Engaging Military in Post-War Reconciliation: A Case Study of Implications for the Consolidation of Democracy in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Engaging military in post war reconciliation: A case study of implications for the consolidation of democracy in Sri Lanka was prompted by post-war developments in Sri Lanka related to Civil-Military relations. The longest fought civil war in South East Asia, came to an end when the Sri Lankan Armed Forces successfully defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militarily in May 2009. The huge success achieved by the Sri Lankan military vis- -vis the Tamil Tigers has made the government rely on the country s military even after the defeat of the LTTE. In that background, the government has encouraged military presence in all possible areas of the driving mechanism of the country. Specifically, the government has engaged the military in many activities of national development and reconciliation and in this scenario, there are many questions raised against the government of Sri Lanka and the military. Is excessive military involvement in civilian work leading to enhanced military prerogatives of Sri Lanka s Armed Forces, which in turn is jeopardizing civilian supremacy over the armed forces? Is involvement of the military in activities of national development and reconciliation endangering or boosting democratic consolidation in Sri Lanka? Some critiques argue that Sri Lanka has undergone an excessive militarization, which is hindering post-war democratic consolidation. In this context, this research will look at Civil-Military relations adopted by the Sri Lankan government after the civil-war period from the perspective of the military prerogatives highlighted by Alfred Stepan and will further seek to identify the impact of CMR on the consolidation of democracy in the dilemma of militarization.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA579695

Entities

People

  • Chaminda Wickramaratne

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Case Studies
  • Civil Defense
  • Civil War
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • International Relations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Movements
  • Political Science
  • Political Systems
  • South Asia
  • Terrorists
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History
  • Sociology

Readers

  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Strategic Security Studies