The Strategic Imperative

WHY SHOULD SRILANKA BE A NEUTRAL STATE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

- By Kusal Amarasinghe and Akalanka Thilakarathna Faculty of Law, University of Colombo

In an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape, Sri Lanka, strategically positioned at the nexus of vital Indian Ocean sea lanes, faces a profound choice regarding its future. A strategic recalibration, is not merely a diplomatic preference but an imperative for safeguarding the nation's sovereignty, fostering internal cohesion, bolstering economic resilience, and ensuring enduring stability amidst the escalating competition that defines the contemporary Indian Ocean

Sri Lanka, an island nation at the crossroads of vital Indian Ocean sea lanes, faces escalating geopolitical competition. The authors argue that adopting a formal, permanent, and political neutrality modeled on Switzerland offers the optimal strategic path for Sri Lanka's future stability, sovereignty, and prosperity.

By analyzing historical parallels, geostrategic realities, and economic imperatives, this article demonstrates how neutrality would mitigate external interference, foster internal reconciliation, enhance economic resilience, and secure Sri Lanka's long-term national interests in an increasingly contested region.

Geostrategic importance

Sri Lanka occupies a location of immense strategic significance, sitting across key shipping routes connecting the energy-rich Middle East with the economic powerhouses of East Asia. Historically, because of this strategic location in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has been subjected to many foreign interventions from the 1st century BC to the 16th century.

In the contemporary era, it places Sri Lanka directly within the sphere of intense competition involving regional giant India, rising superpower China, and established powers like the United States.

The recent debt crisis and subsequent external engagements highlight the vulnerabilities inherent in its nonaligned but often pressured position.