The Changing Face of Electoral Politics in Sri Lanka, 1994-2004

The Changing Face of Electoral Politics in Sri Lanka, 1994-2004

Author: Laksiri Jayasuriya

Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13:

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Sri Lanka has been through turbulent times, overcome by a devastating civil war, yet able to sustain a system of parliamentary government. This study recounts a critical decade of electoral politics in Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2004, situated in the context of a militant ethnic conflict, that includes four General Elections and a Presidential election. The new politics of Sri Lanka, evident in this decade, is marked by a party system that is increasingly fractured, a politics increasingly divided over symbolic cultural issues, and the tension inherent in a mixed executive system. The coalitional dynamics of this new politics represents a decisive break with the welfarist politics of the post-independence period evolved within the Westminster system, a legacy of the colonial past. In a Postscript, Jayasuriya examines the politics of tsunami as it impacts on the critical fault lines of Sir Lankan politics in the North, East and South as well as the neo-geopolitics. This volume will be essential to anyone interested in Sri Lanka's unique experience as a third-world country with democratic political processes and instruments for over five decades.


Ethnic Conflict

Ethnic Conflict

Author: Neal G. Jesse

Publisher: CQ Press

Published: 2010-02-09

Total Pages: 471

ISBN-13: 1483316750

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As ethnic groups clash, the international community faces the challenge of understanding the multiple causes of violence and formulating solutions that will bring about peace. Allowing for greater insight, Jesse and Williams bridge two sub-fields of political science in Ethnic Conflict—international relations and comparative politics. They systematically apply a "levels of analysis" framework, looking at the individual, domestic, and international contexts to better explore and understand its complexity. Five case study chapters apply the book’s framework to disputes around the world and include coverage of Bosnia, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, and Sudan. Never losing sight of their analytical framework, the authors provide richly detailed case studies that help students understand both the unique and shared causes of each conflict. Students will appreciate the book’s logical presentation and excellent pedagogical features including detailed maps that show political, demographic, and cultural data.


The Democratization Project

The Democratization Project

Author: Ashok Swain

Publisher: Anthem Press

Published: 2009-02-01

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1843313251

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This volume, drawing on the work of a variety of scholars, contributes to identifying and understanding the challenges and opportunities presented by the current wave of democratization to the peace and development of the world both at the domestic level in selected countries, trends in regions of the world, and in the global system of the post-Cold War Era.


The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka

The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka

Author: Asoka Bandarage

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2008-11-19

Total Pages: 402

ISBN-13: 113597084X

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The book provides a detailed historically-based analysis of the origin, evolution and potential resolution of the civil conflict in Sri Lanka over the struggle to establish a separate state in its Northern and Eastern provinces. This conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the secessionist LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) is one of the world’s most intractable contemporary armed struggles. The internationally banned LTTE is considered the prototype of modern terrorism. It is known to have introduced suicide bombing to the world, and recently became the first terrorist organization ever to acquire an air force. The ‘iron law of ethnicity’ – the assumption that cultural difference inevitably leads to conflict – has been reinforced by the 9/11 attacks and conflicts like the one in Sri Lanka. However, the connections among ethnic difference, conflict, and terrorism are not automatic. This book broadens the discourse on the separatist conflict in Sri Lanka by moving beyond the familiar bipolar Sinhala versus Tamil ethnic antagonism to show how the form and content of ethnicity are shaped by historical social forces. It develops a multipolar analysis which takes into account diverse ethnic groups, intra-ethnic, social class, caste and other variables at the local, regional and international levels. Overall, this book presents a conceptual framework useful for comparative global conflict analysis and resolution, shedding light on a host of complex issues such as terrorism, civil society, diasporas, international intervention and secessionism.


Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka

Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka

Author: Jonathan Goodhand

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-12-14

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1136876278

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The period between 2001 and 2006 saw the rise and fall of an internationally supported effort to bring a protracted violent conflict in Sri Lanka to a peaceful resolution. A ceasefire agreement, signed in February 2002, was followed by six rounds of peace talks, but growing political violence, disagreements over core issues and a fragmentation of the constituencies of the key parties led to an eventual breakdown. In the wake of the failed peace process a new government pursued a highly effective ‘war for peace’ leading to the military defeat of the LTTE on the battlefields of the north east in May 2009. This book brings together a unique range of perspectives on this problematic and ultimately unsuccessful peace process. The contributions are based upon extensive field research and written by leading Sri Lankan and international researchers and practitioners. The framework of ‘liberal peacebuilding’ provides an analytical starting point for exploring the complex and unpredictable interactions between international and domestic players during the war-peace-war period. The lessons drawn from the Sri Lankan case have important implications in the context of wider debates on the ‘liberal peace’ and post conflict peacebuilding – particularly as these debates have largely been shaped by the ‘high profile’ cases such as Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. This book is of interest not only to Sri Lanka specialists but also to the wider policy/practitioner audience, and is a useful contribution to South Asian studies.


Religion and Politics in South Asia

Religion and Politics in South Asia

Author: Ali Riaz

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-02-26

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1134999852

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Religion and religio-political forces have become potent influences in the domestic politics of many countries irrespective of geographical location, stages of economic growth, and systems of governance. The growing importance of religion as a marker of identity and a tool of political mobilization is reshaping the political landscape in an unprecedented manner, and South Asia, which contains the world’s largest populations of Muslims and Hindus with significant number of Buddhists, is no exception to this fact. This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the interaction of religion and politics in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Although the specific circumstances of each country are different, in recent decades, religion, religio-political parties, and religious rhetoric have become dominant features of the political scenes in all six countries. The contributors offer a thorough examination of these developments by presenting each country's political system and the socio-economic environment within which the interactions are taking place. The analysis of the various factors influencing the process of the interactions between religion and politics, and their impact on the lives of the people of the region and global politics constitute the core of the chapters.


Presidents, Assemblies and Policy-making in Asia

Presidents, Assemblies and Policy-making in Asia

Author: Y. Kasuya

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2013-04-08

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 1137315083

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The authors assess the constitutional and partisan powers of Asian presidents, and analyse how they are used in actual policy-making processes. Country case studies on Afghanistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan analyze how their constitutional and partisan powers are used in actual policy-making processes.


Electoral Politics in Sri Lanka

Electoral Politics in Sri Lanka

Author: S. Keethaponcalan

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-07-21

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 1000613496

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This volume examines and analyses electoral politics in Sri Lanka through the theoretical framework of manipulation. The following questions guided the study: how do political actors manipulate elections, and what are the salient features of electoral politics in Sri Lanka? Primary and secondary data formed the basis of the analysis, examining eight presidential elections. The research findings indicated that Sri Lankan governments, political parties and political leaders have taken advantage of six types of electoral manipulation, including constitutional tinkering, field fixing, time fixing, vote suppression, process manipulation and resource manipulation. Through a close examination of eight presidential elections, research carried out for the volume found that elections are often associated with violence; presidential elections are mainly a majoritarian affair in which minority communities play only a marginal role; there is a significant gender imbalance, as women’s participation in the electoral process is very limited; despite the presence of a large number of candidates contesting the election, it always remains a two-way race; and amid extensive manipulation and other problems, voter participation tends to be high. This volume will be a valuable resource for students, academics and researchers who focus on democracy, good governance, electoral studies and South Asian politics and history, and will enhance the conceptual foundation of democracy advocates and activists.


Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II

Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II

Author: James Ciment

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-03-27

Total Pages: 1334

ISBN-13: 1317471865

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Thoroughly revised to include 25 conflicts not covered in the previous edition, as well as expanded and updated information on previous coverage, this illustrated reference presents descriptions and analyses of more than 170 significant post-World War II conflicts around the globe. Organized by region for ease of access, "Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II, Second Edition" provides clear, in-depth explanations of events not covered in such detail in any other reference source. Including more than 180 detailed maps and 150 photos, the set highlights the conflicts that dominate today's headlines and the events that changed the course of late twentieth-century history.


Including the Excluded in South Asia

Including the Excluded in South Asia

Author: Madhushree Sekher

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-10-19

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 981329759X

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This book analyses and discusses the multiple dimensions of social exclusion/inclusion seen in South Asia. It not only captures how ‘social exclusion’ is intrinsic to deprivation or deprivation in itself, but also the processes of political engagement and social interactions that the socially excluded develop as strategies and networks for their advancement. Consequently, the book goes beyond structures or agency, and examines the question of a more dynamic approach to provide spaces for the ‘socially excluded’ to self-manage exclusion, thereby raising discussions around the contested positions that underlie development discourse on social inequality. While social exclusion linked to identities is studied, the book argues that hierarchies and inequalities based on social identities cut across and affect various groups of excluded. Consequently, these phenomena create or lead to various processes of exclusion. The book illustrates that social exclusion should not be limited to privileging the differences that characterize the exclusionary processes, but should also comprise underpinning strategies of ‘inclusion’, emphasizing the need to focus on imperatives ‘to include’. As a result, the book acknowledges that social exclusion is not limited to analyzing the different identities that face exclusion, but also understanding the systems and processes that create social exclusion, or create opportunities for inclusion of the excluded.The book addresses readership across academic disciplines (including in the growing field of state capacity and governance), and practitioners (administrators and policy-making communities). Conclusively, the book, provides a platform to intensively exchange the multifaceted and critical issue of social exclusion/inclusion, and thus contributes to inclusive sustainable development discourse.