Do you agree that foreign intervention is more important than economic impact on Sri Lankan government’s desire for peace agreement? Explain your answer

Foreign intervention by India helped to promote peace in Sri Lanka. But this is not the only reason. Economic impact of the conflict is very negative and has caused loss of foreign investment.This has also contributed to the Sri Lanka government's desire for peace.

The Sinhalese-Tamil conflict in Sri Lanka attracted the attention of its neighbour, India. It sent its Foreign Minister to Sri Lanka to mediate in a dialogue between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.

India’s intervention was a serious violation of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. This is because Sri Lanka is an independent country and she had been forced into certain actions by India against its own wishes, showing that it is not totally in control of its own future. For example, in 1987, the Sri Lankan government was forced by India to sign a peace accord with the LTTE. When the peace accord was broken because the LTTE did not surrender their arms, the Indian government ordered Indian troops into Sri Lanka for peacekeeping. This move resulted in even more violence in the country and prolonged the armed conflict. The Sri Lankan government also felt that it has lost complete independence to act on its own, and thus cease to be in control of its own fate.

All these consequences could have caused the Sri Lankan government to deepen its desire for peace agreement as it hope to regain it independence. In its intervention, the Indian government has also sent its Foreign Minister to Sri Lanka to mediate in the dialogue between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. Although the dialogue failed to end the conflict, it has helped to promote peace by forcing the two sides to discuss their problems.

In the riots and armed struggles caused by the conflict, many people are killed. Those killed are usually breadwinners of families, plunging them into poverty and starvation. The ensuing riots and terrorism also resulted in the destruction of factories and businesses, effectively causing even more employment. This vicious cycle of poverty is made worse by the loss of investments from other countries as in times of instability, investors from other countries may not have the confidence to invest in the country. Foreign investment dropped from US$66 million in 1982 to US$39 million in 1983, and a further decline to US$22 million in 1986.

Tourism, one of Sri Lanka’s major income earners, was also seriously damaged by the violent internal conflict. Tourist arrivals steadily decreased after the July 1983 riots. This resulted in a loss of jobs and a fall in foreign exchange earnings. This in turn, affected the economy adversely. There were also lesser funds to develop amenities and facilities for the people, such as transport and housing.

All the above consequences of the conflict have affected the economy of Sri Lankan negatively and thus increased Sri Lankan government’s desire for peace agreement.

Ultimately there is no single reason that can explain sufficiently the reason why the Sri Lanka government has the desire for peace. Both reasons contributed to the peace process. With India's intervention, the Sri Lanka government realised that if it does not work for peace then India may take matters into their own hands and force a peace settlement. At the same time, the continued conflict has hinder economic growth and development and the government knows that only when there is peace will there be development. Therefore both reasons has contributed to the desire for peace.

(Note from the Ess

You must show how the two factors are dependent on each other and therefore both have equal impact on Sri Lankan government for peace agreement.)