Posts Tagged ‘Tamil Tigers’

Next Steps in Sri Lanka

Monday, May 18th, 2009

A quick update: according to both Sri Lankan government sources and Tamilnet, the LTTE (also known as the “Tamil Tigers”) have been militarily defeated. Vellupalai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Tigers, has been killed, along with all senior LTTE leaders. The government reports that all Tamil civilians formerly used as human shields by the Tigers are under its control (although TamilNet reports many civilians still hiding in bunkers).

For an in-depth analysis, please see the excellent article by my friend Dr. Jehan Perera of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka: http://www.peace-srilanka.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=132:first-steps-to-be-considered-in-post-war-phase&catid=1:latest&Itemid=121.

I want to take a second to acknowledge Jehan for his courageous and consistent voice for peace in the face of the drumbeats of war and violence. Right now in Sri Lanka, people who speak out against the violence have been beaten and killed. (The infamous “white van gangs”, mobile death squads that no one can seem to find, will stop at home or office, beat or kill journalists or other public figures, then speed off.  There’s never been an arrest.)

It takes a clear sense of mission and a lot of personal integrity to be a voice for peace and nonviolence. In these times, silence can be construed as complicity. It takes real guts to say not just what is popular or what is politically expedient – to say what is TRUE.

As I think about Jehan, my thoughts go to another Harvard-trained lawyer, this one from Chicago. I think about the Chicago lawyer speaking out for peace at a time when the drumbeats of the Iraqi War drowned out all reason in America. Once Americans woke up from our orgy of violence, once we saw the true costs of the war (in dollars, blood and spirit), we turned to him and made him our President.

So Jehan, keep speaking out. Stay as safe as possible. “Temple Trees” (the Sri Lankan Presidential residence) awaits. [For more on Jehan’s work and writings, click here: http://peace-srilanka.org/]

Reactions and Predictions:

I shed no tears for the passing of the LTTE or its leader, Prabhakaran. The goal of the organization was always unrealistic and its methods always brutally violent. I am not sorry to see them go.

I do lament the orgy of violence, and the bloodlust that still grips the island. With upwards of 20,000 of their fellow-citizens killed or maimed in the recent fighting, with their country and their economy in tatters, I believe the celebrations in the capital city of Colombo are ill-advised and will be short-lived. The costs of this war will be more than the country can bear.

As bad as things are, I believe the situation is poised to get MUCH worse. Is it possible for a “failed state” to get “FAILED-ER”? War crimes, summary executions, extensive use of prison/ concentration camps and the possibility of ethnic cleansing are distinct possibilities.

So, what happens next? It’s anyone’s guess, but here are a few benchmarks or milestones you should pay attention to in the near future:

The next 3-6 days:

  • Are international observers granted access to all former battle areas?
  • Are international observers and international/ independent media granted access to all refugees?

(If not: expect a massive cover-up of war crimes, summary execution of suspected LTTE cadres and sympathizers, and bulldozing the “safe zone” battlefield to conceal the extent of non-combatant deaths.)

The next 3-6 weeks:

  • Are the refugee camps opened and unlocked? Are people residing in the camps only because they WANT to be there, not because they are FORCED to be there? (Of course, it is reasonable to restrict people from returning to areas that have not been cleared of landmines or have other health and safety hazards.)
  • Are detention camps for LTTE combatants open to Red Cross inspection?
  • Are the Sri Lankan people given full information on how much the war actually costs, in human lives and in financial expense? (The government stopped publishing casualty figures months ago, similar to the Bush Administration not allowing photos of flag-draped caskets returning from Iraq.)
  • Has the government initiated and opened a national dialog on the long-term solution of the underlying ethnic issues that gave rise to the LTTE? Have all parties and constituencies been invited to participate?

(If not: expect summary execution of LTTE combatants and ethnic cleansing.)

The next 3-6 months:

  • Is insurgent violence receding (or eliminated)?
  • Is there a reduction and removal of the police state security apparatus (fewer checkpoints, less population screening, fewer “high security zones” in the North and East)?

(If yes: this would be the first indication that the violence of President Rajapakse’s military offense against LTTE is yielding a non-violent result.)

Next year:

  • Is there a rise in post-traumatic stress related factors (the already astronomical suicide rate goes higher; alcohol and drug use up, domestic violence on the rise)?
  • Is there more violence on the island than in 2003 (the first full year of the Ceasefire Agreement)?
  • Is there a rise in communal violence?

(If not: Sri Lankans can then legitimately celebrate the victory of May, 2009.)

Three years:

  • Is there a meaningful devolution of power that protects the rights of ALL Sri Lankans, including Tamil and Muslim minorities?
  • Has Sri Lanka moved off of the list of “failed states”?

Stay tuned. The first benchmarks are less than a week away.

Peace,

Sharif

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REPORT FROM THE FIELD – SRI LANKA

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

[This is my first report from this visit to Sri Lanka. The situation over here has become very dangerous – people are being attacked and killed for speaking out. Because of what is in this report, I want to make it clear that the thoughts expressed herein are MINE and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of Sarvodaya and/or its leadership.]

Howdy –

In a recent article, the fair and objective “International Crisis Group” (ICG) laid out the problem of the continuing war in Sri Lanka and its devastating consequences for civilians trapped by both sides in the fighting. (Please review this article by Lakhdar Brahimi at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=6013&l=1. For a recent “Conflict Risk Alert” on the Sri Lanka humanitarian crisis by ICG, click here: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5974&l=1.)

However, calling on the parties that have been so committed to violence to end their mutually destructive campaigns is a plea that will fall upon deaf ears. It will not be heard.

Both the Government and the Tamil Tigers have repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to injure or kill civilians in order to achieve short-sighted aims. I see no evidence that this will change. The over 70,000 war dead in Sri Lanka were not killed by accident – they were killed by INTENTION. That intention to commit acts of violence, on both sides, continues.

BLOOD-LUST – AMERICA AND SRI LANKA

The Southern part of Sri Lanka is currently gripped by blood-lust. The drums of war drown out all reason. This is similar to what gripped America at the start of the Iraq War. And, like the Americans, once the blood-lust wears off and the Sinhalese people see the true cost of this war, they will question whether what was gained was worth our young men and women, our treasury and our souls.

The war in Iraq bankrupted America. It is the leading cause of our catastrophic economic free-fall to the bottom. We are seeing a tidal wave of soldiers returning from Iraq with broken bodies, broken spirits and broken souls. Drug abuse, suicide, broken families, post-traumatic stress — we are paying the price for our arrogance. This is the price of yielding to the blood-lust. After the orgy comes the hangover.

The war in Sri Lanka is bankrupting this country, financially and spiritually.

The blood-lust of the South is mirrored by maniacal martyrdom in the North. Sitting on ever-shrinking territory in the North, the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) appear gripped with a fanatical fatalism – a willingness to not only martyr themselves, but also sacrifice up to 150,000 of their fellow Tamils. Under the guise of “protection”, they imprison these trapped innocents, turning them into unwilling pawns, negotiating points and human shields.

THE PROBLEM OF POWER

Unfortunately, this situation is not unique. The deplorable situation for civilians here in the Sri Lanka War Zone is played out all around the world. On every continent, governments have shown themselves to be at odds with the people they allegedly govern. People like Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Al-Bashir in the Sudan or Kim Jong-il in North Korea are but three examples among many, examples of leaders willing to sacrifice their own citizens as pawns in a mad chess game. Increasingly, government is the problem, not the solution.

THE PARADOX OF “AID”

In this context, international helping agencies often become the enablers of government violence, greed and waste. Here in Sri Lanka, the government attempts to borrow over a billion dollars from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), after spending over a billion dollars on war and violence.

For their part, the LTTE has collected hundreds of millions of dollars from the worldwide Tamil diaspora. Instead of investing these funds for the uplift of the Tamil people, they invested in ever-increasing war and violence.

Both government and insurgent share the same attitude:

“We’ll buy what we want (war, violence, corruption), and beg for what we need (food, water, shelter and education for our citizens).”

The reason I call this a “paradox” is this: what does a compassionate person do, when faced with human need? Yes, governments in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Sri Lanka and elsewhere OUGHT to feed their people, but DON’T. It falls upon strangers to do so. And, these same compassionate groups become targets of criticism and violence when they point out that they are doing what the governments will not. (The Sri Lankan Defense Minister recently lashed out at international aid groups. For his comments, click here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7961088.stm.)

THIS MUST CHANGE.

But how? How do you change a government (or an insurgency) that has no intention to change? How do you change more than the personalities – how do you change the SYSTEM of governance itself?

In the past, the answer to this question was simple: get guns and wage a violent revolution, a struggle for “liberation”. History teaches that the violent insurgents become the next violent government, willing to oppress its own citizens.

Something that I state often in my conflict resolution classes: “Whatever tool you are willing to use against your “enemy” is the same tool you will eventually use against your “friend”.”

If asking government to change doesn’t work, and violence is out of the question (for spiritual, moral and practical reasons), what do we do?

CRAFTING A WORLDWIDE SOLUTION – BUILDING THE RELATIONAL SOCIETY

The basic problem is that our “leaders” act as though they are not in RELATIONSHIP with their citizens. They act out of EXCLUSIVITY.

We can ask them to change. (The success rate on that is not high.) Or, WE CAN CHANGE OURSELVES.

Right now, people around the world are creating a new, alternative governing and economic structures. Rather than relying on our past “-isms” (either “capitalism” or “communism”), people are waking up to the need to create NEW, human scale institutions, grounded in universal principles of love, compassion, sharing, humility and inclusivity. These new forms are not threats to the existing forms of governance – they are supplements.

Around the world, people are looking for ways to deepen democracy by including previously excluded voices (including ethnic and religious minorities, as well as socially/culturally unpopular groups). People are learning that exclusion and domination of others is the recipe for violent reaction. People are learning that, by coming together, we can harness the power most overlooked by traditional governments – the power of the human spirit.

Around the world, people are building new institutions of economic relationship. We are learning that practicing a “relational economics” yields results that are not only economically fair but also spiritually satisfying. People are learning that there is more to life than money.

My job, here in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, is to observe, strengthen and catalyze these transformations.

We humans are awakening to some fundamental realities:

  • Our “Motherland” is the entire Earth, not one little tiny corner of it.
  • Our “Family” is the entire human species, and all other species, combined. There are no “Others”.
  • Our “task” is to carry out the teachings of our wisdom teachers (including Jesus and the Buddha), to NOT CAUSE HARM TO ANY SENTIENT BEING, ESPECIALLY HUMAN BEINGS. Our wisdom teachers have told us that there are ALWAYS alternatives to violence. But, it is hard to hear this when the blood-lust is ringing in our collective ears.

The Commonway approach focuses on the long term. In the current context, we are reduced to asking the parties not to do what’s right, but to do the least amount of harm as they follow their own selfish interests.

Twenty years ago, we watched the collapse of Communism as a political and economic entity. Now, we watch the collapse of Capitalism. I firmly believe that the Commonway approach represents the next evolutionary step in human governance and represents a deepening of democracy and the creation of a relational form of economics.

LOST HORIZON

In closing, I quote “Father Bero”, the mythical “high lama” from the 1930’s classic movie “Lost Horizon”. (If you haven’t seen the restored version of this film, it’s time to update your Netflix cue!) I quoted this text in a message from Sri Lanka two or three years ago – it’s still relevant.

“What madness there is, what blindness, what unintelligent leadership! A scurrying mass of bewildered humanity, crashing headlong against each other, propelled by an orgy of greed and brutality.

A time must come when this orgy will spend itself, when brutality and the lust for power will perish by its own sword.

When that day comes, the world must look for a new life, a way of life based on one simple rule: be kind.

When the strong have devoured each other, the Christian ethic may at last be fulfilled, and the meek shall inherit the earth.”

(Father Bero, the High Lama in “Lost Horizon”.)

[Reminder: the “Christian” ethic is also the “Buddhist” ethic, the “Muslim” ethic…]

THE NEED FOR MORAL LEADERSHIP

Just as America is emerging from its orgy of violence in Iraq, finding itself depleted and soul-scarred, Sri Lanka one day will do so.

Americans turned to Barack Obama as a leader who was not tainted by the blood-lust, who had the courage to speak out, even when it was not popular to do so. Similarly, Sri Lankans will be searching for such leadership, once the blood-lust fades.

Once people start seeing clearly again, I believe that the people themselves, Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim together, will create a Society of the Spirit, for a world that works for all.

Peace,

Dr. Sharif Abdullah

Executive Director

Commonway Institute

PS: What’s the “Dr.” all about? No, I haven’t been taking courses from a “university” I found on a matchbook cover. I am resolving a conundrum that has been with me throughout my international travels.

In America, recipients of the juris doctor degree are generally referred to as “attorney”, not “doctor”. However, since I no longer practice law, referring to me as “attorney” is misleading.

In other parts of the world, a person with a doctorate (which I have) who teaches at the graduate level at a university (which I do) is referred to as “doctor”. And, I have it on the highest authority (Wikipedia!) that even in the US, holders of the “terminal” degree of juris doctor can and do refer to themselves as “doctor” when they are teaching.

Here in Sri Lanka, as in most of the world, referring to someone by their professional title is both respectful and clarifying. (It takes a lot of explaining as to why I have a doctorate and I teach, but I don’t refer to myself as “Dr. Sharif”.)

So, I’m doing this for clarity, not for ego. Those of you who know me personally can still refer to me as… Your Highness. (Don’t forget to genuflect…)

If you want to check out the Wikipedia article on the subject, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juris_Doctor.

PPS: As usual, please feel free to re-post this as you see appropriate.

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Notes from the Field: Sri Lanka – December, 2009

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Howdy—

I’ve been working on this update for weeks! Every time I think I get it finished, the news changes! Here is my most thorough update, as of 15 January 2009.

Situation Update:

The current situation is (unfortunately, as usual) a mess. For those who may not remember, a brief recap:

• The war formally started in 1983. (However, the seeds of war were sown by centuries of colonialism, coupled by independence without a clear, inclusive idea of what it meant to be “Sri Lankan”.)
• After nearly two decades of fighting, in early 2002, the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) signed a cease-fire agreement, opened borders and otherwise began to act like they were human beings.
• The ceasefire held (with minor violations) until around 2004, when the Eastern LTTE commander, Colonel Karuna, broke away from the main LTTE group to start his own group. (They have since joined the government as a political party – complete with their guns and still recruiting child soldiers.)
• The situation further deteriorated. 2006 saw widespread fighting, with both sides ignoring the ceasefire agreement, until it became essentially meaningless.
• In the last Presidential election, the LTTE threw the election to hard-liner Mahindha Rajapakse (over Ranil Wickramasinghe, the one who brokered and signed the ceasefire agreement). The LTTE did this by preventing large numbers of Tamils from going to the polls, often at gunpoint.
• Rajapakse returns the favor by launching an all-out war against the Tigers. In January of this year, GOSL formally broke the ceasefire agreement and announced that they were going to wipe out LTTE “once and for all”. Government sources stated that the flag of Sri Lanka would fly over the Tiger’s capital city of Killinnochchi before the end of the year.

It’s been 12 months. And, the GOSL flag flies over Killinnochchi, which has been reduced to a rubble-filled ghost town. And, just yesterday, I saw in the BBC that government troops have seized the entire Jaffna peninsula.

While this has been going on, LTTE has been filling up body bags with government soldiers. The Tigers have used the monsoon rains, their knowledge of the terrain, and the psychology of time all to their advantage. Right now, their backs are against the wall, their former territories shrunken to one coastal district, with over a quarter-million civilians living in dire conditions.

Some Predictions

What happens next? My advice to Sarvodaya’s leadership (based on what I’ve been hearing from the field) is that one of two things will happen:

1. GOSL will achieve its military aim: LTTE will be eliminated as a fighting force. GOSL will achieve total control over the North through military means and thus end the war. My prediction of this scenario occurring: 3% possibility. (I would say “zero”, but I have to leave room for miracles.) I base this on simple history: no government, no matter how well funded or motivated, has been able to militarily defeat an entrenched insurgency. Period. There is no likelihood that the Sri Lankan government can do what the US government (Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq – we’re slow learners) and the Israeli government (West Bank, Lebanon, now Gaza) could NOT do is simply impossible.
2. GOSL will not defeat the LTTE through military means. Even as GOSL takes Killinnochchi, the war will continue on, as a guerilla action, into the indefinite future. The war will drag on, perhaps shifting from a conventional war to a more classic guerilla war. Prediction: 100% possibility.

(Remember: These are SHARIF’S PREDICTIONS, and should not be seen as Sarvodaya’s predictions or policies):

Because of their promise to “end” the war, the government has been able to whip up support in the South for a military solution to the war. They have promised that it would be quick, decisive and effective. There has been tremendous support among the Sinhalese people (and even some support among the Tamils) to “get this over”. (And, the “International Community” – the ones who sell the guns – has turned a blind eye to the entire matter.)

Part of that support came from controlling how the government shaped the war media:
• Banning journalists – foreign and domestic – from visiting the war front,
• Censoring the “Tamilnet” website (now available in Sri Lanka only through proxy sites) and
• Supporting (directly or indirectly) a “war” on journalists, who have been beaten, kidnapped and killed in recent times.

The most recent casualty in that “war” on journalists was Lasantha Wickramatunga, editor of “The Sunday Leader”. In a chilling post mortem editorial, Mr. Wickramatunga names his murderer — the government Sri Lanka. (I believe his editorial “And Then They Came for Me” is a MUST READ. Please click on this link to go to the Sunday Leader article: click here.)

* * *

The Rajapakse government, and its military offensive, has been popular in the South. The New Year’s Day announcement of the fall of Killinnochchi was greeted with firecrackers and cheering in the capital city, Colombo.

I think the cheering and the firecrackers are premature.

A decade ago, I was in Sri Lanka when the Tigers routed the government soldiers from their fort at Elephants Pass, then raced up the Jaffna Peninsula, almost taking (re-taking) the city of Jaffna from the government.

My feelings upon hearing that the Government seized Elephants Pass are the same as when I heard that the Tigers seized it 10 years ago.

Immense sadness.

Because… once the adrenalin and euphoria of violence dies down, once the military parades are concluded and firecrackers put away, we will see what we have always seen – violence accomplishes NOTHING but more violence.

The arrogance of violence. You can hear it in the triumphant voice of President Rajapakse, the way you could hear it in the voice of (soon to be former) President Bush, after his famous jet-fighter landing on the aircraft carrier, getting out and announcing “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq. Violence not only makes one arrogant, it makes one blind to the realities on the ground.

The realities are these:

• Violence will drag on as a guerilla war.
• The financial cost of the continuing war will destroy the Sri Lankan economy.
• The LTTE (or another group like them) will come back.
• Killinnochchi and Elephants Pass will switch hands again. And again.

As the war drags on and the economy worsens, the Sinhalese majority could “turn” against the war as dramatically as the American populace turned against the Iraqi war, when that conflict turned out to be not quick, decisive or effective.

Just like the war in Iraq has bankrupted America, the ongoing war in Sri Lanka threatens to bankrupt that society, for all ethnic and religious groups.

Moral Bankruptcy
Even more important than financial bankruptcy is moral and spiritual bankruptcy. Sri Lanka is as nominally “Buddhist” as America is “Christian”: revere the founder, but ignore his teachings. Both the Buddha and Jesus made nonviolence a central tenet of their teachings. And, both “Buddhists” and “Christians” conveniently ignore that, as they rush headlong into the downward spiral of ever-greater violence.

There is a price to pay from continued violence. The price is financial: the dollars that go to pay for guns, bullets and bombs are not available for schools, hospitals and jobs. Around the world, governments need food handouts from the UN because they waste their money on the armaments of war.

But, there is another, far greater price. There is a psychic, spiritual wound in the heart of Sri Lankan society. Regardless of all the rationales and fancy foot-work from the priests (Buddhists over there; Christians over here), deep down inside, the soldiers know that what they are doing is WRONG. The Buddha said that one should not cause harm to “any sentient being”. (Last time I checked, “humans” were “sentient beings”.) Jesus was even more explicit: “Love your enemies”. (In America, many “Christians” translate that to “Kill and torture your enemies”.)

Ignoring the words of these master-teachers hurts at the soul level, as deeply as a bullet. Just because the person encouraging you to ignore the Buddha or ignore Jesus calls himself a priest and is wearing orange robes or has a cross around his neck… the truth is the truth.

What is the evidence of this “soul pain”? Though Sri Lanka professes to be a “Buddhist” country:

• Sri Lanka has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
• Sri Lanka has one of the highest alcoholism rates in the world.
• Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of civil violence in the world.

Bowing to the orange-robed monks is an interesting outward display of piety. But, many of those monks see violence all around in their society, yet do nothing to prevent it (or worse, encourage and glory in it). Jesus said, “The meek shall inherit the Earth”. But, until we do, we’ve got to put up with the gleeful arrogance of the “righteously” violent.

Sarvodaya’s Response
Under either of the above scenarios, Sarvodaya has a role to play – for the unfortunate civilians caught up in the conflict, and for the citizens (Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Christian) who wrongly believe that anything can be resolved through violent means.

Sarvodaya’s First Response: Humanitarian Aid
Sarvodaya’s humanitarian role is already in gear. Sarvodaya is one of the few organizations able to get relief trucks through the fighting to the beleaguered refugees in the North. Estimates of refugees range from a low of 100,000 to as high as 300,000 people, ill-fed and sleeping outside during the rainiest part of the Sri Lankan year. Needless to say, this is a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. (The Sri Lankan government is in total denial around this. Same as MOST governments that cause harm – including my own.)

Sarvodaya’s Next Response: The Transformation of Society
Beyond addressing the humanitarian crisis, Sarvodaya continues to work toward the ultimate resolution of this type of conflict: the transformation of the system and structure of “government” itself. To move from “government by the elites” (the most common form of government in the world) to “government by my village”. Regular people, at the village level, can work out their own problems, if given half a chance. By establishing “grama swaraj” (independent village “republics”), the interest and ability to engage in violent conflicts diminishes.

A Common Vision
The ultimate key to the success of “grama swaraj” lies in Sarvodaya’s ability to help the people articulate a common set of visions, values and principles. Sri Lanka has never had a unifying set of principles that defines and unites all Sri Lankans, over and beyond divisions of race, ethnicity, religion, class and caste. Until now. Through a Sarvodaya-facilitated process, the “Vision Declaration” has been developed and spread to tens of thousands of people, in all walks of life, in thousands of communities, all over the island. And, it has met with near-unanimous approval at the village level, serving as a foundational political statement of the basic problem and a vision for a common solution. (To read the English version of the “Vision Declaration”, click here.)

Do-It-Yourself Bailout: How Sarvodaya Is Responding to the Financial Crisis
It is weird that there is little impact in Sri Lanka of the US and global meltdown. YET. I think it’s like the tsunami many years ago – the earthquake happened hours before the wave actually struck the coast. People are very aware that the meltdown is happening, but it seems to be happening on another planet. Hard to create a sense of urgency. The idea that America may be economically melting down is just – inconceivable.

In Sri Lanka, inflation rates are high, people are feeling pinched… but that was happening before the US meltdown.

Sarvodaya intends to put in place a multi-faceted approach to the pending crisis. But: more on that in a subsequent entry!

Peace,

Sharif

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Notes from the Field: Sri Lanka, August, 2008

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

UPDATE FROM SRI LANKA:

[This was sent out as an email to people on the Commonway list; however, because of a technical problem, few actually received it...]

There is never a dull moment around this place. Ongoing war, student riots, the SAARC summit meeting… I don’t know where to begin.

Perhaps I should begin where every Sri Lankan who knows me starts: “Obama!” The world’s most popular man weaves his magic on this island… and he hasn’t even been here. People I don’t even know hear that I’m an American and come up to me with the one question: “Can he win?”

Not, “Is he a good man?” or “What are his views on foreign affairs?”. From the world’s point of view, the US election is already over – they have their President. (We call the US President the “Leader of the Free World”. Ironic that the world can’t vote for him or her.)

My answer? The election has nothing to do with Democrats or Republicans. That illusory division does not define what is going on with the “Obama Effect”. The November election pits two amazingly well-matched candidates against each other: The Past and The Future.

John McCain is a most worthy representative of The Past. He has all of the “tested under fire” credentials (and white hair) that you want in a candidate who represents America’s Past. In a time of fear and uncertainty, many people want a steady hand on the rudder and clear eye toward a safe harbor.

Barack Obama is the epitome of The Future. Someone who transcends all of the old alliances and political configurations (to the chagrin of those in his own party). Someone of the Internet Age. Someone who believes that America’s strength does not lie in her past, but her future. Someone who not only understands, but literally transcends race (to the chagrin of those in the old “Civil Rights” establishment). In a time of hope and rapid change, Obama has his eye – and his enthusiasm – set firmly in the future.

So, we get to witness John Kennedy duke it out with Ronald Reagan. Which one will win? It depends whether, on election day, American voters are more hopeful than fearful. (Perhaps I should characterize it as “Voting by Fear” and “Voting by Hope”.)

People are motivated by BOTH fear and hope. (Remember: inclusivity means seeing things from both/all sides.) After the people of Czechoslovakia defeated the Soviet Union in their nonviolent “Velvet Revolution”, at election time, they almost returned the Communists to power! Why? In times of uncertainty, people look for the familiar – even if it means familiarly oppressive and authoritarian. Then, rather than rely on themselves, they can complain about “the government” again. People go back to abusive governments like women go back to abusive husbands.

[Which one SHOULD win? In keeping with current IRS regulations and in light of Commonway’s nonprofit status, I have no stated official position.]

SAARC CONFERENCE

If you were President of a country ravaged by war, high inflation, political and social instability, what would you do? HAVE A PARTY!! Invite seven of your buddies (and their huge entourages) over for the weekend. Block off the capital city, throw in 30,000 soldiers for security, and you’ve got the “South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation” Summit held the first weekend of my arrival in Sri Lanka. The government spent tens of millions of dollars on a meeting that could have been accomplished with a conference call.

The economy here is REALLY bad.  Even I have noticed the 30% inflationary pinch at the grocery store.  Thousands of university students have rioted, because, after their years of study, there are simply NO JOBS.  Right above my head as I write this, there are hundreds of young men sitting in Sarvodaya’s meeting halls… learning Korean.  Sri Lanka’s biggest export isn’t tea… it’s the young men and women of the country, sent overseas for menial and degrading jobs digging ditches and scrubbing toilets, in places like Saudi Arabia and South Korea.  (The hundreds of young men chanting in Korean above me do NOT have jobs waiting for them in Korea: they are learning Korean in these classes (government-run, not Sarvodaya) for the right to APPLY for the limited Korean jobs, after taking and passing language tests.)  For those who don’t get jobs, they sit and wait… or go to Colombo and riot.

If I had been President, I would have told my fellow heads of state: “As much as I would like to host you, my people just cannot afford this unnecessary expense right now. Give us ten years – we’ll plow the money we would waste hosting SAARC into peace and prosperity for the entire island. Then, ten years from now, we would like to throw you a HECK of a party!”

But, that’s not what heads of state do. Big airports, dams, Olympics and summits – this is the stuff that feeds an ego as big as a country. (I left out the biggest ego-feeders: wars and shiny new weapons.) What do the “people” get out of all this? Nationalistic bragging rights… until the check falls due.

A WAR UPDATE

The war in the North is going full blazes. A staggering 125,000 refugees in the North alone. I’ve heard heart-breaking stories of people selling all of their possessions just to stay moving ahead of the latest battle zone, of tens of thousands of men, women and children sleeping under trees and finding food wherever they can. It is a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions. The aid organizations (including Sarvodaya) cannot adequately respond to the challenge, in light of the current government disfavor of charitable organizations (they claim that the helping organizations gave too much help to the Tigers).

Even reading between the propaganda-filled lines, the Government is currently playing the winning hand. President Rajapakse and the military head, General Fonseka, are both confidently predicting the demise of the Tamil Tigers “as a conventional military force” by the end of the year. From a strictly military point of view, the campaign is impressive. At the rate they are going, it might be even sooner before the Government flag flies over Killinnochchi, the Tigers de facto capital for over two decades.

But, I’ve learned over the years not to count the Tigers out too prematurely. They have managed to pull some amazing rabbits out of their hats… I’m not taking any bets on this outcome.

The key to the Government’s boasting is the phrase “as a conventional military force”. With the Government’s huge advantage in numbers and equipment, it’s a wonder that the Tigers were EVER a conventional military force, able to mount – and win – set military engagements involving artillery and other heavy weaponry, along with sophisticated logistics and their own “air force” of ultra-light aircraft, a first in the insurgency business.

Yes, the Government can “win” against the Tigers conventional forces, just as the US government knew that it could defeat Saddam Hussein’s army. But, as we are learning in Iraq, defeating the conventional forces is a LONG way from “winning” the war.

When Killinnochchi falls, the Tigers turn into a true “insurgent” force: everywhere, nowhere and invisible. While the Sri Lankan flag may once again fly over Killinnochchi, the levels of violence will escalate. While the Sri Lankan army gets bogged down trying to provide services to administer a hostile population where they don’t speak the language (does any of this sound familiar?), the Tigers will be free to mount an insurgency – a true guerilla war. The Government may find itself missing the days when it actually knew where the Tigers were…

I keep saying this: it is impossible to “win” an insurgent war. No one has been able to do it. NO ONE. (Right now, in Iraq, the US forces are literally paying the insurgents not to attack us. This unbelievably short-term strategy will end just as soon as the checks stop.) The only way to end such a war is through a nonviolent, negotiated settlement. (To which the Sri Lanka Government replies, “We will negotiate with them – as soon as we defeat them.” Stay tuned to see how that logic train plays out…)

SARVODAYA – THE NEXT 50 YEARS

This year is the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Sarvodaya movement here in Sri Lanka. The organization has been involved in a year-long process of celebrating, introspection and envisioning the next 50 years.

As difficult was conditions were 50 years ago, the world has changed in some amazing and frightening ways. We are being called to “think anew and act anew”. I have been involved in several major strategy sessions with Sarvodaya’s leadership, examining the path for Sarvodaya over the next 50 years of its operation. Stay tuned…

A Tour of the East:

I spent the last 3 days touring the war-scarred East of the island.  (The war is too hot in the North for me to visit.)

The East is one big military encampment. There are soldiers EVERYWHERE. I simply lost count of the number of checkpoints we went through (30? 50?). Now that the Tigers have been routed from the East, the government forces are in the process of occupation. (The government prefers to call it “liberation”. And, they seem surprised that their heavy-handed presence hasn’t generated throngs of flower-waving, grateful citizens.)

From Child Soldiers to Sarvodaya Trainees:

I met with about 100 young people at Sarvodaya’s sprawling Batticaloa Farm complex. They were receiving training for woodworking, aluminum working, masonry, computer skills and motorcycle repair.

Many of them were former “child soldiers” of either the Tigers or the TMVP (previously known as the “Karuna Faction”). Sarvodaya provides a safe haven, practical skills… and a time to be CHILDREN. While at the farm, after their classes were over, I watched a spirited game that looked like a hybrid of cricket and baseball. There appeared to be 50 or so kids to a side, and it looked like they were making up the rules as they went along. At one point, when the batter wasn’t able to hit the ball, the pitcher walked 10 feet closer, to give him a better shot. They seemed much less interested in winning than in having fun.

A Sarvodaya Village:

My life and experiences over here are SO DIFFERENT from what I experience in the US.  Yesterday, I was talking to 50 women, sitting on the dirt floor in a village of mud huts, women who had never experienced electricity; the only 4 wheeled vehicles they had seen belong to aid workers.

It’s difficult relating to lives so utterly different from my own. At one point, I asked them about their village’s needs. They were very specific: electricity. When pressed further, they were still very specific: lighting on the public roads at night. (At night, the open areas are crawling with two kinds of danger: cobras and men with guns. Both are deadly if you aren’t in the light.)

I pressed further, inquiring about electricity for households. An emphatic “yes” – they wanted lights in the home, so that their children can do their homework after dark – and to watch out for indoor cobras, that move in during the rainy season. What else do they need household electricity for? They looked at each other, and said, “Nothing.” How about refrigeration or cooking? They looked at me as if I said, “How would you like your own private spaceship so you can visit the Moon?”

(A sidenote: Years ago, with their hard-earned rupees, they purchased small solar collectors through SEEDS, Sarvodaya’s economic development arm. These collectors had enough juice to power 4 or 5 LED lamps wired throughout the house. During the fighting with the Tigers, while they were displaced from their village, the security forces came in and stole the solar collectors, along with everything else moveable, like bicycles. (They were very clear that it was the government forces.) I am proposing a village-sized electrical generator, one that a few rogue soldiers won’t be able to walk off with.)

And Yet Another Refugee Camp:

I stated very emphatically before I left on my Eastern tour: “No refugee camps!”  I just can’t bear to look at another.  I wanted to see economic activities in this visit, and to make presentations to Sarvodaya district staff on global challenges, inclusivity and peace.

So, toward my last day there, the District Coordinator said that we were going to make a presentation for “IGP’s” (income generating projects).  Right.  So, I hop in the truck and we drive straight into a refugee camp!  I said, “I thought we were going to see IGP’s.”  He said, “No, IDP’s (internally displaced persons)”  And, worst of all, it’s a “photo op” moment where I’m to make a speech and hand-deliver food aid to a handful of refugees, before climbing back into my air-conditioned vehicle.

At that moment, I thought about Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “…we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground.” The warlords (on both sides) want to erect monuments to themselves and to the glory of killing. The real monuments must go to those who involuntarily suffer the effects of those wars.

What is there to say? What do you say to a group of people you hadn’t planned to talk to, in a place none of us wanted to be? I said:

“I have visited dozens of refugee camps, from Jaffna to Ampara and everywhere in between. I don’t want to be here. But, more than that, I don’t want YOU to be here. I know that you would rather be in your homes, not listening to me and waiting for a handout of food.

“I hope and I pray and I work for the day when there are no refugee camps, anywhere in the world. Until that day comes, until you can return to your homes, please accept this gift of food as a sign that you are not forgotten.”

Peace,

Sharif

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