As part of a broader study entitled Aid, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka, this report examines the peace process in Sri Lanka, focussing specifically on international engagement. Using a map of the most significant political actors the report written by David Ramptom and Asanga Welikala outlines the contemporary political dynamics of the ‘southern polity’ and analyses the diverse stances and incentives the actors have and have had in shaping the peace process. The historical development of these political forces and parties is also charted in relation to their positions on attempts to reform what has widely been conceived as an overly-centralized and unitary state structure, which has acted as a battleground of social, economic, political, and cultural conflict encompassing ethnic and other socio-political dimensions. The report also explores organsational capacities, mobilising strategies, and social constituencies of these actors, pinpointing how shifts within these areas have impacted their ideological approaches to formulating measures for peace in Sri Lanka. Including fieldwork from the Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Matara districts the report also contains interviews with the residents of post-tsunami camps, academics, Non-Governmental Organisations and civil society actors. This research was funded by governments of the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom along with The Asia Foundation and the World Bank.