. Thus, while the gloom the volume projects is inescapable, so is the ray of hope. Particularly commendable is the volume's attempt to bring together a diverse group of both Sri Lankan and foreign specialists, all of whom write with authority and brilliance." —H.L. Seneviratne, University of Virginia

Robert I. Rotberg is director of the Program on Intrastate Conflict, Conflict Prevention, and Conflict Resolution at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and president of the World Peace Foundation. Rotberg is the author or editor of numerous books, including State Failure and State Weakness in a Time of Terror (Brookings/WPF, 2003).