ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Tamil politics and the communities of the northeast during the post-2002 ceasefire period.1 Its primary focus is on the role of the LTTE, as the principal protagonist in the conflict and negotiating partner in the peace process. Whilst for most of its history the LTTE has been a notoriously secretive organization, the peace process forced it into a position of engagement with the outside world, thus providing some tentative glimpses into the power structures and workings of the organization. Central to this chapter is an analysis of how the LTTE and the broader Tamil polity were affected by and shaped the dynamics of the peace process and politics in the south. It is also hoped that an analysis of the LTTE during this period will be relevant to wider debates on the role of non-state military actors in peace processes and the challenges associated with a transition from violence to politics. There is no scope for a detailed analysis of important communities, notably the politically neglected Muslims (see Lewer and Ismail, this volume), and an understanding of the particularities of the many communities in the northeast would be necessary for a more finegrained analysis.
