ABSTRACT
The extensive US engagement in the Sri Lankan peace process from 2001 onwards raises a number of questions about the process described under the rubric of ‘liberal peacebuilding’. It also raises questions about how a superpower like the US engages in a conflict that plays out on a smaller scale and does not directly affect US strategic interests. The form of US involvement and the actions it takes may be caught up by broader US concerns and interests that may be applied inappropriately in a context like the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict. There may also be a gap between professed US interest in a situation and the actual resources that the US is willing to commit when faced with worldwide demands.
