Democracy can fail

Sri Lanka ought to be a serene and delightful place to live and work. In reality it is infected by a savage ethnic quarrel that seems to be uncontrollable and interminable. The old enmities have now erupted again, with new reports of bitter fighting and thousands of terrified refugees fleeing their homes. In a world that is full of such things, Sri Lanka's case is particularly sad because of the many unusual advantages that might otherwise make it a model of development.

Sri Lanka is a country in which democracy in good working order has been confounded by the passions of ethnic antagonism. Elections anywhere are less important than they ought to be if the majority uses its power consistently to override the minority, and if the rule of law is perverted to impose the usages of the majority unfairly on the others.

Democracy requires a degree of generosity to work well, and a tolerance for differences. Social antagonisms exploited by ambitious politicians for tactical advantages -- and that happened long ago in Sri Lanka -- can quickly subvert and nullify democratic protections. There are many examples of it around the world. But because Sri Lanka has more advantages than most countries, and is in a better position to develop prosperously, its present condition makes it one of the most melancholic cases of them all.

-- The Washington Post