THE INDO-SRI LANKA AGREEMENT: AN ASSESSMENT

This critical assessment examines the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement, analyzing its origins, provisions, implementation challenges, and broader implications for regional relations. The article explores the historical context of ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and India's growing involvement in the crisis during the 1980s. The research investigates the negotiation process that led to the agreement, examining the positions and motivations of key stakeholders including the Indian and Sri Lankan governments, Tamil militant groups, and Sinhalese political parties. The study assesses the agreement's main provisions regarding devolution of power, merger of northern and eastern provinces, and Indian peacekeeping responsibilities. The article examines the initial implementation phase, analyzing the Indian Peace Keeping Force deployment, political reactions in Sri Lanka, and operational challenges on the ground. The research also evaluates the agreement's impact on India-Sri Lanka relations, regional stability, and the broader South Asian strategic environment. Furthermore, the analysis considers the agreement's prospects for achieving its stated objectives and identifies factors that will determine its long-term success or failure.

The Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement of 1987 represented a significant intervention in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict and a major development in South Asian regional relations, with this article providing a comprehensive assessment of its implications. The research begins by examining the historical context of the agreement, tracing the evolution of Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict from colonial period through post-independence politics to the violent escalation of the 1980s. The analysis explores India's growing involvement in the Sri Lankan crisis, examining how regional security concerns, domestic political pressures, and humanitarian considerations motivated Indian intervention. The article investigates the negotiation process that produced the agreement, analyzing the diplomatic exchanges, bargaining positions, and compromise formulations that characterized the talks between Indian and Sri Lankan leadership. The study assesses the agreement's main provisions, examining the political settlement framework for devolving power to provinces, the temporary merger of northern and eastern provinces, and the Indian peacekeeping role authorized by the agreement. The research examines the implementation challenges, including militant group reactions, political opposition in both countries, operational difficulties for peacekeeping forces, and escalating violence despite the agreement. Based on the comprehensive assessment, the article analyzes both the immediate outcomes and longer-term implications of the agreement for conflict resolution in Sri Lanka and for regional relations in South Asia. The findings provide valuable insights into the challenges of external mediation in internal conflicts and contribute to understanding the complex dynamics of regional intervention in ethnic conflicts.