All be it that Bruce is an experienced diplomat, his analysis of the situation is particularily weak.

That the rebel Tamil tigers arose from the discrimination of the Tamils is not in doubt, however, once a civil war is started, it is difficult to stop, and creates misery far beyond what existed before.

The main requirement for peace demanded by the TT was the secession of part of Sri Lanka. Considering that this was most likely to create a base for further TT insurgency, this could never be acceptable to the gov.

Given the significant funding from the Tamils in India, this war was likely to continue for decades unless it was stamped out, and the casualties from this offensive were likely to be far fewer than the continuing toll.

The use of suicide bombings against civilian targets cannot be justified under any circumstances, and the backing of the Government in this conflict is more the case of supporting the least worst, rather than an endorsement.

The calls for democratisation in a time of war would carry little weight. Now that a peace has been achieved, pressure can be put on the Gov to reform, and hopefully a lost generation can be retrieved.

The refugees can now return to a country, that whilst not perfectly safe, is infinitely better than before.

Genocide?

Where did this come from? Just make up stories now.