Sri Lankans are to be congratulated on their ousting of the Rajapaksa family, crowned by last week’s hasty flight into exile of the country’s president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The dramatic downfall of this predatory dynastic clan, which first took power in 2005, carries salutary lessons for other democracies where a famous name and elite connections sometimes count for more than competence and integrity.
Sri Lanka is frequently described as an exceptional country, and in many ways it is. The peaceful behaviour of most of the anti-government protesters, and the fact the army did not attempt to seize power as a political vacuum developed, clearly set it apart. Yet the root causes of its recent troubles are readily recognisable the world over.
