Sangadasa Akurugoda

US President Joe Biden’s much-advertised ‘Summit for Democracy’ held in early December, is an example of how the champions of so-called democratic world misuse the name of ‘Democracy’ to promote their geo-political interest. As pointed out in an article appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, the composition of the summit reflects a combination of an anti-China geopolitical agenda and attempt to punish specific democracies, sighting why the countries with significantly higher democracy ratings from Freedom House – including Hungary, Singapore, Bolivia and Sri Lanka – did not receive an invitation. (https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/congo-in-china-out-biden-s-democracy-summit-guest-list-raises-eyebrows-20211209-p59g7f.html)

We remember how western superpowers attempted to save the LTTE leader Prabhakaran during the closing stages of the Eelam War in 2009. We also remember how the US State Department’s spokesperson Robert Wood has called on LTTE rebels surrender to a third party.

 Almost all statements released, one after the other, by the blue eyed white skinned politicians, diplomats, spokespersons etc throughout the world at the 11th hour of the eradicating terrorism indicated nothing other than their sinister motive of giving a fresh life line to the LTTE leader Prabhakaran and dragging Sri Lanka back into an on-going war.

Now that the chances of dividing Sri Lanka on ethnic lines by military means are no more, the next issues, often raised by these interested parties are ‘war crimes charges against our war heroes’ and ‘violation of human rights’.

War crimes and violation of human rights are not new to Western Superpower imperialists. Although US strongly opposes the International Criminal Court (ICC) treaty, and thus does not accept ICC jurisdiction over its nationals, the way massacres were done , use of torture and violence against civilians and non-combatants were committed by the US armed forces  in Philippine (Philippine – Americal War), in Haiti (1915-1934), in Japan (World War II), in Korea (Korean War), in Vietnam  (1960-1972), in Afganistan, in Iraq etc are summarised in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_war_crimes#Banana_Wars.  The US Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan along killed between 129,000 and 226, 2000 people, most of whom were civilians.

The US government, instead of introspecting on its own terrible human rights record, keep making irresponsible remarks on the human rights situation in other countries, exposing its double standards and hypocrisy on human rights.  The most recent (in May 2020) death of an unarmed black man, George Floyed, after being brutally kneeled on his neck by a white police officer, is a typical example. The entire world has seen a bystander’s video showing the murder which triggered massive demonstration in cities. The US suppressed demonstrators by force, and more than 10,000 people were arrested.

We do not have to go that far to find out the war crimes records of another superpower, UK, who is always trying to teach us democracy and human rights. We are fully aware of how British beheaded Keppetipola Disawe and massacred the entire able bodied male population, and destroyed cattle and other livestock and all most all private property (including homes and the burning of rice paddies). It is estimated that around 500,000-1000, 000 people who were children, women, elderly died due to this suppression.

Let us examine what Winston Churchill, who played an important role in defending Europe against the spread of Hitler’s Nazism and remains popular in the UK and the Western World, has said about democracy as appeared in the website of International Churchill Society.

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…” (https:// winstonchurchill.org/resources/quotes/the-worst-form-of-government/)

When comparing democracy against other forms of government, no doubt, Churchill must have make use of his own experience. Joe Biden’s ‘Summit of Democracy‘is an example of how the champions of so-called democratic world misuse the name of ‘Democracy’ to promote their geo-political interest. As sighted in the said in The Sydney Morning Herald,        Like the Quad [grouping of the US, Australia, India and Japan], the summit can’t be understood outside an attempt by the US to build an anti-hegemonic – read: anti-China – coalition.”

Standing at a new crossroads, mankind is faced with new, grave challenges. It is hoped that the Western Superpowers lead by the US will show humility and compassion for the suffering of its own people, drop hypocrisy, bullying, and double standards, and work with the rest of the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Sangadasa Akurugoda