Der "Andere" als Schurke: Zur Rolle ethnisierter Feindbilder in den srilankanischen Friedensverhandlungen

Abstract

This article argues that, in the current peace process in Sri Lanka, powerful actors from all three ethnic groups, namely Singhalese, Tamils and Muslims, use rogue images of the ethnic "other" to delegitimise the political claims and weaken the bargaining power of these "others" in the current peace negotiations. The article describes the major discursive arguments advanced against political and territorial claims of the "others" and illustrates how those who wield power in all three ethnic communities use these arguments against the "other" to divert attention from internal rifts and contradictions within the "ethnic self'. In addition, the rogue logic suggests territorial solutions to social conflicts based on ethnically homogeneous entities, while a solution should rather be sought in the reform of political institutions. The paper concludes that the rogue logic continues to be a serious impediment to democratic peace in Sri Lanka, because it frames solutions in "win-lose" terms and thus reduces the willingness to compromise with the "ethnic other".