Business as Usual? Conflict-Sensitive Aid in Sri Lanka

This thesis examines factors shaping conflict-sensitive aid programming in Sri Lanka. These factors include theory, geopolitics, and institutional structures of aid agencies. Two case studies illustrate forces shaping programming. The first study demonstrates that authoritarian control by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Wanni has undermined standard development approaches without a corresponding reevaluation of strategies. The second study investigate~ peace and conflict impact assessments. Current methodologies have difficulty demonstrating program impacts. Holistic definitions of conflict-sensitive aid, lack of conceptual clarity behind projects, and weak assessment mean that forces external to peace-building concerns readily shape conflict-sensitive aid strategies. In addition, different approaches to conflict-sensitive aid are informed by competing theories of both causation of conflict and how to instigate change. Support for the peace dividend, a primary peace-building strategy of major donors in Sri Lanka, exemplifies how peace-building strategies informed by competing ideologies and interests undermine conflict-sensitive objectives.