| The days have come in Indian Ocean's war-torn | | | | have opted a strategic move with hostile |
| island to realize the war is un-winnable after the | | | | mentality for a good time to blow-up things for a |
| decades long never ending war.The world is not | | | | fresh offensive than any sincere motive towards |
| any more ready to watch both parties waging a | | | | the governments.Still in the country there are |
| war for just passing the time until a solution | | | | some elements not willing for a peaceful |
| comes.The political leaders has started to realise | | | | settlement and calling them as a self-made |
| that they can't stay in power by encouraging | | | | Marxist generation and shouting like pundits that |
| some military high officials by uplifting their stars | | | | what they are saying all on undermining the |
| and colours and the ranks at the expense of | | | | negotiation are correct while rest of the world is |
| some of the poor soldiers from the | | | | keen on solving the nation's problem.I met |
| underprivileged families in the fields.One factor is | | | | recently a young couple from West Bengal in |
| apparent that a country like Sri Lanka can't wage | | | | Koddaikkanal of the Nilgries Mountains in India on a |
| a war continuously on economic grounds.And the | | | | private visit last year. They were too keen on |
| other factor, communal thinkers can't live in a | | | | finding what is going on in Sri Lanka and whether |
| fool's paradise and recalling archaic stories which | | | | there is any possibility for peace in the near |
| community came first to the Island, while the | | | | future. What I could have answered to them |
| inter-marriages between the both communities | | | | other than just keeping silent.Another major issue |
| from the pre-historic time have made a null and | | | | why so far both communities could not come to |
| void in the ethnic-origin arguments and | | | | a settlement, is mostly on the fear what Tamils |
| confusions.They should realise we are living in an | | | | ask, are if once provided, will lead to |
| era where the transportation and | | | | separation.The solutions should be based on the |
| telecommunication have changed the world into | | | | realities of the contemporary social, ethnical and |
| one village and globalisation is a reality.The UN is | | | | economical problems and not by the anticipation |
| active though it met some failures in some | | | | of something whether that will happen or |
| incidents in some countries but it has reduced the | | | | not.Though some pre-cautionary measures could |
| fatality of those countries' disasters and still the | | | | be taken by the mutual acceptance of the both |
| UN is a accepted global platform for discussing | | | | parties but that should not undermine the main |
| and solving much of the world problems in political, | | | | objective.If we are going to waste more and |
| social, economic, judicial and other arenas and | | | | more time for the right time for negotiation, |
| giving sense to a new world order.The economy | | | | implementation and more wide study for the |
| has gone bad to worse after the independence | | | | pre-cautionary set-ups, then the country will be in |
| and the nation is facing a severe foreign deficit | | | | the lines of Israel-Palestinian conflict.A Palestinian |
| problem, which could not be overcome by the | | | | told me sometime back that if Yasser Arafat had |
| declining GDP. If things are not corrected at least | | | | accepted what Israel has proposed twenty years |
| at this stage, the country will have to go for | | | | ago, we would have gained much more than what |
| interest-based heavy loans and then it will have to | | | | now they are willing to offer us.I feel that if Israel |
| earn very hard for the interest too.A country | | | | had applied more diplomacy towards accepting |
| which is losing its competitive edge in its cash | | | | the peace accord by the Palestinians, now they |
| crops-tea and rubber, will go into more difficulties | | | | would have developed their country into a |
| and the expectations of Sri Lanka as an IT hub | | | | self-reliant and an economic-power house status in |
| of South Asian has already become a myth after | | | | the Middle East than merely begging Americans |
| the slow down in the US economy and the | | | | for everything.The government and the LTTE will |
| September 11 disaster and their direct impact on | | | | have to navigate jointly this Island into a new |
| the investment - cut in the IT projects.These | | | | direction for a lasting solution rather than |
| situations have made the country to think other | | | | checkmating each other.If the renewed war and |
| avenues for income generation and mainly an | | | | the hostility could not be stopped early as |
| urgent cut in the defense spending. Sri Lanka is | | | | possible, then what will happen to peace |
| the highest military personnel employed vs. the | | | | negotiation? Well, anything is possible in this Planet |
| population and a much-needed human resource is | | | | Earth. Who anticipated the magnitude of present |
| being wasted in the war zone from both | | | | development in the ethnic crisis? Norway is now |
| sides.Argentina realised an end to its civil war in | | | | functioning mostly as a facilitator-mediator status |
| high time and though it succeeded to an ultimate | | | | and coming with the support of the international |
| solution, it was too late to re-structure the | | | | community.If there is a prolonged checkmating |
| country's economy and they came out with | | | | between the government and the LTTE, the |
| various chaotic economic re-structuring models | | | | facilitator might take the ethnic issue to the UN |
| and faced the worst economic chaos ultimately.In | | | | with the help of some of the permanent member |
| Sri Lanka we are also in the same situation more | | | | countries of the Security Council. |
| or less and if we couldn't take any corrective | | | | The UN might try to get involved in many |
| action at least at this juncture, we will be in a | | | | grounds in the Sri Lankan politics and on other |
| position worse than Argentina.The perception and | | | | national interests too by directly or indirectly.All |
| interest beyond merely overcoming the economic | | | | these suggestions might be some laughing points |
| chaos out of peace negotiations, but by the | | | | to some of the foreign policy experts but when |
| realization in mind that the minority Tamils also | | | | India entered into the Sri Lankan Air-Zone, all Sri |
| really having some problems and it cannot be | | | | Lankans silently observed. |
| achieved just by isolating the LTTE but by | | | | When Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) landed |
| negotiating with them and a settlement through | | | | in the Sri Lankan soil, they all surprisingly observed. |
| them towards the Tamil minority is still far | | | | When the LTTE and the then Government were |
| away.The leaders are lacking to take interest to | | | | united together, sending the IPKF out of the |
| win the hearts of the Tamils and the perception | | | | island, we more surprisingly observed.Sometimes |
| to ban the LTTE around the world will bring an | | | | foreign policy is determined by the circumstances |
| end to the problem, resulted in other way around | | | | of that time and not by any standard rules and |
| so far by more increasing sympathy towards | | | | regulations. But if the Sri Lankans couldn't realise |
| LTTE and more funding through their | | | | anything from their past observations at least at |
| front-organizations made the LTTE more capable | | | | this juncture, then they all are going to observe |
| of buying sophisticated arms in the world market | | | | pathetically, the sovereignty of the Island - |
| and made them more a conventional | | | | Paradise is falling into the hands of some of the |
| army.Though the earlier governments succeeded | | | | International Financial Institutions, International |
| in banning the LTTE, to which extent that might | | | | Judicial System and the International Forces in the |
| have prompted the LTTE to consider negotiation | | | | near future. |
| with the governments is highly questionable.They | | | | |