Conflict in Sri Lanka: Ground Realities - Tamil Nation & Beyond

The Strategy of Delay- J. S. Tissainyagam[J S Tissainyagam exposes and explores the strategy of ‘masterlyinaction’ that Sri Lankan Governments have used with successto avoid meeting Tamil demands and reaching a political solutionto the conflict He also identifies other strategies employed bythe Government both before and after the Cease-Fire to deny apolitical resolution.. He concludes that “Unless the internationalcommunity is able to use diplomatic clout and political skillsto apply pressure on Colombo to address problems withoutresorting to procrastination and political manoeuvring, theLTTE would have no option but to slough off the shackles ofthe CFA and resort to other ways of achieving its goal”]The history of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka reveals that aparticular line of action has been exploited by successive Sinhaladominatedgovernments until it has become threadbare withuse. But, despite overuse, this strategy could be banked upon todeliver desired results. One sees it in operation when one surveysthe broad sweep of history of the conflict from the time it becamean armed struggle in 1983. On the other hand, its presence isalso unmistakable when examining shorter timeframes such asthe period the CFA has been in operation.The strategy in question is masterly inaction. As a militarytactic it is not new and was used very creatively by the Romangeneral Q. Fabius Maximus, who became known as ‘cunctator’(the delayer) for this very reason. In a sense, there are definiteparallels between the reason the famous Roman used it around200 B.C against the Carthaginians and why our local politiciansgo back to it to contain the Tamil problem in contemporary times.Delay is a tried and tested method that makes the weaker partyget exhausted, lose its nerve and throw in the towel.12