TIU Global Dialogue #19: Sri Lanka's International Relations and Maritime Politics

As the Indo-Pacific geopolitics evolves with the emergence of new great power competition, small island states have become important stakeholders in international politics. They are seen as objects that can be shaped and used in various ways to enhance major players’ strategic positions – in terms of defense, military operations, and offshore presence. On Sri Lanka’s part, maritime diplomacy and aspirations are beginning to take a more assertive characteristic after being dormant for decades caused by the preoccupation with the three-decade conflict with the LTTE. As a result, post-war Sri Lanka is seen as focusing on maritime domain awareness to realize its maritime security interests. As a small state which does not look at power projection beyond traditional inter-state boundaries, its strategy includes cooperation with like-minded partners to undertake burden sharing in responding to collective security threats. Against this backdrop, this lecture will focus on Sri Lanka’s relations with the outside world amidst evolving maritime politics.