The Ecomomic Consequences of Civil War in Asia: A comparison of Sri Lanka and Cambodia

Abstract

This study looks into the nature of two prominent Asian civil wars and the impacts they had on their respective economies. Comparing the 1967-1979 Khmer Rouge genocides in Cambodia with the more recent 1983-2009 Sri Lankan war for Tamil independence, we look specifically at the impacts on infrastructure and land, the fiscal system, and the monetary and financial systems. Evidence suggests that the Cambodian civil war fits the standard mould for internally worn-torn countries, while the relatively more isolated nature of the Sri Lankan conflict led to significantly different outcomes. It is still too soon to compare the post-conflict impacts on the two nations, however.