Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna shows what political domestication syndrome looks like

Dhanuka Dickwella

Every small state that lives in geographical proximity to a much larger, more powerful state undergoes an ever-evolving relationship. At times, it could be tense, at times non-existent, and in rare cases, a peaceful coexistence. This dynamic stems from a universal trend of larger powers assuming the foreign policies of smaller neighbours as potential security threats. Consequently, in unfortunate developments, such tensions could finally end up in a military flare-up. The world is full of examples of this sort, from east to west.

Whether its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) orchestrated Bay of Pigs or the kidnapping of a sitting president, Russian tanks rolling into Georgia and Ukraine, or China’s absorption of Tibet, neighbourhood bossing knows no bounds. South Asia was not spared from the trend either. Indian intervention in East Pakistan that resulted in the creation of Bangladesh to Indian intervention in Sri Lanka which created a bloody civil war that lasted 30 years, followed by Indian forces landing in Colombo, are not so distant memories of larger powers policing the smaller powers.

Driven by New Delhi’s historical unpredictability, Sri Lanka adopted a deeply cautious posture toward its northern neighbour, while its society historically viewed Indian motives with deep-seated scepticism. One Sri Lankan political movement, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) went further, entrenching anti-Indian discourse at the very core of its identity. From boycotting Indian produced Mysore Parippu and Bombay Onions to the violent campaign orchestrated by its military wing, the Deshapremi Janatha Vyaparaya, the anti-Indian struggle was, for this organisation, beyond symbolic rhetorics.

Within the span of a couple of decades, the same comrades who once led mobs and mobilised the public against Indian interests have laid red carpets for an Indian defence head, hosting him with the highest pomp and formality. This 180-degree change could only be described by a scientific concept borrowed from evolutionary biology, known as Domestication Syndrome.