Sri Lanka A Victor's Peace - by Ana Pararajasingham (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

In Sri Lanka A Victor's Peace, Ana Pararajasingham, provides a perspective on events as they unfolded following the end of Sri Lanka's civil war in May 2009.

This book is a collection of articles by the author published between September 2009 and August 2019 in various journals covering events in Asia and the Pacific.

Ana Pararajasingham was Director Programmes with the Switzerland based, Centre for Just Peace and Democracy (CJPD) between 2007 and 2009. He is the editor of Sri Lanka: 60 Years of "Independence" and Beyond published in 2009 and author of Sri Lanka's Endangered Peace Process and the Way Forward published in 2007.

Events in post-war Sri Lanka have been underpinned by three distinct themes: Colombo's pursuit of a 'victor's peace'; Beijing's determination to strengthen the Beijing-Colombo axis and New Delhi's and Washington's attempts to re-assert their influence over Colombo.

Ana Pararajasingham has scrupulously followed the oft-quoted dictum "Comment is free, but facts are sacred" .

Damien Kingsbury, Professor of International Politics at Deakin University, Australia has identified the raison d'être for these articles written over a ten year period in his powerful foreword pointing out that

"The author has documented these events and issues in his articles, retaining a clear eye for fact where so many have been persuaded by a regrettable, often confrontational, emotion. For anyone wanting to understand post-LTTE war Sri Lanka, these articles offer invaluable insight. For anyone wanting to understand Sri Lanka's place in the wider geo-strategic field, and to get a glimpse of how global politics can play out in a corner of the world, these articles are enlightening."

According to Associate Professor Jake Lynch of the University of Sydney, this astute and informative collection of articles by Ana Pararajasingham help explain how the Sri Lankan government and military were able avoid meaningful accountability for their copiously documented war crimes in the early months of 2009 through "Duplicity, delay and defiance" in its political positioning, together with exploiting rival geostrategic designs by global powers.

Others who have recommended the book include: Geoffrey Robertson QC, Human Rights activist, Antony Lowenstein, Writer and Winner of 2019 Jerusalem (Al Quds) Peace Prize, Bruce Haigh, Former Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Bāshana Abeywardane, exiled Sri Lankan journalist and Lee Rhiannon Australian Greens' former Senator for New South Wales.

Review Quotes

"The author has documented these events and issues in his articles, retaining a clear eye for fact where so many have been persuaded by a regrettable, often confrontational, emotion. For anyone wanting to understand post-LTTE war Sri Lanka, these articles offer invaluable insight. For anyone wanting to understand Sri Lanka's place in the wider geo-strategic field, and to get a glimpse of how global politics can play out in a corner of the world, these articles are enlightening."

Damien Kingsbury Personal Chair, Professor of International Politics Deakin University, Australia

"How did the Sri Lankan government and military get away with their copiously documented war crimes in the early months of 2009, as they crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels with disproportionate and indiscriminate military force? "Duplicity, delay and defiance" in its political positioning, together with rival geostrategic designs by global powers, has enabled the island state to avoid meaningful accountability, according to this astute and informative collection of articles by Ana Pararajasingham."

Associate Professor Jake Lynch, University of Sydney, Winner of the 2017 Luxembourg Peace Prize Department of Peace and Conflict Studies

The essays put together are excellent in that they provide a detailed understanding of the situation faced by the Tamils in the North of Sri Lanka. The book also looks at the global politics where Sri Lanka finds itself with India, China and the United States and their rivalry in that part of the world.

Bruce Haigh, a Former Australian Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka

"A very powerful piece of Work"

Antony Lowenstein Independent Journalist, Writer and Film Maker and Winner of 2019 Jerusalem (Al Quds) Peace Prize