An incisive first account of the formation, history, and bloody dissolution of the rebel Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
Gordon Weiss has lived in New York and worked in numerous conflict and natural disaster zones including Bosnia, Afghanistan, Darfur, and Haiti. Employed by the United Nations for over twelve years, he is now a visiting scholar at Sydney University and a correspondent for Australia’s Global Mail, where he continues his investigative reporting on Sri Lanka.
“Some of the best coverage of Sri Lanka right now is coming from Gordon Weiss.” —NICK BRYANT, BBC News Correspondent
“An excellent account of how [the government] victory was won, and of the price paid for the present peace by Sri Lankans . . . scrupulously fair.” —Economist
“Mr. Weiss accurately lays out the central challenges that regional actors, nongovernmental organizations and the international community face in Sri Lanka: ensuring accountability for possible war crimes, and a life of dignity and equality for all Sri Lankan citizens. . . . This powerful book is a haunting reminder of the price countries in the developing world pay for the flawed choices of their founders.” —Wall Street Journal
“One of the best books published by an Australian this year . . . Himself the grandson of a man who was murdered in Auschwitz, Weiss is aware of the thin line that separates civilised societies from those that sink into collective madness governed by hatred.” —Spectator
“[Weiss] writes with passion and a depth of knowledge . . . The Cage is a courageous document that holds to account the brutality of a rogue state that is all too often simply seen as a beautiful tourist destination.” —Sydney Morning Herald
“A striking account of the ruthless terror wreaked by both sides on the innocent civilians.” —Sunday Times
“[A] painstakingly researched and referenced study, and [Weiss’] conclusions are nothing short of horrific.” —Scotsman
“The Cage is a tightly-written and clear-eyed narrative about one of the most disturbing human dramas of recent years. . . . a riveting, cautionary tale about the consequences of unchecked political power in a country at war. A must-read.” —JON LEE ANDERSON, New Yorker staff writer and author of The Fall of Baghdad
“This shattering, heartbreaking tale of savagery and suffering not only lifts the veil that conceals one of the most awful tragedies of the current era, but also helps us understand what should be done, not just in this sad and beautiful land, but long before other such horrors spiral out of control.” —NOAM CHOMSKY, Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics, MIT, and author of Hopes and Prospects
“The Cage is a comprehensive and compellingly readable account of one of the very worst atrocity stories this century. Gordon Weiss is scrupulously evenhanded in describing the terrible excesses of the Tamil Tigers as well as the Sri Lankan authorities. His book is a timely prod to the world’s collective conscience.” —GARETH EVANS, former Foreign Minister of Australia, Co-Chair of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, and author of The Responsibility to Protect: Ending Mass Atrocity Crimes Once and For All
“A fair and brilliantly written tour de force of this long forgotten war. A book that is long overdue.” —ROMA TEARNE, author of The Mosquito
