Politics of Peace and Conflict: The Role of Local Business Actors in Sri Lanka

Private sector actors can play an important role in supporting peacebuilding processes. By analyzing the successes and failures of business-led peace initiatives in Sri Lanka, this study contributes to literature on corporate engagement in peace promotion. Qualitative interviews in Sri Lanka with local businesses, civil society groups and government representatives allowed the author to understand the potentials and challenges of involving private sector actors in peace, reconciliation and reconstruction activities. While civil society actors in Sri Lanka advocate for a more critical business sector, the author argues that private sector actors are more likely to engage in peace promoting activities when they are in accordance with government approval. However, questions remain on how independent such examples of corporate engagement can be.