The devastation of Sri Lanka by last December's tsunami left one glimmer of hope: that the calamity might enforce cooperation between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the separatists controlling the north-east of the island. This, in turn, might revive a moribund peace process. Optimism soon faded, as the tsunami in fact seemed to bring renewed war closer. Bloody infighting among the Tigers accompanied bitter wrangling between them and the government over how to share relief supplies. The glimmer is now shining brighter. But hope stems from the collapse of Sri Lanka's ruling coalition, and is tempered by the fear of political instability.
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