Topic > The impact of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka on the political and economic spheres

The Easter bombings have left Sri Lanka in a dire state. As is the case with most terrorist attacks in the past, a crisis event of this nature can leave a state with numerous political and economic implications. The central thesis of this article is twofold. First, the recent Easter attacks have shed light on the many shortcomings of the Sri Lankan government and will have a significant impact on electoral politics that emerges as a result of a change in the public's political leanings and loss of confidence in the current government. as well as a potential change in the stability of the partial system. Second, the economic implications of the attacks include a struggling tourism sector, investment challenges and a reduction in business activity, particularly for small-scale businesses. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The paper will evaluate the political and economic ramifications of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka. While there are many definitions of the term “terrorism,” this article will use the definition provided by Oxford University Press, as “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in pursuit of political objectives. ” This essay has been organized as follows. The first part provides an overview of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, which is necessary to understand the following sections. Next, the paper will individually assess the political and economic impact of the attacks, followed by a summary of key points and concluding remarks. Sri Lanka witnessed its bloodiest attack since the end of the civil war in 2009, on 21 April 2019, when three Catholic churches, three luxury hotels and a motel were bombed by suicide bombers who were later identified as members of a local jihadist group National Thowheeth Jama'ath (hereinafter NTJ). Targeting Christians and tourists on Easter Sunday, ISIS reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying the perpetrators involved were Islamic State fighters. UNICEF puts the death toll at 253, including 46 children, and the Government of Sri Lanka (hereinafter GoSL) says over 500 people, including children, have been injured and require assistance. The attacks come at a time when Sri Lanka has experienced community-wide structural and physical violence, primarily between Sinhalese and Muslims, which has emerged sporadically since 2017. These events, coupled with Sri Lanka's slow post-conflict reconciliation process, have increased concerns about potential ethno-religious clashes. but no long-term efforts have been implemented to address this problem. Terrorist attacks can have profound political consequences. Perhaps the most notable political impact of the terrorist attacks has been the loss of public confidence in the current government. GoSL not only proved ineffective in addressing the possible threat, but also allegedly ignored all warnings and refused to take responsibility for its inaction. Recovering from a terrorist attack represents a significant challenge for the government, considering the fact that it is necessary to strike a balance between freedom and security, address resource limitations and keep all government institutions under control, especially with regards to avoiding ethnic bias. Furthermore, a politician's responsibility to act in the public interest is an important component of modern democracy, butfailure to do so resulted in many negative implications. The attacks served as a tool to highlight one's shortcomings; particularly regarding the communication gap between politicians and intelligence officials, the disregard of warning signals and, most interestingly, the dire consequences of President Sirisena's decision to place the defense and police divisions under his control . All these indicators reveal that GoSL was concerned with internal issues which undoubtedly resulted in a bigger tragedy. On a different note, it has been noted that terrorist events push coalition parties to come out in unison and show a united front to counter terrorism. In the local context, we have seen this through some events, such as Muslim ministers jointly resigning from their portfolios while continuing to serve as MPs, and several Members of Parliament making statements on solidarity and the need for unity, as well as collective apologies and accountability. It is also clear that the event will influence electoral politics and the stability of the party system. Signs of a change in the public's political leanings have already become clear and as citizens lose faith in government, those hoping to run for office would most likely use past events to their advantage. For example, former defense chief Gotabhaya Rajapaksa announced his candidacy in the presidential election not long after the attacks. Terrorist activities are therefore known to influence voter perceptions and election outcomes. The author estimates that 2019 presidential candidates will use terrorist attacks to advance their agenda and influence voter perceptions. The election results could also witness a change in the dominant party and coalitions. Furthermore, disagreements within domestic political factions can also give rise to unstable coalitions that can affect the stability of the party system. The recent emergence of so-called coalition politics will likely change after the elections. Furthermore, it is also likely that the Rajapaksa faction of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) would take center stage in the incumbent government. Regarding the economic impact of terrorist attacks, the disruption to tourism and the negative impact on investments and small businesses are noteworthy. The damage to tourism is perhaps the most evident in this sense. A terrorist attack can affect tourism by reducing the number of tourists and thus leading to a decrease in spending which consequently affects the GDP. Revenue obtained from tourism amounts to up to 5% of the national economy. Tourist arrivals fell by almost 70% in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and are expected to decline by 50% even two months after the incident, with flight cancellations reaching almost 80%. Furthermore, considering that Sri Lanka was just experiencing a surge in tourist arrivals after being named “the best travel country in 2019” by Lonely Planet, this tragedy is a major downfall. Demand for local goods and services will also weaken in the coming months due to the decline in tourism. Declines in tourism and other factors would also affect the state's investment prospects. The events will not only affect the Sri Lankan rupee, but the state will also have to monitor the response of potential foreign investors. The loss of tourism-related revenue and investment will affect foreign currency reserves, in addition to the additional burden of the state's ever-increasing public debt. As for the implications for little ones.