Aftermath of Kosovo:Sri Lanka Needs Dual Strategy of “Balance” and “Deterrence”
February 25th, 2008
by Dayan Jayatilleka
“An independent Kosovo, recognised by major Western powers, is in effect the first major fruit of the ideas behind R2P..Appropriately Kosovo’s emergence coincided with the establishment in New York of the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protest..backed by the Canadian, British and Dutch governments, among others..The Organisation’s mission is the spread of R2P principles…An R2P generation is coming. The prising open of the world is slow work, but from Kosovo to Cuba it continues.” -Roger Cohen, International Herald Tribune, Feb 21, 2008, p.6
The Kosovo debate contains a microcosm of all that is right and wrong about Sri Lankan society. Some argue that in order to avoid a Kosovo outcome, all it takes is to “Just Say No” to the West and the outside world in general, while the others contend that what is needed is to “Just Say Yes”, or in a more nuanced variant, “Never Say Never” to the West (especially to the Big Boys) and the outside world. The two responses correspond to the political antipodes of the xenophobes and the appeasers.
Rioters set fire to buildings and attacked the United States Embassy in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, on Thursday, Feb 21-More Pix:NY Times.com]
Both extremes are wrong, in twin senses: their interpretation and application of Kosovo, as well as their recommendation of what is to be done to combat such a danger.
The key to understanding the reality of the world, resides in a debate between two concepts that dates back to the year 1915. In that year, the young Leon Trotsky advocated a visionary slogan of a United States of Europe, perhaps the earliest pre-figuration of today’s European Union. He based this on an understanding of the underlying unity of the capitalist world system, a unity that to his mind superseded its differentiation. The slightly older Lenin replied by emphasising the opposite aspect: though it may be one system, that system is characterised by underlying unevenness, and this unevenness itself develops unevenly, spasmodically. This was his theory of uneven development. Because of uneven development, the processes in each country had a high degree of autonomy, and though the world system was a single chain, that chain had stronger and weaker links.
What is the relevance of all this to Kosovo, and more pressingly, to Sri Lanka? Though the world is indeed globalised, the distribution of power is uneven. Kosovo is located in Europe, and Europe is, and has been for a very long time, among the strongest links in the chain of the world system, which is of course dominated by the USA and its European allies. Sri Lanka is in Asia, and Asia has long been a weaker link in that chain. Today, the geopolitical and economic tendencies towards multi-polarity manifest themselves more in Asia than anywhere else.
We are also aware, at least since Antonio Gramsci, that the state and society are configured differently in the East than in the West. We in Asia collectively perceive our state to have a vastly greater antiquity and continuity, to be more organic, than that of the West. The combination of old and new consciousness – this perception of a living state with an ancient lineage, together with the recent memory of colonial occupation and humiliation – make an Asian society’s attachment to the state and it response to the threat of dismemberment, a far more deeply felt and violently contested affair than in the West. This is why a wise, war weary US General, completely oblivious to Gramsci, came to the conclusion after Korea: “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.” The West forgets that lesson at its peril.
What the West can do in Europe it cannot do outside: when it was rolling back insurgents in post-war Greece, it was losing to Communists in China. This is true even today: the Shans and Karens will not have an independent state carved out for them in Myanmar.
Sri Lanka has therefore to engage in classic balancing off of those powers, Asian and European, which stand for a strong sovereign state, against those which strive to weaken the state in a reversion to Wilsonian notions of self-determination. Such a classic, realist balance of power strategy can work because we are located in Asia, not Europe.
However, no outside power can guarantee that which we ourselves are unwilling to protect. Therefore “balance of power” alone will not do, it has to be backed up with a version of “deterrence”. It must be clear that we shall not withdraw our forces, we shall not capitulate, we shall not permit any alien forces upon our soil, and any one who hopes to will face a fight, more unconventional than conventional, from a two hundred thousand strong armed force and many thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of radicalised youth.
The problem arises with those who would resort to such strategies of “deterrence” without its concomitant of the “balance of power”. Sri Lanka can leverage its Asian location, balancing off certain powers against Western interventionism, but it cannot balance off the entirety of the outside world, West and East, far away and near, and base itself on a strategy of domestic deterrence, nor can it balance off certain Asian powers against others at the same time that it has to balance off the West!
Let me translate: Sri Lanka must adopt a policy of self–reliance and must not be strategically dependent upon any outside power. Sri Lanka must possess and display the political will to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty “by any means necessary” (as Malcolm X famously said) against anyone who would threaten it. However, Sri Lanka cannot rely on deterrence alone, unlike Cuba in the aftermath of the collapse of the USSR. Until the USSR existed, Cuba combined deterrence with balance of power, but after it collapsed, Cuba was safe only because it was far too hard a nut to crack, with an armed people, and hundreds of thousands who had fought successfully against South Africa, in Angola.
Sri Lanka, another island in the tropical sun, can gain inspiration from Cuba but cannot imitate it. The primary reason is the difference in the internal political and economic systems. These differences correspond to the different histories, characteristics and collective consciousness of our respective peoples.
The reality of Sri Lanka is that it is a divided society, with an entrenched multiparty democracy and an open economy. As the fate of the SLFP government of 1977 proves, the electorate will not long tolerate an economic model which makes for public privation. The Sri Lankan electorate is so protean that it also elected in 2001, an appeasing, Chamberlain-like Prime Minister, and gave him a sizeable vote at the last Presidential elections – though recent opinion polls render almost indubitable his defeat at the next one.
One sharp difference between Sri Lanka and Cuba is that the latter does not have an internal war (though it did have to combat counter-revolutionary bands for years), and certainly not an internal war of an ethnic-separatist character. Cuba’s armed forces could concentrate its energies on fighting the external enemy.
If Sri Lanka inevitably has to resist on two fronts, internal and external, so be it. However, it cannot resist on the “internal –external” and “external – external” fronts. In other words, Sri Lanka cannot abandon a policy of balancing some powers against others, in favour of a policy of taking on all comers, far and near! If it is to be argued that in the 1980s Sri Lanka fought cross-border separatist terrorism and eventually retrieved its sovereignty, rolling back a regional intervention, it must be recalled that in the 1980s Sri Lanka was not facing the concerted pressure it is today, from the West.
In the minds of some, the answer would be not merely a regime change, but a system change, which renders Sri Lanka economically “self-sufficient” (actually autarchic), and mobilises its people to fight the separatist enemy, domestic traitors and reactionaries, and all external comers. This strategy, in which patriotic or national liberation struggle and social revolution combine, is but a collapsible fantasy, which overlooks economic and geopolitical reality. Few Sri Lankan ultra-nationalists know that Cuba has more than five hundred foreign companies doing business there (since it is one of the world’s most stable and peaceful investment climates) and also enjoys an inflow of over a million tourists per year. A Hobbesian Sri Lanka, locked in a war of all against all, will be unable to sustain itself. Internal discontent and repression, external isolation and cross-border intervention, will constitute the conditions for Tamil Eelam and its recognition.
Sri Lanka must never take as axiomatic the notion that India will never countenance a Tamil Eelam because it will be a danger to India itself, given the proximity of Tamil Nadu. India helped in the birth of Bangladesh irrespective of any threat of West Bengal breaking away from India to join with Bangladesh! India is rightly confident that no one will want to break away from a quasi-federal economic superpower with a secular state.
Sri Lanka must also understand that there is a limit to the assistance that India can give us, given the fact of 50 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu, and the coalitional-regional character of governments in Delhi.
These two factors mean that Sri Lanka cannot take India for granted, it cannot put all its eggs in the Indian basket, but it cannot afford to antagonise or lose India. At the minimum it has to keep India on a spectrum of supportive to benignly neutral. While being realistic about the possible limits of Indian support, and not acquiescing in any “Dog in the Manger” attitudes from anyone or anywhere, Sri Lanka must strive all the time to maximise the support it can obtain from India.
The Tigers are dug in on their home turf, taking heavily casualties but playing for time, hoping for a mini-July 83 which, in the YouTube age can trigger a Kosovo; hoping to influence the Indian elections; or hoping to influence a possible change in Washington DC, which can indeed transform the entire terrain on which the game is played. Their “home turf” advantages must be offset and their international strategies countered by us. This requires building the broadest possible domestic, regional and international united fronts: coalitions that include anti-Tiger Tamils internally, and India, China, and Russia, externally.
The finest political strategist of modernity, Lenin, concluded at the tail end of his life, in an article published in Pravda on March 4th 1923, that: ” In the last analysis, the outcome of the struggle will be determined by the fact that Russia, India, China etc account for the overwhelming majority of the population of the globe”. This is the decisive weight that Sri Lanka must leverage and bring to bear, to avoid a Kosovo, on behalf of our fighting men and women in the battlefield, and future generations. Neither China nor Russia will support Sri Lanka in a manner and to an extent which runs contrary to the view of India. If it is a choice between India and Sri Lanka, they will choose India, as of course will the USA, and anyone I can think of.
The unravelling of Yugoslavia began with the abolition in the late 1980s by Slobodan Milosevic, under pressure from Serbian ultranationalists, of the autonomy of the Province of Kosovo which had been instituted by Tito in 1974. When Serbia offered the fullest autonomy in the last round of negotiations a few months ago, there was no one accept it. The refusal to defend and retain provincial autonomy resulted in the loss of a whole country (Yugoslavia) and finally, part (Kosovo) of the successor state (Serbia).
The lesson of the break-up of Yugoslavia is clear: federalism along ethnic lines is dangerous but those who reject an autonomous province may contribute to an independent state. Both ethno-federalism and centralised unitarism are dangerously centrifugal, while the most safely centripetal seems to be a unitary state with adequate devolution of powers making for autonomy.
While it is the armed forces and youth of Sri Lanka, backing our political will and our sense of a unique historical destiny, that that stand between us and a Kosovo outcome, it is not only those factors that do so. It is also India that stands between us and Kosovo/R2P interventionism, as our outer perimeter. Those Sri Lankan elements which block or delay the minimum degree of devolution on the ground that is needed to make India tilt to the maximum towards us and our military effort, are as unpatriotic and helpful to the cause of Kosovo type interventionism as those elements in the Tamil Diaspora who openly advocate such an outcome.
(The author is Sri Lankas ambassador to the UN in Geneva. This article expresses the strictly personal views of the writer)
Entry Filed under: transCurrents NewsFeatures
26 Comments Add your own
1. KTR | February 26th, 2008 at 1:32 am
Dj, you are keep shooting your injured foot and thigh.
In your finishing paragraph, you have mentioned “While it is the armed forces and youth of Sri Lanka, backing our political will”, instead you should have wrote as “While it is the armed forces and sinhala youth of Sri Lanka, backing colombo’s political will”.
No educated political pundits as you claim will ever compare Cuba to Srilanka. Cuba doesn’t have two nations in one island. Next time please don’t make false reference to write something out of nothing.
What stop you from compareing Canadian Qubec and Anglo canadian as comparative as you can come up than bringing Cuba into this picture.
What stop you from mentioning Eritria or East Timor.
India (with multiple seperatist movements), Russia (with Chechenya) and China (with Tibeth) will natuarrlay oppose concessions to minority as expected and their reason to oppose the UDI by Kosova is Justified for political reason than real reason (moral). Because all of them as Oppressive regimes.
You writting are become more and more KG writtings with no substance anymore.
2. M.Thiru | February 26th, 2008 at 2:32 am
The last paragraph tells all about the chauvanistic or patriotic Sinhala elements present in Dyan Jayatilleke himself who looks more dangerous than J. R Jeyawardne when it comes to dealing with the Tamils .
He says ” armed forces and youth of Srilanka ….” but he has not defined who these youth of Srilanka are.
He says ” Those Srilankan elements which blocks ….” again he failed to define clearly who these Srilankan elements are.
He says ” tilt towards us and our military effort “. Again who he refers to as US and OUR MILITARY and which elements ( from Sinhala Diaspora ) are behind this effort ?
How come he suddenly give specific label ” those elements in the Tamil diaspora ” ?
Where he will slot in Tamil para militaries, and their leaders, Sangaree, PLOTE leader, those Tamils who are against LTTE , those who are not supporters of LTTE and not against LTTE but against bad Sinhalese leaders, in the Diaspora ?
Where does Jayatilleke put himself under Srialnkan, Sinhalese Srilankan, Sinhalese Diaspora ?
Besides all the above points, it is crystal clear that Jayatilleke is not interested in the collective welfare of the long suffering Tamils and other minorities, or proper political solution he only want to appease India so that India tilt to the maximum towards us ( who ? )
At least those ” Srilankan elements” Jayatilleke mentioned are more open and taking a stand ( though opposite ) like ” those elements in the Tamil diaspora who openly advocate Kosovo
outcome.
What a cunning and pretentious ” Chinthanaya ” from this learned Professor who represents GOSL not the Tamils of SL in UN Geneva !
3. krishan canagasabey | February 26th, 2008 at 3:56 am
There is very little point in aguring with a yakka about what’s in his mind, there is never anything of any use in one of their minds accept self belief in the verbal rubbish they vomit.
4. yogi | February 26th, 2008 at 4:40 am
We all Ceylonese have a common language (English)
Law should be equal to all. No political involement in
any Law and order. Court must have more power the
the politicians. all three languaes to be in place. no ealam
problem will arise.
5. Sinhalese | February 26th, 2008 at 5:05 am
By and large even though MR says to us not to go back to history- Bandaranayake should have sighned the fact with Chelvanayakam or Dudley should have done it. Any one who will contribute to separation is opportunistic policies of SLFP or UNP (Who will be in the opposition) partialy JVP and JHU in current context. We sinhalese lost together with tamils. Now SLMC with rauf asking for Islamic state. someone one can say to him to go back to Saudi Arabia but danger is already there. If the Sinhala Nationalists have upperhand any longer disintegeration of Sri Lanka cannot be avoided.
6. Dutteheimunu | February 26th, 2008 at 6:13 am
We don’ t want any western or anti Ltte help to defeat the Tamils.
Tamils don’t belong here they shoud go back to Tamilnadu.
7. R.Goonetilake | February 26th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Any Conflict in the world if can be resolved in the same manner as Kosovo,then, humanity should take forward such steps to avoid human tragedy and catastrophe.
Such steps,whether you call it R2P or whatever, it doesn’t matter as long as human sufferings are put to an end.
This is long overdue in Sri Lanka.
Indian and USA hand in scuttling the peace process and an amicable settlement to the ethnic conflict is coming out in the open by the day.
What Dayan and the likes should think is that, the longer we carry on with war and twin strategies, we sri lankans are going to be the sore losers.
Once EU takes special concessions to our textile exports, India and China would take bulk of the trade from us.
Once a democratic party candidate elected to US Presidency, we could be hit hard by another trade embargo.
It’s all good for Dayan to write about strategies from his cosy Geneva aparment. The average civilian sufferings has no place or thought in his writings.
Foolishness of SL people seems endless.
8. Ratna | February 26th, 2008 at 7:31 am
In a nutshell, what the writer is saying is:
As long as LTTE is alive, GOSL must prevent riots like 1983. What a relief for the Tamils living in the south.
9. Gaminii | February 26th, 2008 at 7:36 am
then why was the tamil North and East separated?.. there is more distinction between sinhaese kandy and low country hamabantoa ..
10. Justin | February 26th, 2008 at 8:48 am
R2P is opposed by Dayan Jayatillekae because in Sri Lanka, the state practices R2K (right to kill), on Tamils.
When people are killed like rats then, there must be somebody to protect the killed from the killers.
The Sinhalese always think that “they only are the world”. Dayan Jayatlleke expresses it clearly in his opinion. But this world belongs to humanity. Protecting it is the responsibility of human kind and not Sri Lankans.
When the Sinhalese kill Tamils they must be brought to justice. When the state murders many and displaces people, foreign intervention is essetial to protect mankind.
The arguments by Jayatilleke are philosophical based on out dated communist ideology. R2P cannot be evaded. The only measure Sri Lankan state can take is to initiate the formation of Tamil eelam from within and live peacefully as two countries in one island.
Now, the island is like a ship lost at sea without a captain. we are wandering in the sea. We need some one able and willing to come for our help.
11. Suresh M | February 26th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Is this your advise to Rajapakse brothers? Your conclusion of the lesson learnt from break-up of Yugoslavia is not new.
Rajapakse Brothers have already concluded that is what India wanted, and didn’t care what Tamil speaking people want. Sound familiar, what Kosovan wants matter, not mighty Russia. Now, can Russia stop Kosovo? Who is the net loser? Arrogant Serbians.
I hope we are not discussing the rights of Indians here, but Tamil speaking minority in Lanka.
Dayan, please use your head before advise the brothers, or write something for public consumption.
12. Devinda Fernando | February 26th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Dr. Jayatilleka is right for the most part, except as a modern-age cynic I don’t think the analysis need be as in-depth and complicated as he has made it out to be,…but perhaps that is why he is a PhD and I am not… ?
Cuba is definitely not like Sri Lanka, and over the past 50 years of Castro’s reign the US has on many occasions tried to destabilize and overthrow Castro – Several assassination attempts, a failed invasion, economic and political sanctions, embargos, prosecution of Castro supporters as ‘spies’ in the USA, the list goes on…. But like Sri Lanka, Cuba has many dissidents who moved to the USA (Florida mostly) and have integrated into American society but still staying very close to their Ethnic circles and lobbying hard for the USA to smite and topple Cuba’s political hierarchy. A classic example of this was the Political Soap-Opera that unfolded with that Little Cuban boy, Elian Gonzalez, who was found drifting into Miami harbor clutching onto a rubber tire in 1993.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elian_Gonzales
The Anti-Castro Lobby in America used this child as a ‘Political Football’ as a show of might to Cuba, doing their very best to prevent the boy being sent back to his father in Havana who was the sole remaining parent after his mother perished on the boat ride to the USA. The boy was eventually returned to his father, but the madness that was displayed by the Anti-Castro lobby in Miami was shameful, where they compared sending little Elian back to his Father was tantamount to sending a Jew back to Auschwitz in 1943! They dominated the media and created the “Boogey Man” out of Communism and Cuba. The American public ate it up. The moral of the story is in the lack of a counter point what ever is said is “Truth”.
Here is the lesson for Sri Lanka. Right now as we speak, and as Dr. Jayatilleka rightly points out is that Tamil Separatists are flooding Western airwaves with exaggerations of suffering and death. They are painting the picture of a ‘Genocide’…. The strongest word used to describe the situation for Tamils in Sri Lanka. If there were a more Horrendous Word in the English Dictionary, trust me, these people would have no seconds thoughts using it in their attempt to blur the line between FACT and FICTION. They have learned that Western countries do turn their ears to shocking stories of suffering, so the best way to get their attention would be to shout as much as possible and as loud as possible. Scream “ETHNIC CLEANSING!” (even though ironically it is the LTTE that is guilty of that with Sri Lankan Muslims in Jaffna) Scream “GENOCIDE! (even though there is none of it and never has been)” Scream DISCRIMINATION, SUPREME SUFFERING, HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, STATE TERRORISM! Make False analogies to past Atrocities: Nazi Germany! Nazi Germany! NAZI GERMANY!!!! “Tamils are the Jews of Sri Lanka!” Whatever you can say to get someone’s attention because they have nothing to lose by saying such things. It is not about morality or telling the truth to the International Community, it is simply about winning. So it is written, therefore it is FACT. It will not matter to Tamils Separatists and the LTTE and their followers; after they achieve what they want, they can write History any which way they want. Watch a movie called Behind Enemy Lines (with Owen Wilson) a nice example of how the Serbs are portrayed to be ‘Genocidal Villains’ during the Balkans War. No one will care to question it; no one will ask who is right, or the atrocities committed by the KLA on the Serbs. The way it stands, Owen Wilson and the Americans are fighting a Just cause – because they are the Good Guys! (Of Course!) and thus any one who fights them are ipso facto the Bad Guys,…and we all know what happens to the “Bad Guys” in the movies, don’t we children!? Why question the fact that the Americans are intervening in a situation that they don’t understand fully or are maybe not approaching objectively or fairly? After all, if a Hollywood movie tells them the simplistic Black-and-White ‘reality’ of it therefore it must be true!
While I don’t believe the USA as a whole will try to look out for the Political and Physical well being of Tamils, there is always the chance that Political groups will push this agenda being steered from behind by Tamil Activists. The chances of this becoming a ‘Pet Liberation Project’ for the USA or other western countries does increase exponentially every time we alienate Western countries. To this point Dayan Jayatilleka is Spot on in his analysis. Personally I am a Nationalist, I feel that Kow-towing to the USA or UK or any country for that matter is derogatory and demeaning to we Sri Lankans, but unfortunately extremely necessary. We cannot exist as a country without playing nice with those we have ties with. That being said we should not tolerate outside interference that basically looks to undermine our country. How does one do both???? I tricky predicament. First steps would be to combat the Spin and False propaganda being spread to Western Ears. Sadly Sri Lanka has done very little here in the USA to prevent this. Mobilization of our Embassies to be on the look out for Lobbying efforts then countering it should be Top Priority. A man named Ben Silva from the UK who writes for Lankaweb said it best: There needs to be a coordinated effort abroad to combat Tiger propaganda. The minute an LTTE publication hits the airwaves we must have a rebuttal hit at the same time. Its not like it is hard to do, after all we have the truth on out sides! It has to be simple, concise and in terms the average westerner can understand. Combat propaganda using populist themes and using analogies they can relate to. Speaking in High flown English and complex words confuses and alienates your audience! Keep it simple, keep it rhetorical. There has to be a perception of a Point and counter point in the West, to date people would not know Sri Lanka if it were being bombed right now.
The Israelis have the right idea, they have successfully lobbied the USA, to the point that the USA sometimes bends to their will militarily. But the true power is the way they have continued to paint themselves the Victims despite the Palestinians taking the Brunt of the Military force. There are no Palestinian ‘sob stories’ of Genocide or Repression in the American News media…because most of it is marginalized or countered by the Israelis. The Palestinians despite being deprived of a country and their humanity have no voice in the West. In fact it is the West that aids the repression of the Palestinian people to the tune of Billions of Dollars of Weaponry aid to the Israelis. Any action, whether it be a Suicide attack on a bus or children throwing rocks at Tanks is basically seen by the American Public as Terrorism. We Sri Lankans should be doing the same. Anytime a Claymore mine goes off under a bus, or in the form of a Suicide bomber on a train it should hit CNN, MSNBC, FOX, ABC in all its gory detail and to every other major News network. The web must also be utilized much better than a few Sri Lankan sites. Our failure to do so only paints the picture that the Sri Lankans in the South live well as opposed to the Tamils in the North. The conflict in Sri Lanka needs to come Front and Center into the Western Public Arena. The LTTE pioneered the Art of Suicide bombing! Why is it that the West, to this day, don’t know this Fact already!?????
After this is achieved and maintained, then there needs to be the Military and Political aspects, this is where people such as Mahinda and the government come in, building the investment ties with other countries, and allowing the Armed forces to rid ourselves of the Physical menace of the LTTE. I will go into these details in another post as I fear I have over-written on this one here… A combination of all these elements will lead to a successful, prosperous, unitary country for ALL Sri Lankans.
Anyone want to debate me further on this is welcome to write me at devindaf@yahoo.com
13. Estavez | February 26th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
As an outsider and learning from history after independence of Ceylon,
a. The kind of attitude displayed here by the writer is the same shown towards Tamils by the Sinalese is well and truly alive in majority in the south.
b. The current impasse, dilemma and the conflict of two races can be easily summed up by this writers’ thoughts on how to evade R2P action on Sri Lanka, rather get help to solve the ethnic conflict and move forward as human beings.
c. There are too many cooks who play spoil sport in this conflict. This is due to the leadership of (or lack of it) in Sri Lanka are too well mesmarized by the thoughts of “Power by Hook or Crook” allow such spoilers to take part in this conflict. Malaysia avoided such chaos by letting Singapore go its way. Within 30 years, these two nations are super-powers of south-East Asia.
d. When you have advisors to govt and Sri Lankan Representatives at UN are blind to realities and portraying the real thing as something else spells doom to this island.
e. If anyone had an iota of respect for life , rights, livelihood and a prosperous future generation, then, this war can be ended INSTANTLY. YOU DON’T NEED R2P OR ANY OTHER TO ACHIEVE PEACE.
f. As long as LTTE is portrayed as a “Terrorist Group”, USA would happily support the chaos and carnage in Ceylon. The world knows that USA uses such notions to set foot and take control of things around the world.
g. This writer can wrie anything he wishes and his govt can do anything it wishes too. The fact remains,that, Kosovo has set a precedence and those same nations who earlier called the same KLA a terrorist group have recognized “Kosovo Independence”. This REALITY should not be lost in all the muddle and ripples this UDI created in the recent past.
Those who devised twin , tripple, quadraple strategies to suppress Kosovo Independence came a cropper. This lesson also should not be missed as the future of the world wouldn’t have time for conflicts as “Bread and Butter” on the plate becomes the prime theme.
14. Hipster | February 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Dayan sounds like Sri Lanka is South Asia’s newest nuclear power: “It must be clear that we shall not withdraw our forces, we shall not capitulate, we shall not permit any alien forces upon our soil, and any one who hopes to will face a fight, more unconventional than conventional, from a two hundred thousand strong armed force and many thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of radicalised youth. ”
Just imagine – the radicalised youth of the villages vs. the powers of the IC – Indian + EU + US +UN
Typical Sinhalese-Buddhist childish macho talk! LOL
p.s. Very unbecoming for a top SL diplomat – I thought this guy had more brains than this!
15. dias | February 26th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Dayan Jatatilleke and the Sinhalese better take note: If they don’t table a much generous package of devolution – something along the lines of a federal model, they are marching straight into a Kosovo-like separation. Everyday a solution is postponed, it is a day against the Sinhalese. Everyday a civilian is hurt, it is a day against the Sinhalese. Everyday another civilian is made an IDP, it is a day against the Sinhalese. Everyday that passes without resolution of HR cases, it is a day against the Sinhalese. Everyday bombs are dropped in the Vanni, it is a day against the Sinhalese. It is adding-up and adding-up fast – and the image of the Sinhalese has become a very ugly one.
If Dayan believes all of this is unavoidable to achieve self-reliance, and therefore, these actions are justified, he is terribly mistaken. Dayan of all people should know that in our small global village, all of us, including the super-power, are terribly inter-dependent and self-reliance only has validity when we are viewed as a righteous people by our fellow nations. And at some point it will be the fellow nations that will make the determination whether an Ealam should be considered as yet another Kosovo. Please produce a credible proposition.
16. Jack Ranasinghe | February 26th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
As per Jehan Perera (who BTW is Dayan’s good friend and fellow creeper in the NGO industry); Kosovo has reminded the World that military solutions fail to fix ethinc divides. On the contrary, attempts at military solutions make eventual seperation inevitable.
In the absence of any credible attempts to forge a truly national (umbrella) identiy for Sri Lanka, seperate and bloodstained futures are inevitable for the Island’s ethnic groups. Prabhakaran must be pleased as it is all going to plan.
17. Naga UK | February 27th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Why do I get the feeling that I have read similar things in the History books before? Even though the isle is not an empire, the events taking place since idependence has uncaany similarities with the happenings preceding to the FALL OF ROMAN EMPIRE! Even the characters, the northern barbarians, poisoning the Caesar (yet to materialize) and the ultimate pestillence and division of the empire are very similar. De’ ja’vu?
18. IndianTamil | February 27th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
“the minimum degree of devolution on the ground that is needed to make India tilt to the maximum towards us and our military effort,”
oh you will give less and take more, is it ? how clever you are..but only if others are as foolish as you would expect them to be ?
19. Dayan Jayatilleka | February 28th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
dear hipster,
you obviously haven’t heard of places like Vietnam, or iraq or afghanistan. the power of the U+EU+UN didn’t do the trick against poor peasants, tribals etc.
and you do know what happened to the last attempt to intervene in sri lanka…it has resulted in a lasting trauma…
and by the way, i am not a buddhist, i am a catholic.
Dear Indian tamil,
don’t take india for fools, because i don’t. they will help sri lanka more or less to the extent that sri lanka devolves. thus, no sri lankan govt can take more and give less.
Dear Dias,
every day that passes there are fewer Tigers alive. and given the population balances plus the rates of ecruitment, every day that passes works in favout of the armed forces and against the LTTE. just lok at the eveidence: every day and year that hads passed has left the colombo govt in charge of part of the North and almost all of the east while the LTE has lost jaffna and the east.
Dear M Thiru,
jayatilleka puts himself as a sri lankan sinhalese, but primarily a sri lankan, like douglas devananda is a sri lankan tamil but primarily a sri lankan ( as are anandasangaree, siddharthan, sugu, pillaiyan and karuna).
20. TK | February 28th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Dr. Dayan, Sri Lankan Sinhalese & Sri Lankan Tamil seems nice in writing…but in action no one seems to be practicing that, incuding Mr. Ambassador.
What, where and when is the Sri Lankan Identity took/taking/will take root?
You are putting cart before the horse.
A magnanimous gesture has to come from those who think they are the original inhabitants and then their magnanimity should stop imposing their will on others. Unfortunately you are among those who destroying Sri Lanka today.
Magnanimity with regards to share power and rspect all humanity of their race, culture & hertiage.
Welcome to Balkanization of Sri Lanka
21. Argonot | February 29th, 2008 at 3:27 am
Dayan, I agree that Sri Lanka’s future is within Asia,there is no need for you to quote archaic Marxist/Leninist theories to explain what you wish to express.
I do not think you understand India or the Indians. In Tamil Nad all Tamils consider themselves first as Indians and then as Tamils. They study Hindi and English in addition to Tamil. India is a Federal multi Lingual state where great languages such as Telugu,Bengali,Tamil,Hindi and others prosper.
Indians are a very patriotic race,they fought for their Independence and made many sacrifices. From time to time there will be conflicts but on the whole they are a very united nation.
In Sri Lanka there is a confusion as to the definition of a Sri Lankan.I am yet to come across a leader who will openly encourage the majority sinhalse to understand that Sri Lanka is a multi ethnic country and respect the minority aspiration.
There is no reason why MR cannot publish his devolution plan and win the whole hearted support of all moderate Tamils.The way the Police and Army react towards Tamils in Colombo is a prime example of oppression in its most cynical form.
The countries which have made great economic progress in South Asia such as Malaysia,Singapore,Thailand are pro- western. India and China trade heavily with USA and Europe which is the main driver for their economy.
Dayan I really look forward to reading your comments but please keep it simple and to the point.
22. Devinda Fernando | February 29th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
*** Sri Lankan Sinhalese & Sri Lankan Tamil seems nice in writing…but in action no one seems to be practicing that, ***
LOL! NO ONE is practising this? Kiddo you smoke too much of the Good Stuff..
25 years the Sri Lankan government has been making amends to Tamils, but no matter what is done in Favor of Tamils will never be enough for you. Typical of the Ungrateful Racists and Communalists you Diaspora have become.
Only the Tamil Diaspora Communalists refuse to call themselves Sri Lankan and make it work with the Majority of Moderate Sinhalese who all want to live in peace but Oh No! You people point to the JHU and other Fringe Political groups and try to say that All Sinhalese are like them…..even though most Sri Lankans vote for UNP or SLFP.
23. M.Thiru | February 29th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Dear Dr Dayan Jayatilleke,
Refer to ” jayatilleka puts himself as a sri lankan sinhalese, but primarily a sri lankan, like douglas devananda is a sri lankan tamil but primarily a sri lankan ( as are anandasangaree, siddharthan, sugu, pillaiyan and karuna).”
If that is so, what is the meaning of the following acronyms and the political goals of these leaders and their parties :
EPDP,PLOTE, TMVP,one man TULF ( sangaree), one MP LSSP ( Prof Vitharane ), JVP with 30 over MPs, JHU with its MPs are part of GOSL. I mean the Mahinda regime.
On top of all these your pet theory and belief that Sinhala Nation ( you may say Srilanka or Srilankan Sinhalese ) has existential necessacity and what ever the current regime doing according to Mahinda Chinthanaya is justifiable. This you do it very well from Geneva both from official capacity and unofficial or private capacity.
For me, the corollary of your existential theory is Tamils do not have such problem or Tamils do not have the right to such claims. Even if there is any devolution of power it must be at the mercy of the majority Sinhala Buddhist as it is their heritage and they are rightful owners of the Island .
That is why increasingly more fair minded and moderate Tamils belief that existential necessacity of both Sinhala nation and Tamil nation it is better go our own way and become good neighbours supporting and protecting each other so that all prosper within the Island.
24. Jay P | March 1st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Devinda wrote “25 years the Sri Lankan government has been making amends to Tamils, but no matter what is done in Favor of Tamils will never be enough for you. Typical of the Ungrateful Racists and Communalists you Diaspora have become”
All what we ask is what is rightfully ours.
We asked politly, no respect and no response
Now we are half way down in a position to take what is rightfully ours.
25. V Siva | March 2nd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Dear Dr. Dayan
It is nice to write or refr all as a Sri lankan but neither the GOSL nor Sinhala hooligans never recognized the Tamils.
There is no Rule of Law and Tamils were treated worse than slaves by the GOSL and their armed forces. Even the Army who hit the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during a parade was not punished. French Charity workers were gunned down in the East and the GOSL has done nothing. There are several crimes already on file that will be investigated by the International community.
Why you and the GOSL resist to allow the War Crimes investigators, UN Human Rights Investigators and foreign diplomats and so on to investigate crimes committed in Sri Lanka?
Tamils are Tamils. Sinhalese are Sinhalese and they understand only violence, looting, rape and killing. Don’t dream of reconciliation after all untold crimes committed against Tamils.
ICC must charge those diplomats and officials who hide crimes against humanity. There is no comparison of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Kosovo with Eelam. Eelam is our homeland of Tamils and ruled by a Tamil King before the colonial rule. There is no history that any Sinhalese Kings ruled Eelam but Sinhalese areas were ruled by Indians including the last King of Kandy.
The world knows about GOSL state terrorism, Sinhala and Buddhist clergy hooliganism. Thanks to technology and no one can hide all their crimes all the time. Sri Lanka is an Island of two nations. The occupying racist Sinhala regime days are numbered.
26. V Siva | March 6th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Dear Dayan,
Please read the Human Rights Watch’s report on Sri lanka that was released today.
This provides few cases of crimes committed against in Sri Lanka. The rest, Tamil people will come forward and report to Intl War Crimes investigators and UN Human Rights investigators when they arrive in Sri Lanka.
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