Sri Lanka: The Tamil Negotiating Technique

Peace talks in Sri Lanka have stalled, despite a recent offer from Colombo to install a semi-autonomous government in areas contested by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Tigers have called the offer “vague” and called for a “radical overhaul” of the peace process. These demands — and the Sri Lankan government's apparent willingness to entertain them — signal that talks are not being pursued as a means toward peace, but rather as a tool that allows both groups to buy time and maneuver as they seek their own definitive victories in the decades-long conflict.