How likely is a civil war with more than 1,000 battle deaths between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil organizations in the next five years?
Suggest the following structure for your essay:
Start by stating your claim and giving a short summary of your argument. For example: “I argue that war between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil organizations is unlikely (very likely) in the next five years because xyz…” (about 200 words)
Spend the next paragraph or two on introducing the reader to the general context. For example: Talk about tensions between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil organizations. (about 300 words)
State your argument by referring to the relevant literature and develop it by referencing other readings (at least five). Possibly compare to another historical case. If, for example you write on the Sri Lankan government and Tamil organizations, look for other cases of such ethnicity-based civil wars. We will discuss multiple cases in class and in the tutorials.(about 1200 words)
Argue why the weaknesses of your argument are not really weaknesses. For example: “Although some have critiqued grievance-based theory for…, I hold that this critique is less applicable in the case of the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil organizations for the following reasons…” (about 600 words)
Conclude by summarizing your argument and suggesting what we would need to do to give an even better answer (about 200 words).
