Dilrook Kannangara

Seven years after being abducted from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by the CIA and shipped to the U.S. air base in Bagram, Afghanistan, Haji Pacha Wazir was hoping he would finally be free. (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2009/08/afghanistan-.html) CIA- the notorious secret service – the modern day equivalent of Schutzstaffel or SS has abducted practitioners of Islam around the world in what it calls ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”war on terrorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

Victims, mostly innocent family men practicing the Islam faith, are abducted and taken to torture chambers around the world onboard C-130 Hercules planes. This happened even today and there is no end in sight. War in Iraq has reached a never ending bloodbath as coalition troops gradually run away without openly calling it a massive defeat. Iraq was turned into a pool of blood and a nation without a future in the past seven years. However, this blunder is not likely to be constrained to Iraq.

After successes in Iraq, Islamic rebel groups are likely to spill-over into other countries as well. Soon this will be a world problem. Afghanistan is no better. Large prison and torture garrisons exist in Guantanamo, Bagram, and Kandahar similar to the now closed Abu Graib prison.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “Enemy Combatant: My Imprisonment at Guantanamo, Bagram, and Kandahar,” by Moazzam Begg explains in great detail how he was made to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-disappearƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ from his home in Islamabad, taken from one prison to another, subjected to inhuman ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-punishmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and ultimately released without charges three years later. (http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/23906817/Enemy-Combatant-My-Imprisonment-at-Guantanamo-Bagram-and-Kandahar)

However, many are not so lucky. Incredible human rights violations take place in Guantanamo and other prisons that compete with Abu Graib for brutality. No staggering disclosures were made after the Abu Graib. Why? Is it because everything is now well and good, or is it because the USA keeps a stranglehold on news media forcing them not to report anything so damaging?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Iraq war-1, the long embargo from 1990 to 2003 and Iraq war-2 killed millions. Especially children. When Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq asked the former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-we have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚; she replied; ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I think this is a very hard choice, but the price – we think the price is worth it.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ArenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t they trying to cover one horrendous crime by another; both committed by them? Unfortunately killings in Iraq continue to this date.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Millions of people have been displaced by the unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Refugees have fled their country in hundreds of thousands.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Vietnam is another example of excessive use of force against civilians that killed millions.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ With such a horrendous record of human rights, war crimes and racial/religious discrimination, US issues reports on othersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ alleged wrong doings. It is nothing but an attempt to cover USƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s crimes. US government issued a report on human rights violations of other countries recently. It accuses Sri Lanka of gross human rights violations based on dubious accounts provided by none other than LTTE terrorists and their sympathisers who have now left the country. But the hard truth is Sri Lanka did everything it could to save hundreds of thousands of people with limited resources and it succeeded in dong so. Without sophisticated equipment, Sri Lanka, a Third World Democracy that suffered 30 years of war, did everything imaginable to save as many lives as possible. The ending of the war itself has saved more than 3,200 lives so far! In other words, had the war continued, 3,200 more would have died for the past 10 months.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The US report blames Sri Lanka for clamping down on democratic rights. Surely Sri Lanka cannot have Western European or US style five star democracy, but it has retained most democratic rights. Rights have been curtailed only in limited circumstances where national security or ethnic harmony is at risk. All other rights and freedoms are still there and thereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s no attempt to curtail them. The US report complains about restricting access to TamilNet, the mouthpiece of the LTTE and similar websites. This is laughable. USA blocks many Jihadi websites! LTTE is to Sri Lanka is what Jihad is to the USA. While Tamil terrorist and separatist peaceful activities are acceptable in the USA, peaceful Jihadi and Islamic fundamentalist activities (as long as they are peaceful) are acceptable in Sri Lanka. What USA lacks Sri Lanka has and vice versa.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In fact certain elements of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s democracy are much better than the USA. Sri Lanka does not restrict any political party. All political parties, including the political party set up by LTTE terrorists is legal in Sri Lanka. They all have the right to take part in elections, freely, if members so wish. Sri Lanka has more than 30 active political parties and more than a hundred independent political groups. LTTE is banned both in Sri Lanka and the USA but none of the other religious, social and political movements banned in the USA are banned in Sri Lanka. Over the years USA banned six (6) foreign political parties with substantial following. These include Nelson MandelaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s African National Congress at one point! What democracy is this? On top of that a number of Islamic religious/political groups are banned while the rest are armed groups.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The US report decries the controlled manner Sri Lanka conducted the final stage of the war! Sri Lankan forces refrained from using the air force completely and didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t use heavy howitzer guns either. In direct contrast USA uses bombers extensively in Afghanistan. Fearing for the lives of one or two pilots, unmanned planes like the Predator are used to bomb suspected Taliban targets in Afghanistan. However, these attacks have killed hundreds of Afghan civilians. Who should be blaming whom?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The purpose of this analysis is not to find fault with the US methods that are far from proper or humane, but to point out the need for the self-styled global policeman to understand true circumstances before pointing fingers at anyone. Using unproven allegations to blame sovereign nations by USA with allegations of wide-spread human rights violations is hypocrisy. Americans only pay lip service to reconciliation in Sri Lanka. These allegations do no good to reconciliation. In fact they make reconciliation very difficult, if not impossible.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The real aim of this US report is to force Sri Lanka to agree to and allow for US strategic interests in the island. USA no longer holds the carrot of foreign aids/grants as other economic superpowers have surpassed US ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”generosityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. This means manipulating loans and grants to Sri Lanka is no longer viable. Due to this reason certain US officials are of the view that pressurising the island nation would yield results at no cost. These moves are practiced around the world. However what would happen is this will push most nations further towards emerging powers. A new coalition of the willing is in the making. This coalition does not use violence, intimidation, threats or coercion, hence it is fast becoming popular. Essentially the world becomes a safer place when there are many superpowers than one.

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