Blunders in Tigerland: Pape’s Muddles on “Suicide Bombers” in Sri Lanka

Michael Roberts, presented as one of the Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics, December 2007 and available in full, with its ‘surfeit’ of pictorial illustrations, at http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/7868/1/Michael_Roberts.pdf

ABSTRACT: No study of the LTTE can afford to neglect Sri Lanka’s cultural, historical, and georgraphical backdrop. The lack fo existential awareness of religious cross-fertilisation, the either/or foundations of Western reasoning and absence of local knowledge bedevil the scholarship that incorporates Sri Lanka within their global surveys of suicide attacks. Pape’s “Dying to Win” is an example. Here, the LTTE’s multi-pronged capacities are poorly evaluated. Too much significance is attributed to the coercive success of SMs in bringing the government to the negotiating table at various moments. Religious persecution has not been the main reason for the Tamil struggle. Comparative references to SMs elsewhere are occasionally interspersed in this review of the Sri Lankan scene. Black Tigers pay homage to Black Tiger dead from their locality, Sampur, on Black Tiger day 5 July 2003

Tiger fighter with cyanide capsule relaxes in camp–

Photo by SHYAM TEKWANI, an Indian journalist embedded within LTTE during war against IPKF

Tuyilam Illam at Vadamaratchchi ready for Mavirar Nal, November 2004 —Pix By Roberts    Tuyilam illam at Kopay, November 2004 — Pix By RobertsEpitaph for Kitttu–Pix By RobertsPix By Roberts

Images of Tiger hero dead at commemoraation shed, Tirunelvely2004 –Pix By Roberts