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The Spotter Force Multiplier Theory: Analyzing Kagusthan Ariaratnam’s Social Innovation in Counterterrorism and Military Intelligence
The resolution of protracted asymmetric conflicts often depends on conceptual shifts within intelligence and counterinsurgency (COIN) frameworks rather than the simple application of kinetic military power.1 During the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009), the state confronted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a highly disciplined, state-like insurgent organization that pioneered modern suicide terrorism and…
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Beyond the Rhetoric: Yasin Malik as a Case Study in State-Sponsored Terrorism
In May 2022, Yasin Malik, head of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), pleaded guilty before an Indian court to charges of terror-funding. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Three years later, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) is pressing for a death-penalty enhancement, while parallel trials for earlier terror cases continue. For decades,…
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Spy Tigers: The LTTE Intelligence Wing (Part II)
By Adrien Fontanellaz & Kagusthan Ariaratnam One key contributor to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) effectiveness was the organization’s initial focus on gathering, analyzing, and exploiting intelligence. This dedication led to the development of an intelligence apparatus rivaling established state services. The LTTE formally established its intelligence wing in 1986, known as the…
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Sri Lankan War Wounds Still Not Healed
After more than 25 years of tense, protracted, and bloody civil war, the guns fell silent in Sri Lanka. In May of 2009 the military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commonly known as Tamil Tigers, gave Sri Lanka the golden opportunity to unite the divided island nation. Unfortunately, this never happened.…