Social Sciences
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Item Impact of Transnational Politics of the Tamil Diaspora on the Peace Building Process in Sri Lanka(Research Centre for Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Rathnayake, R.M.S.S.In today’s globalized world, a diaspora, a community of people living outside of their motherland, has become a salient actor or a force determining the internal as well as external policies of the home country through its transnational nature. The Tamil diaspora, mainly active in countries such as France, England, Canada and the USA, is no exception. During the decades-long civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Government of Sri Lanka, the Tamil diaspora extended monetary, material and moral support for the cause of the Tamils striving to create a separate land for their ethnicity in Sri Lanka. With the end of the ethnic conflict and the defeat of the LTTE in 2009, the Tamil diaspora emerged as a dominant actor in Tamil political discourse continuing the struggle of Tamils for equality and justice, through different approaches and strategies. This study aims at identifying the characteristics, dynamics and current trends of transnational politics of the Tamil diaspora and thereby finally, examining the impact of transnational politics of the Tamil diaspora on the peace building process of post-war Sri Lanka. The study is qualitative in nature and an extensive literature review has been conducted. Data collected are analyzed using main aspects of the study of diaspora, conflict transformation and peace building. As per the study, the Tamil diaspora through its transnational politics has a negative impact on the peace building process of Sri Lanka, if it continues to orient towards its pro-LTTE and pro-separatist ideology. At the same time, it can be concluded that the constructive potentials of the Tamil diaspora can be utilized for conflict transformation thereby facilitating a fruitful peace building process in Sri Lanka.Item Hegemony of the United States and the Middle East(Department of Economics, University of Kelaniya, 2016) Rathnayake, R.M.S.S.The hegemony of the United States (US) in the international order is a widely accepted truth in today’s world. During the Cold War era, the US predominance was greatly curtailed by the power of the Soviet Union and after the Soviet Union’s disintegration, the US rose to power as the undisputed hegemon in the international order. Through the years that followed, the US has been able to influence internal politics of many states using its preponderant power. The Middle East has been and still continues to be a region of great importance in US foreign policy. Since the British forces withdrew from the Middle East, the US has attempted to ensure its preeminence in this strategically important region. Therefore, the US implements various foreign policy strategies which are aimed at enhancing its influence in the Middle East. The main objective of this study is to analyze the foreign policy strategies that the US implements towards the Middle East and examine whether the US foreign policy strategies towards the Middle East serve in safeguarding its hegemonic position in the world order. This study adopts a qualitative methodology and is mainly based on secondary data. An extensive literature survey was conducted and the information and data collected are analyzed in a theoretical perspective. The Hegemonic Stability Theory, Realism, Offensive Realism and Offense-Defense Theory are the main theories that are incorporated in data analysis. In the analysis, US foreign policy towards Iran, Iraq, Israel-Palestine is given prominence. As per the study, the US foreign policy strategies towards the Middle East serve in safeguarding the US hegemony in the world order. However, the US foreign policy strategies towards the Middle Eastern region have a negative impact on the image of the US as a benevolent hegemon.Item Foreign Policy of the United States and US Rise to Hegemony(Department of Economics, University of Kelaniya, 2016) Rathnayake, R.M.S.S.In today’s competitive international arena, it is widely known that the United States (US) is at the top of the world’s hierarchy of power. The US emerged preeminent from the II World War and ever since, the country is predominant in world’s economic, political, technological and military sectors. Though the Soviet Union posed a substantial threat to the preponderance of the US during the Cold War, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the US rose to power as the undisputed hegemon in the international order. In its relations with other actors in the international system, the US utilizes its foreign policy to achieve its national interests as well as secure its hegemonic ambitions. The objective of the study is to analyze the US foreign policy and identify the causes and circumstances that led to the hegemony of the US. This study is mainly based on secondary data such as books, articles, newspapers, journals and the World Wide Web is also used as an important research tool. The analysis of the data and information collected is done in a theoretical perspective using hegemonic stability theory and cycles of hegemony and war theory. As per the study, the US foreign policy during the II World War, decline of Britain’s power, post-II World War and Cold War policies of the US and the disintegration of the Soviet Union paved the way for US hegemony in the world order.