Located due south of the Southern tip of India, Sri Lanka holds a key geopolitical location in terms of trade and military action with South Asia and the Middle East. However, it does not play a serious role in regional politics. The domestic insurgency efforts by the LTTE have inhibited the power of the Sri Lankan military. In a region of such hotly contested issues such as the Kashmir border, Sri Lanka plays an insignificant role. Having no nuclear arms or offensive capabilities Sri Lanka has little in terms of military capability in the region. The destruction of the LTTE would allow the Sri Lankan military to concentrate on outside threats and become a player on the international stage. For other Countries in the region such as India a weak and divided Sri Lanka allows it to concentrate on balancing Pakistani and Chinese power.

With conflict between the LTTE and government forces beginning in 1972, Sri Lanka has been largely ignored by other nations. The reason for this is the inability to define Sri Lanka as a Stable nation. With the government at full out war with domestic terrorism it has not had the time to partake in diplomacy or statesmanship. The growing international power of countries around Sri Lanka is a result of their ability to partake in international relations. The government of Sri Lanka recognizes the fact that until they are considered by other States to be stable and legitimate Sri Lanka will have no effect on international issues. The destruction of the LTTE which the US, India and Europe consider to be terrorist organization could go along way with allying with a stronger power.

Sri Lanka realizes that need to eliminate the terrorist threat from their nations. Support from other nations has not arrived in over 30 years of conflict. It is up to the Sri Lankan government to help itself prevail. If the current tide of conflict continues Sri Lanka may be able to grow as a power in regional politics.