The political crisis in Sri Lanka has abated with the reinstatement of Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena. Profound disagreements between the two men prompted Sirisena to dismiss Wickremesinghe seven weeks ago, a move that triggered a parliamentary revolt and intervention by the Supreme Court. To the judiciary's credit, it acted independently of the executive; to the president's credit, he accepted the adverse ruling. The return of Wickremesinghe to office is only a palliative, however. The president and the prime minister still seem to be moving apart and domestic political tensions — which create opportunities for meddling for outsiders — will intensify.
Sirisena and Wickremesinghe formed a coalition in 2015. Sirisena was then health minister in the Cabinet of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the controversial nationalist president whose popularity rested on his victory in the civil war that had devastated Sri Lanka for over two decades. He split with Rajapaksa and ran against him in the presidential vote that year, defeating him and installing Wickremesinghe as prime minister.
They soon grew apart, disagreeing over economic policy and Wickremesinghe's readiness to investigate atrocities committed during the 26-year civil war. Sirisena felt that the government should look at misdeeds committed by both sides during the conflict, and charged that Wickremesinghe was only investigating those perpetrated by the government.