The Limits of International Engagement in Human Rights Situations: the Case of Sri Lanka

The final three years of Sri Lanka's civil war precipitated much concern about human rights violations. Late in 2006, a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (the justice Udalagama COI) was charged with re-examining 16 problematic cases where initial investigatory procedures had failed or were inconclusive. An unusual invitation was extended to a small body of foreign observers whose task was to confirm whether the COI was meeting accepted international standards. With this initiative, the government of Sri Lanka could also show the world community that human rights issues were being taken seriously. This essay analyzes various challenges that arose from that experience. It argues that there are critical. cultural and technical limitations to international external engagement in situations where human rights are in question.