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In 1971 the Sri Lankan Prime Minister tabled the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace at the 26th United Nations General Assembly, marking the state's international debut at the global stage. This article analyses the trajectory of this highly significant initiative in the context of rapidly evolving political instabilities within Sri Lanka and across the Indian Ocean region. It argues that Sri Lanka's pursuit of peace during the 1970s and 1980s stemmed from multiple threats to its sovereignty combined with the state's desire to develop strategic allies and the material donations that flowed from those relations. The pursuit saw Sri Lanka align with India, the USA, the Soviet Union, and Britain at moments of political deterioration. These alignments enabled the Sri Lankan government to seek material supports to address breakdowns of political relations with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna in the south and Tamils in the north and east. The article argues that the Sri Lankan pursuit of peace irrevocably transformed Indian Ocean internationalisms and shows how a small state aligned to suit its political needs. The pursuit also linked Sri Lanka's Indian Ocean peace efforts to a liberal order in problematic ways and strengthened international backing for violence against its citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Indian Ocean peace engagements during the late Cold War period and their outcomes for Australia's foreign relations with Sri Lanka. Using archival materials and secondary sources, it explores Australia's growing bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka at a time of heightening tensions in the Indian Ocean. Australia had vocalised support for Indian Ocean peace initiatives such as the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, which was initially proposed by Sri Lanka at the United Nations. Australia's support failed to materialise for this initiative, however, due to its reluctance to challenge the US defence expansion. What emerged was a militarised peace in the Indian Ocean that strengthened Australia's relations with Sri Lanka, evidenced through trade, aid donations, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic missions. The strengthening bilateral relationship during the 1970s and 1980s reflected Australia's attention to smaller island states in the Indian Ocean, such as Sri Lanka, which became vital for its foreign policy turn to Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]