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Cardinal Schönborn Warns Of ‘Islamic Conquest’ Of Europe

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Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has warned that Europe risks forfeiting its “Christian inheritance” and that an “Islamic conquest” could be in its future.

Speaking in the Cathedral of Vienna on Sunday, Sept. 11, the Archbishop of Vienna referenced the feast day that commemorates the decisive victory of a Christian coalition over the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Vienna in 1683.

“On this day, 333 years ago, Vienna was saved,” he said. “Will there now be a third attempt at an Islamic conquest of Europe? Many Muslims think so and long for it and say: This Europe is at an end.”

“And I think that we should ask for Europe what Moses does in the reading of today and what God the Merciful does for the younger son: Lord, give us another chance! Do not forget that we are your people just like Moses reminds Him: They are your people, You led them out, You sanctified them, they are your people.”

On Sept. 11, 1683, Polish King John Sobieski III and Supreme Commander of the Christian Coalition Army, led 18,000 horsemen, with the famous “winged hussars,” against the enemy Turkish lines. In a battle that included what is considered the largest cavalry charge in history, Sobieski thoroughly defeated them. The victory of allied Polish, Austrian, Bavarian, Saxon, Venetian and other troops marked the historic end of the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into Europe.

Before going to war, the Polish king, a devout Catholic, had entrusted his kingdom to the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Czestochowa. Drawing on this legacy, in 1684 Pope Innocent XI introduced Feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the date of Sept. 12. The feast was briefly struck from the calendar by liturgical reformer Monsignor Annibale Bugnini during Vatican II, but restored by Saint John Paul II in 2002.

Cardinal Schönborn, a confidante of Pope Francis, warned the congregation in the Cathedral of Vienna on Sunday, that Europe had “squandered and wasted” its Christian inheritance, just like the younger brother in the parable told by Christ.

“What will become of Europe?” asked the cardinal.

He closed his homily with a prayer:

“Lord, remember, it is your people. And if we have strayed and if we have squandered the inheritance, Lord, do not abandon us! Do not abandon this Europe, which has produced so many saints. Do not abandon us, because we have become lukewarm in our faith.

“…Have mercy on your inheritance, have mercy on your people, with Europe, which is about to forfeit your Christian inheritance! Have mercy on us and raise us up again, for the glory of your name and as a blessing to the world! Amen.”

The full homily in German can be found here: http://www.erzdioezese-wien.at/marianamen2016


Russian Interior Ministry Urged To Create Language Police To Defend Russian Against Foreign Words – OpEd

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In Russia, “yet another police force may appear – a linguistic one” that among other things will hunt down those who use foreign words and Latin script in advertising or other public forums and then impose fines on them, Ekaterina Trifonova of “Nezavisimaya gazeta” reports today (ng.ru/politics/2016-09-14/3_police.html).

Roman Doshinsky, a leder of the Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literaturewho is a member of the Social Chamber, has proposed creating a special department of the police within the interior ministry that would be responsible for “the preservation of the state language” by hunting down and expelling foreign words and Latin letters.

He says that the current language law must be amended so that this can happen and so that fines can be imposed. And while Doshinsky and his supporters acknowledge that Russians cannot do without using some foreign words, when their own language doesn’t have analogues, they should use them as infrequently as possible.

He points to the experience of France which has a law banning the use of English words, something Russian officials have often supported, and that of Latvia, where a language police hunts down those who don’t use Latvian correctly, something Moscow has repeatedly attacked as anti-Russian.

In this area, the “Nezavisimaya gazeta” journalist says, some regions are showing the way. In Omsk, for example, a language police force has already appeared whose officers are trying to “put an end” to the use of foreign words and Latin script in advertising and have appealed to “vigilant” citizens to turn in those who misuse Russian.

The new round of discussions about the possibility of creating such a new police force in the country as a whole was triggered by Vladimir Putin two years ago when he called for avoiding the excessive use of Latin script in writing Russian. That led to a series of bills in the Duma, none of which have been passed to date.

But there seems to be more support for such a move now. Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko recently called “the borrowing of foreign words a real threat of the 21st century.”

Nonetheless, some experts are skeptical that the police will be created. They point out, Trifonova says, that there are simply too many words in Russia borrowed from other languages, including “patriotism,” a word that those who want to flaunt their national identity routinely flaunt.

As Valery Burt points out in a commentary on the Stoletiye portal, the fight against foreign words, bad grammar and cursing has a long history in Russia, extending back to the beginning of the 19th century. More recently, Stalin engaged in it during his fight against “kowtowing to the West” (stoletie.ru/vzglyad/ohotniki_za_slovami_911.htm).

And since 1990, both Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and the Duma have called for fighting against foreign loan words, a position enshrined in the law on Russian as a state language. But as Burt notes, “it is perfectly obvious that no one follows these rules. Indeed, it is possible that no one even knows about them.”

While many Russians appear to want to defend their language, at least one scholar says that the borrowing of foreign words may help them rather than hinder them in doing that. Maksim Krongaus, a Moscow linguist, says that borrowing words and then giving them Russian pronunciations is like “a vaccination” – it infects people a little in order to give them immunity.”

Syrians Still Waiting For Humanitarian Aid Amid Ceasefire

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The first 36 hours of the Syrian ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States appeared “positive,” a monitoring group said Wednesday, but activists warned that desperate people were still awaiting much-needed aid deliveries.

“The ceasefire is being implemented very well, despite some breaches. So far it has been persevering and protecting the Syrian people who have been paying a high price,” said Rami Adbulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the Observatory estimates 301,781 people have been killed. More than half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22.4 million have been displaced, including nearly 5 million refugees who have fled the country.

The ceasefire excludes the Daesh extremist group and al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters. The al-Qaeda linked militants often fight alongside rebels against President Bashar al-Assad, adding a layer of complication to a ceasefire.

“It is hard to accept a continued intermingling and cooperation between the opposition and an organization which is al-Qaeda in Syria,” a senior US official said late Tuesday, adding that the rebel movement would have to “distance itself” if the ceasefire holds.

According to activists inside rebel-held eastern Aleppo city, calm is prevailing but people are waiting for aid agencies to be allowed access.

“People are anxiously waiting for food and medical aid to enter Aleppo,” Omar al Arab, an activist based in eastern Aleppo told dpa.
Between 250,000 and 275,000 people in east Aleppo have been cut off from assistance since early July, according to the United Nations.

UN officials said they are still awaiting “a green light” to move.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told reporters Tuesday in Geneva that the UN was still waiting for an authorization from the Syrian government to deliver aid.

The Syrian government said it would not allow in unauthorized aid from Turkey, a staunch backer of the rebels.

Original article

European Commission Pushes Controversial ‘Google Tax’ To Save News Publishers

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By Catherine Stupp

(EurActiv) — The European Commission presented a plan Wednesday to charge internet companies for linking to online news following a heated, two-year-long fight over whether the “Google tax” will help publishers stay profitable—or simply be overzealous regulation that could “break the internet”.

The measure is one of the most fought over parts of a controversial overhaul of EU copyright law that the European Commission presented in Strasbourg.

Hours before the executive published its copyright proposal, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in his annual State of the Union speech that he wants “journalists, publishers and authors to be paid fairly for their work, whether it is made in studios or living rooms, whether it is disseminated offline or online, whether it is published via a copying machine or commercially hyperlinked on the web.”

The overhaul includes other measures that will make broadcasting more available across EU borders and force Youtube, Facebook and other online platforms to use technologies to police and remove videos that violate copyright.

The so-called Google tax for news publishers has been sharply criticised by Google and other internet companies that came under fire when similar laws were introduced in Germany and Spain.

“It basically copies the German concept but makes it much broader so the negative impact will be bigger than from the German one,” said Constantin Gissler, head of the Brussels office for Bitkom, a German association that represents tech companies including Google.

In a blog post published today, Google said, “It would hurt anyone who writes, reads or shares the news—including the many European startups working with the news sector to build sustainable business models online,” the company wrote.

A group of news publishers led by German giant Axel Springer have lobbied for an EU-wide rule requiring fees for snippets.

“The Commission’s plan to create a copyright for news publishers in Europe is a significant and historic step,” said Carlo Perrone, head of the European Newspaper Publishers’ Association, told AFP.

Critics said the German and Spanish laws serve as cautionary tales. in Germany, Google received an exemption from publishers and continued showing snippets in search results. In Spain, the company shut down its Google News service entirely.

Günther Oettinger, the German commissioner in charge of EU tech policies, first floated the idea for an EU-wide licensing fee to show snippets of news shortly after he took office in 2014.

The proposal that was published earlier today includes a six-sentence mandate requiring national governments give publishers the right to demand money from internet companies—but the terms are left open and only specify the “digital use” of news.

What’s a snippet?

A German court ruled last year that a snippet contains seven words of text. But the new EU bill doesn’t define what a snippet is—or whether the law will even target snippets.

During a press conference this afternoon, Andrus Ansip, the Commission vice president in charge of the digital single market, tried to dispel fears that the EU wants to demand fees for links listed in online search results.

“Hyperlinking will not be taxed in the future,” Ansip said.

MEPs are divided over the publishers’ rights.

Dutch Liberal MEP Marietje Schaake warned yesterday that the plan “would break the internet as we know it”.

Others warned that Juncker’s pledge to help journalists earn better will fall flat if internet companies are forced to pay fees directly to publishers.

But publishers insist the law will help journalists hold onto their jobs while the news business struggles to make profits.

“If publishers are profitable and continue to employ journalists, journalists benefit. If publishers have to cut costs and staff, journalists lose out,” said Angela Mills Wade, executive director of the European Publishers’ Council.

Sri Lanka And Oceans Of (Dis)trust – OpEd

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By Asanga Abeyagoonasekera*

No cause justifies the deaths of innocent people” — Albert Camus

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon delivered a lecture at the Kadirgamar Institute, Colombo, on ‘Sustainable Peace and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals’. Referring to the lack of UN intervention in Sri Lanka, the Secretary General said, “Had we been more actively engaged, we could have saved much more, many more human lives.”

On a recent visit to Singapore, Harvard University scholar Dr NeelanTiruchelvam’s son spoke about the death of his parents by the LTTE over false promises on unattainable goals. Dr N Tiruchelvam was a peace loving man who wanted nothing more than a political settlement, but he was assassinated by the LTTE leader Prabhakaran,like late Hon Lakshman Kadirgamar, Tamil lawyer and former Foreign Affairs Minister. The institute where Ban Ki-moon delivered his lecture was named after Kadirgamar and the irony of his statement, under the late statesman’s photograph, was not to be missed. The Sri Lankan situation was clearly different to Rwanda or Serbanica or another place – and this has to be established and understood.

“Sri Lankan Army lost 5600 officers and soldiers with over 25000 battle field casualties during the last two years of the battle, thousands of soldiers are still lying on beds like vegetable. All Sri Lankans are happily and peacefully living today because of the sacrifices that they made to bring about a future with no bombs and blood” says Maj Gen Kamal Gunaratne, who fought the 45-minute final battle that killed LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, in an interview for his latest book titled “Road to Nandikadal.” He further says, “I wrote this book for the poor parents who sent their sons to fight with the ruthless LTTE, the elite people in Colombo and abroad and the human rights activists who were misled by a wrong picture.”

On 4 September, 2016 a few LTTE sympathisers and supporters attacked the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ibrahim Sahib Ansar, at the Kuala Lampur Airport. This clearly demonstrates how certain LTTE sympathisers have forgotten the struggle that they subscribed to in past. The disgraceful act of attacking Sri Lankans, including the Buddhist priest in South India, cannot be ignored.

2 September 2016 concluded the two day conference organised by the Sri Lankan army. The central theme for this Colombo Defence Conference was the importance of using soft power as a powerful tool in post-war Sri Lanka. To combat this rise in radical elements, soft power strategies need to be implemented on a urgent basis. Soft power as a tool has been used extensively in Sri Lanka and has been an inherent part of Asian culture for many years. As a nation we have used soft power positively and there are times we have failed to use. Kadirgamar used soft power to ban the LTTE, and to promote art and culture, he commissioned the book The World of Stanley Kirinde, however he was killed a few days before the book launch. Soft power was used by Sirimavo Bandaranayake to position Sri Lanka in the global sphere. Another example of a different use of soft power is when Michael J Delaney, Assistant US Trade Representative for South Asia, at the last minute, turned down the lecture at the Kadirgamar Institute. There was a time when the Monitor overruled Principal. These small waves of displeasure and disappointment ended up creating a narrative surrounding the negative image of Sri Lanka.

During the Indian Ocean Conference in Singapore, 1-2 September 2016, with 250 delegates from 21 nations, US Assistant Secretary of State, Nisha Biswal explained the importance of soft architecture for the Indian Ocean nations and referred to Sri Lanka’s ports with their impressive performance as an example. Prime Minister Wickramasinghe who made the keynote speech made some important points starting from a geopolitical view: “Single power and duopoly appears to be a thing of the past and for the first time in five centuries economic power in the world is moving again towards Asia” to the “US is proposing the furtherance of a single combined security strategy for the two Asian oceans – the Indian and Pacific,” warning of implications for Asian security. For the Indian Ocean countries, many scholars highlighted past heritage and unique contributions owing to the geographical locations. Asian soft power and our Asian foreign policy did exist in the past and rediscovering the same is essential. It also brought forth cooperation is essential to bring human capital together to develop the Indian Ocean agenda.

In understanding a polycentric Asia with no uniformity in terms of geopolitics and culture, each country is a separate world to itself, according to Fukuyama. It is important to understand the multiple layers of dispute, historical backgrounds and strategic mistrust before commenting and drawing parallels with other nations.

* Asanga Abeyagoonasekera
Director General of the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS)

Critics Say US 9/11 Bill ‘Ill-Advised, May Fuel Extremism’

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The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Shoura Council have criticized the 9/11 Bill passed by the US Congress as “ill-advised” and a “dangerous precedent.”

Iyad Madani, the OIC secretary-general, said: “In passing the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, Congress disrupts international relations, threatens to plunge the world economy into a depression, weakens the necessary alliances that promote peace and security around the world, and compromises the war on terrorism.”

The Shoura Council speaker warned that the bill that would allow families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks to sue the Kingdom for damages would stoke instability and extremism.

“This legislation sets a dangerous precedent in the field of international relations,” said Abdullah Al-Asheikh, according to SPA. “(The bill risks) triggering chaos and instability in international relations and might contribute to supporting extremism, which is under intellectual siege, as the new legislation offers extremists a new pretext to lure youths to their extremist thoughts.”

The OIC head recalled the opinion of US Chief Justice John Roberts in the Kiobel vs. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. (2013) case, warning of the danger of judicial interference in foreign policy action.

“All it will do, as the chief justice acknowledged, is to cause international discord and retaliatory reciprocity by nations around the world,” said Madani.

The US, Madani added, plays a vital role around the world, consistent with its superpower status, to enhance peace and security. “It does so by working collaboratively with many nations, maintaining a global financial system, and sharing foreign intelligence,” he said.

Gaia Spacecraft Maps Position Of A Billion Stars

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With one billion stars mapped in a thousand days, European researchers have shown that they are not afraid to tackle the most daunting tasks.

The work was carried out by 450 researchers from 25 European countries, including around a hundred scientists from France, mainly at the CNRS, Observatoire de Paris and Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur[1], with major participation by the French space agency CNES. Using the Gaia spacecraft, launched on 19 December 2013, scientists have catalogued the position of 1.15 billion stars, and in addition measured the velocity and distance of two million of them relative to the Sun. ESA[2] and the European consortium DPAC[3] are releasing the mission’s first findings on September 14. The announcement represents the most precise and detailed sky survey ever carried out.

The Gaia spacecraft both rotates and orbits around the Earth, while surveying the sky with its two telescopes. Equipped with 106 CCDs forming the equivalent of a camera with a resolution of a billion pixels, it surveys 50 million stars per day, each time carrying out ten measurements, which represents a total of 500 million data points per day. This huge amount of information has been used to draw up a catalog of the positions in the sky of 1.15 billion stars. The precision ranges from 0.5 to 15 milliarcseconds (a milliarcsecond is equivalent to the angle subtended by a 1 euro coin at a distance of 4 000 km).

Including 200 million more stars than initially planned, the catalog will enable researchers to compile valuable statistics about various types of bodies, which would be impossible without such a huge survey. For instance, the catalog contains data for 250,000 quasars, as well as for 3 000 Cepheid and RR Lyrae variable stars[4]. The Gaia mission has provided the light curves of the variable stars, in other words, the changes in their brightness, which will help scientists to shed light on the physical processes governing these stars.

The positions of a subset of two million stars were also compared with measurements carried out 23 years earlier by ESA’s Hipparcos mission. The difference was used to calculate the velocity and distance of these bodies relative to the Solar System. Collection of the catalog data ended in September 2015. However, since Gaia continues to gather information, the researchers intend, in similar fashion, to compare the future positions of stars with those given in the catalog. By the end of 2017, they should therefore have obtained the velocity and distance of all one billion stars.

French organizations have played a leading role in the mission, and are represented in the consortium by around a hundred researchers, engineers and technicians. They take part in the many tasks essential to the success of the Gaia mission, such as organizing the ground-based observations needed to process the data, providing ephemeris data for the Solar System, carrying out daily observation of the Gaia spacecraft using optical instruments (in order to know its position and velocity to a very high degree of precision), validating data processing, etc.

The laboratories taking part are:

  • Laboratoire Galaxies, Étoiles, Physique et Instrumentation (CNRS/Observatoire de Paris/Université Paris Diderot)
  • Laboratoire Systèmes de Référence Temps-Espace (CNRS/Observatoire de Paris/UPMC)
  • Laboratoire d’Etudes du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique et Atmosphères (CNRS/Observatoire de Paris/ENS Paris/UPMC/Université de Cergy-Pontoise)
  • Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Éphémérides (CNRS/Observatoire de Paris/UPMC/Université de Lille)
  • Laboratoire Lagrange (CNRS/Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur/Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis)
  • Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux (CNRS/Université de Bordeaux)
  • Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg (CNRS/Université de Strasbourg)
  • Laboratoire Univers, Transport, Interfaces, Nanostructures, Atmosphère et Environnement, Molécules (CNRS/Université de Franche-Comté)
  • Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier (CNRS/Université Montpellier)

The online resources of the Centre de Données Astronomiques de Strasbourg (CNRS/Université de Strasbourg) also played an important role in validating findings and are required for their scientific analysis.

The CNES is a key player with regard to the French teams thanks to the establishment of the Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) center in Toulouse (which undertakes around 40% of the data processing). The DPAC was approved in 2006 for the processing of data from Gaia. Six dedicated computing centers, such as the one in Toulouse, were set up with this aim.

[1] See complete list below.
[2] European Space Agency.
[3] Data Processing and Analysis Consortium.
[4] In astronomy, a variable star is a star whose brightness varies over periods of varying length. There are several different types, named after the constellation in which they were first observed (in this case, the constellations Cepheus and Lyra).

New Insights Into Impacts Of Ocean Acidification

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A new study recently published in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles offers clues to the potential impact of ocean acidification deep-sea, shell-forming organisms.

This collaborative research, involving contributions from the National Oceanography Centre and led by the Institute of Geosciences at Kiel University, (CAU), found that almost a quarter of the deep sea, shell-forming species analyzed already live in seawater chemically unfavorable to the maintenance of their calcareous skeletons and shells. More than a hundred groups of marine organisms from a range of environments worldwide were included in this comprehensive study, including sea urchins, sea stars, coralline algae and snails.

The lead author of this study, Dr. Mario Lebrato CAU, said, “The result surprised us. For us, it is a sign that many marine organisms actually can live and maintain their calcareous shells under chemically unfavorable conditions which may reflect their physiological and evolutionary history.

Increasing atmospheric CO2 is also increasing oceanic CO2. Chemical parameters change when carbon dioxide dissolves in sea water. The pH decreases and the water becomes less alkaline and increasingly acidic. Ocean acidification is therefore one of the most important research areas regarding the effects of elevated CO2 on deep-sea marine calcifiers and the marine ecosystem in general.”

Many organisms incorporate magnesium (Mg) when they build their skeletons and shells. These organisms appear to be particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification because their shells and skeletons are more vulnerable to dissolution than pure calcite and aragonite. For their investigation, an improved indicator (ΩMg-x) that reflects the saturation state of seawater with respect to the Mg-content of specific organisms was calculated by the scientists. Previous investigations focused on calcite or aragonite saturation state as indicators of calcifier thresholds, which may miss the vulnerability of many calcifiers.

Some of those deep-sea organisms already exist in undersaturated conditions, not favorable to the formation of shells. However, continuing intensification of this corrosive process could have unforeseen impacts and feedbacks, even for those organisms already at undersaturation. The scientists hope to gain more insight into this by exploring how past changes in seawater pH have impacted these organisms, but also through further field and laboratory studies testing the effect of ocean acidification on calcifiers.

NOC contributed to the body of evidence illustrating where calcifying life has been found. NOC’s Dr Henry Ruhl said, “One of the things this study shows is that there are many calcifying organisms living in the less favourable acidification conditions that are more common in the deep sea than in shallower water. Research that looks to examine what metabolic tools deep-sea organisms use in such conditions could provide a better idea as to how well life might, or might not, cope with ocean acidification in more productive surface ocean and coastal waters.”

The sea floor is a habitat especially rich in species that produce calcium carbonate shells or skeletons – so-called marine calcifiers. Sea urchins, sea stars, coralline algae, crustaceans, and numerous mollusks, such as mussels, find their home here. Marine calcifiers play an important role in global biogeochemical cycles and serve important ecosystem functions. They are a food supply for other organisms and store carbon. At present, the ocean takes up a quarter of the CO2 released to the atmosphere by human industrial activities – with long-lasting consequences for the chemical composition of seawater and marine habitats.


Position Of Islam And Muslims In France: Three French Contradictions – Analysis

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Islam and Muslims in France have become the point of convergence of intense political, legal and intercommunity tensions. These growing divisions threaten a capital of social resilience that is being severely put to the test by a succession of terrorist attacks.

By Romain Quivooij*

The recent decision of more than 30 French coastal towns to ban women from wearing the Islamic swimsuit known as burkini appears to be the latest iteration of a decades-old debate. A similar bone of contention emerged in 1989 when three teenage girls wearing Islamic headscarves were expelled from their middle school as their dress code was seen to be in contradiction with French secularist rules.

In 2004 a law banning the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in French public schools such as Islamic veils, the kippa and “an excessively large cross” was adopted. Six years later the French authorities reignited the controversy by banning the wearing of face-covering clothes and headgears in the public space. The context of the burkini ban is nonetheless different as the rise of the self-styled Islamic State (IS) has placed Islam and Muslims in France in the spotlight.

Three French Contradictions

Three fundamental contradictions impede France’s ability to move towards a more peaceful relationship with Islam, the second largest faith of the country in terms of numbers of adherents, with four to five million French people of Muslim religion and/or culture.

The first contradiction is related to the weak association of Islam in France with violent radicalisation.

French Muslims are confronted with numerous difficulties in the practice of their religion. The most pressing issues include a limited number of mosques and prayer halls (around 2500) as well as the need for a well-functioning organisation that could represent the highly diverse French Muslim population at the national level. Several initiatives were announced by the French government such as the forthcoming establishment of a Foundation for Islam in France.

Some of these efforts nevertheless rely on the questionable idea that a reformed structure of Islam will be an effective antidote against violent radicalisation. For example, the French authorities strongly encourage French imams preaching in mosques to undergo civic trainings delivered by some universities, both as a way to counter radicalisation and to familiarise themselves with various issues such as French law and the history of religions in France. Trained imams are thus expected to become active agents of integration by spreading knowledge on subjects such as the French system of secularism known as laïcité.

However, the positive impact of this measure on the fight against violent radicalisation is doubtful. This approach fails to address the key role of social networking websites and applications as a major communication and ideological tool used by groups such as IS. More importantly, it could achieve the opposite effect by feeding the perception that radicalisation is considered by the French authorities to be inherently linked to a single, broadly defined and allegedly uneducated population group that would need to be urgently enlightened.

Speaking Out or Staying in the Shadows?

The second contradiction pertains to the place of French Muslims in the public space.

In what appears to be a paradoxical reaction, they are both pressured by French society to distance themselves from violent extremism and terrorism while being asked to keep a low profile to avoid behaviors that could be interpreted by mainstream society as an excessive claim of their religious identity.

French centrist Senator Nathalie Goulet assessed in August 2016 that “there is a total divorce between France and Islam…the 10% of French people of Islamic faith has to apologise every day”. By contrast, Jean-Pierre Chevènement, former Defence Minister and head of the future Foundation for Islam in France, recommended French Muslims to be “discreet” in the context of the burkini ban. He upheld his advice on the basis that all citizens should be guided by “common sense” in the public space, especially in a period of increased security threats.

Chevènement’s argument ignores people who deliberately decide to practice their religion in private, including models of successful integration, and fosters the misleading impression that a majority of French Muslims would systematically attempt to publicly display their religious practices.

In addition, the dual tendency to request some people to justify themselves on the basis of their faith or cultural background and to scrutinise their religious practices is likely to generate a pervasive climate of suspicion. The latter is all the more damaging as terrorist activities and highly-publicised “scandals” like the burkini entail security and social challenges that should be clearly distinguished.

Paradox of laïcité

The third contradiction is associated with a growing discrepancy between the practice of laïcité adopted by the French authorities and the interpretation of laïcité in the public discourse.

Laïcité is a core principle of the French Republican system and a near-universal consensus in France. It relies on the separation between the state and religious organisations as well as the strict neutrality of the state towards all religious beliefs. Religion is not banned from the public domain as it would be a flagrant violation of individuals’ right to religious freedom but case-by-case rules and guidelines related to religious convictions, religious symbols and proselytising are expected to be obeyed by all in communal spaces such as public transport and public schools.

On the one hand, the French authorities have gradually overcome their deeply ingrained reluctance to deal with matters pertaining to religion in the name of laïcité. This evolution is notably reflected by the stronger involvement of the French government in the organisation of Islam in France.

On the other hand, laïcité is increasingly used by French officials of different political affiliations as a central but contested argument to justify controversial decisions related to the treatment of Islam in the public sphere such as the burkini ban. The major consequence of this second approach is to fuel misunderstandings on the nature and purpose of laïcité, as the latter is more likely to be considered by critical observers (both in France and other countries) as a tool of religious intolerance rather than an instrument of inter-faith harmony.

A key priority for the French authorities and society should be to reduce and eliminate these different gaps. If not, national unity and cohesion will be inexorably eroded. This would jeopardise France’s ability to tackle the societal challenges posed by past terrorist attacks and those that are bound to take place in the near future.

*Romain Quivooij is an Associate Research Fellow with the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

US Senators Set To Back Montenegro’s NATO Bid

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By Dusica Tomovic

A proposal for Montenegro to join NATO is likely to sail through the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, after President Barack Obama backed it strongly.

Top US officials testified on Wednesday at a hearing at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on whether Montenegro is ready to become a NATO member.

Hoyt Brian Yee, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and head of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs in the State Department and Michael Carpenter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, will testify before 19 senators on whether Montenegro meets the rule-of-law and security conditions to join the Western alliance.

The Committee is expected to back Montenegro’s membership after President Barack Obama urged it to vote for it.

On June 28, the White House initiated the ratification process of Montenegro’s Accession Protocol to NATO, sending an initiative to the Senate for ratification.

“Montenegro’s accession to NATO will demonstrate to other countries in the Balkans and beyond that NATO’s door remains open to nations that undertake the reforms necessary to meet NATO’s requirements and contribute to the security of the Alliance, and is yet another milestone in advancing the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Balkans,” Obama’s initiative reads.

“I ask the Senate to continue working with me in advancing a Europe whole, free, and at peace by providing its prompt advice and consent to ratification for this Protocol of Accession,” President Obama concluded.

Montenegro signed the accession protocol with NATO on May 19, marking the final stage of the country’s path to full membership of the alliance. The process is expected to take about a year-and-a-half but will be complete only when the US lawmakers have ratified the protocol.

Montenegrins, however, remain sharply divided about joining NATO and a recent poll suggested only about 45 per cent of the population support membership.

Pro-Russian opposition parties want the government to organise a referendum on the issue on the same day as general elections planned for the autumn.

NATO remains especially controversial among members of Montenegro’s large ethnic Serbian community because of the role it played in enabling Kosovo to break away from Serbia.

Many Serbs also resent the way the country’s pro-Western government has loosened ties with Montenegro’s traditional ally, Russia.

Some surveys conducted by the opposition parties over the past few months showed almost 60 per cent of respondents sought a referendum on membership.

But the government has repeated that Montenegro has no constitutional obligation to hold a referendum on membership of international organizations, noting that only a few NATO member countries organized such a vote.

The government has also said that the general elections scheduled for October 2016 will be a de-facto plebiscite on NATO membership.

Georgia Says Free Trade Talks With China Completed

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(Civil.Ge) — Georgia and China have completed free trade negotiations and the agreement is expected to be signed before the end of this year and to enter in force by mid-2017, Georgia’s economy minister, Dimitri Kumsishvili, said on Tuesday.

Kumsishvili, who is also deputy PM, said that China’s Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng plans to visit Tbilisi to sign a memorandum of understanding on concluding the free trade negotiations, which were launched in late February, 2016.

The treaty itself will be signed tentatively in December and “we expect the agreement to be enacted from mid-2017” after internal procedures, including its ratification by the both countries, are finalized, Kumsishvili said.

He said that agriculture products, including wine, are among those Georgian commodities, which would enjoy “zero tariff rates” applied immediately after the agreement enters into force without any transition period.

He specifically stressed importance of this provision in respect of wine.

Georgia exported over 3.36 million 0.75-liter bottles of wine to China in the first eight months of 2016, which is 2.4-fold increase compared to the same period of 2015 when 1.18 bottles were exported to China, according to the National Wine Agency of Georgia.

Impressions Of A Visit To Cuba: Will The Colibri Survive? – OpEd

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By Dr Palitha Kohona*

The ferocious American bald eagle, clutching its array of deadly weapons, has for almost 60 years persistently tried to gobble up the tiny Cuban Colibri. The Colibri, weighing only about two ounces, is the national bird of Cuba.

The plucky little bird, smartly darting around the eagle making careful and, at times, painful choices, has not only successfully avoided the eagle’s fiery talons but, in certain areas, prospered. But now that the eagle has ostensibly mellowed and softened its approach and replaced the urge to devour with endearing embraces, will the Colibri continue to survive?

Admittedly a ten-day visit to anywhere does not adequately equip one to write a thesis on the place. But the third such visit and extensive interactions with a range of locals, expatriates and those who had visited the country many times does encourage one to record ones thoughts.

On the face of it, the signs that greet a visitor to Havana immediately on arrival are impressive. The historic waterfront, Malecon, is clean and is being subject to extensive renovation under UNESCO supervision. As is the old town built by the Spanish conquistadors.

Imposing buildings that projected luxury and power under the Spaniards and during the period of American influence prior to the Revolution in 1959, and which were subsequently subjected to rapid degradation following the Revolution, are now being faithfully restored, not only as tourist attractions but as a expression of a nation’s pride in its past.

Families that occupied these buildings after the Revolution, are relocated to housing close by for the duration of the renovation and returned to the same buildings, now much improved, once the work is completed.

The waterfront bustles with people at night, laughing adults, embracing couples, children playing and the many fishermen. Havana on a Saturday night is like any other city in the West.

Thousands throng the waterfront and the nearby bars and cafes. The bars get crowded in the balmy evenings and the music and dancing is clearly spontaneous. The Cubans love music and dancing and don’t they have rhythm.

Hemingway, in his day, frequented the Floridita (for his daiquiri) and the Bodeguita (for the mojitos) and are places to be seen at. The city’s luxurious gardens are well tended although the grass may need more frequent clipping. The tree-lined suburbs could be in any well to do tropical developing country. Three million tourists stream in every year to lap it all up, now joined by hoards of Americans, including the Kardashians, Madonna, Mick Jagger and the Stones and many young people, despite continuing hassles with direct travel from the U.S.

The Casa Musica was filled with young Americans pretending that it was Spring Break. Dozens of daily flights from the U.S. are scheduled to commence shortly. The eagle’s charm offensive might produce better results.

The luxurious hotels built before the revolution, mainly to serve the needs of the U.S.- based mafia, have undergone face-lifts and are again attracting a different type of rich American.

The Alcapones, Lucky Luccianos and Meyer Lonskys and their proteges like Sinatra, Gary Cooper and Ava Gardner, are missing but rich U.S. executives are again getting attracted to the pretty young Cubanas in their very short shorts flaunting themselves on the sidewalks.

For almost 60 years Cuba has remained proudly defiant in the face of increasingly onerous U.S. pressure. One cannot but be impressed by the Cuban reaction to U.S. attempts to play propaganda videos focusing on human rights from the windows of the large US Special Interests building.

The plucky Cubans, not to be intimidated by the one remaining superpower, erected a tightly packed forest of flagpoles outside the windows of the U.S. Special Interests building and even flew black flags when necessary. To add insult to injury they retaliated with their own video clips of the gruesome torture of Iraqi and Afghan prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo by the U.S. military. The US was forced to suspend its propaganda effort. The proud little Colibri not only confronted the US, but survived with honour intact.

With the thawing of relations, the propaganda war may be gradually easing up. But 65 years of anger and bitterness created by the confrontation and the daily hardships blamed on the U.S. economic blockade (Blockeo) of Cuba, which has continued to be tightened, has left a bitter after taste in many people’s mouths, which will be difficult to erase in a hurry.

Many Cubans feel that their daily life would be much improved if the U.S. blockade were lifted. But their is little willingness to make immediate compromises to obtain this concession.

Not that all Cubans dislike the U.S. Many travel to the U.S, study there, have many relatives living there, especially in Miami, love hamburgers, and Cuban artists make good money in the U.S., but a strong sense of Latin Machismo, which the charismatic Fidel Castro cleverly exploited to build a national anti American psychosis, continues to dominate Cuban thinking.

Any everyday problem, whether it is shortages of fuel, the irregular power cuts, lack of spare parts for cars, inadequately stocked super market shelves, tobacco plantations infested with a strange disease, withering sugar cane, etc. are readily blamed on the “Blockeo”.

A visit to Vignales along an impressive highway in a roaring Lada revealed that the main form of transport in that beautiful part of the country is still horses and horse drawn carriages. Blockeo, they complained.

The persistent economic pressure exerted by the U.S. has hurt badly but instead of succumbing to it, the leadership became more defiant and successfully mobilised the people against the U.S. Cuban pride and ingenuity have, in many instances, triumphed.

It has made them great innovators. Hundreds of American gas guzzling automobiles from the late 40s and 50s, Plymouths, Dodges, Vanguards, Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, Fords, etc. carefully renovated and maintained with parts from elsewhere, crowd the streets.

There are more Soviet era Ladas here than anywhere else. These cars lack air conditioning, doors may have to be opened from the outside only, windows may not work, but that they run at all is a credit to Cuban defiance and ingenuity. The dandies drive around noisily with the sunroofs down and the Yankees now descending in droves love to be photographed in them.

Prior to the Revolution, sixty years of American hegemony since the Spanish-American War, with its unqualified backing for a string of unsavoury dictators and later the heavy involvement of the U.S. based Mafia, did not exactly endear the giant neighbour in the north to the Cubans.

The failed attempts to restore the old regime, post revolution, including the fiasco that was the Bay of Pigs invasion, only helped to consolidate the anti Americanism in the popular psyche.

With the Blokeo being gradually lifted, it is likely that some of the strongest anti American sentiments would get diluted and replaced with a more accommodating acceptance of the U.S.

The rapid replacement of many, previously friendly, Latin American governments, with pro US regimes, will undoubtedly add pressure on the current Cuban attitudes. The continuously deteriorating situation in Venezuela, is a clear worry, as Venezuela became Cuba’s main benefactor following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The middle class continues to aspire to have more access to Western comforts, which would be further facilitated from the thawing of relations with the US. These factors could combine to influence the external and internal policies of the Cuban government and also its hold on the people. Tentative efforts to open up the economy are being made but one wonders if the change is arriving a little too late.

But in New York, the annual UN Resolution demanding the removal of the blockade was adopted in 2015 with the support of all members of the UN except the US and Israel.

The Government of Cuba has maintained solid control of the levers of power in the country continuously since the overthrow of Batista in 1959. First, Fidel Castro held sway and now Raoul Castro. Fidel, in particular, had a charismatic appeal with the population at large which was carefully managed to convey the impression of a revolutionary who was still part of the people.

The revolutionary leadership never appeared to have aspired to replace the Batista regime in acquiring worldly comforts, international approval or royal status but remained firmly rooted among the masses that brought it in to power. The continuing affection for Fidel is palpable. It is not uncommon to hear a Cuban, when asked about any national problem, say, “Fidel will solve it”.

The vicious American blockade, appears only to have strengthened the revolutionary leadership and the will of the people to resist. The superpower, USA, only a ninety miles away, was rendered totally impotent in its attempts to bring Cuba to heel.

Earlier, the cleverly developed connections with the former Soviet Union and the Non Aligned movement helped. Later effective military interventions in Africa shored up Cuba’s reputation and underlined the unbearable costs to a likely invader.

It is widely acknowledged that the Cuban military success in turning back the apartheid forces of South Africa, advancing with CIA backing almost to the outskirts of Luanda, Angola, later set in motion the chain reaction that ensured the victory of the MPLA in Angola, the independence of Namibia and the eventual defeat of apartheid in South Africa.

More recently, the Alba alliance helped. Pedro Ross, still with vivid memories, fought against the South Africans in Angola and, later, served as the Cuban ambassador to that country. Importantly, there is a continuing mobilisation of the entire people, the people against any invader, which would make even the super power, USA, think twice before resorting to arms.

Despite the severe implications of the blockade, Cuba progressed with its own efforts in certain areas. It has developed world-class medical and educational facilities funded entirely by the state, which have made the Cubans proud.

Thousands of Cuban doctors serve overseas and a large student contingent from overseas studies in Cuba. They have encouraged, at official level, the flowering of the arts.

I had the privilege of meeting painters who regularly strut the global arena, such as Mabel Poblet, Ernesto Rancarno, Eduardo Abela, Balzero, Juan Morera, Eduardo Ruben, and Alicia Leal, and photographer Cirenaica. Rancarno had visited me in Sri Lanka earlier.

The discoverer of the vaccination for Hepatitis 2, Conchita Campa, is now working on the therapeutic uses of Murunga and is keen to develop relations with the traditional medical community of Sri Lanka. National iconic heroes such as Alberto Granado of Motor Cycle Diaries fame or Argudin, Che’s body guard, still sprightly in his late seventies, have a sympathetic attachment to Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s Sri Lanka.

Pedro Pedroso, the ambassador designate to Geneva, and Ambassador Edgar Ponce from Ecuador remain strong friends of Sri Lanka. The artists travel regularly, express themselves with relative freedom and live extremely comfortably. Many with household help.

But one could discern a latent yearning for the greater freedom of expression and commercial opportunities that they believe exist outside Cuba. Once, Cuban athletes used to dominate the Olympic middle distance running and boxing.

One gets the impression that the average Cuban wishes to leave the past behind and lead a comfortable life minus the Blockeo. They survived for 60 years the various attempts of the one remaining superpower to bring them to heel.

But now they may just want to enter a different era with dignity. As Harry the taxi driver observed, “The majority of the Cubans wish to live well, with many friends and no enemies”.

*Ambassador Dr Palitha Kohona, the former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York, visited Cuba recently.

Hindu Group Seeks Ban On Pejorative Term ‘Allochtoon’ In Netherlands

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Hindus are urging ban on usage of pejorative term “allochtoon” in all official forums in Netherlands, which is commonly used to refer to immigrants and their descendants, and which literally means “emerging from another soil”.

Many of the so-called allochtoons were born in Netherlands and they and foreign born allochtoons were as good contributors to the nation and society as any autochtoon (literal “emerging from this soil”) and deserved the same respect, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed pointed out in a statement in Nevada today.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, indicated that this highly stigmatizing, divisive and outdated term had no place in 21st century Netherlands as it unfavorably distinguished people forced into the allochtoon compartment (who now formed a substantial portion of the Netherlands population) from the rest of the Dutch.

How fair was it to call somebody allochtoon who was born in Netherlands to even with one parent born abroad (and other born in Netherlands), while the person who is born outside Netherlands was still an autochtoon if his/her both parents were born in the Netherlands? Rajan Zed asked.

Even the allochtoon people were further categorized as “Western” and “non-Western”, which was very sad, Zed added.

Hindus also want Netherlands to retire the character of Black Pete (Zwarte Piet), who appeared with Sinterklaas during winter holiday celebrations. It was time for the negative, offensive, racist and discriminatory caricature of Black Pete to vanish from the traditional festivities of Netherlands. Black Pete might be a popular Dutch tradition but it appeared to be a racist throwback to the slavery era, Rajan Zed said.

The country also needed to offer an official apology regarding Dutch involvement in trans-Atlantic slave trade during 17th-19th centuries, with Netherlands being one of the last countries to abolish slavery, Zed stated.

Rajan Zed further said that it was absolutely baffling to see the Country of Rembrandt and Van Gogh, which had a long history of social tolerance and which hosted International Court of Justice, in the business of such negative stereotyping and xenophobia, which should have been extinct many decades ago; Zed said and asked: Was not Netherlands famous for promoting equality?

Netherlands needed to show strong political will to end such xenophobia and racism and demeaning labeling and treat all Dutch people as equal contributors to the society and look forward to a shared future and equal opportunities for all, Zed stressed.

Rajan Zed urged His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands to urgently intervene to put an end to “allochtoon” and “Black Pete” and push for official apology on country’s involvement in slavery.

Zed suggested His Holiness Pope Francis and other religious leaders to also come out with strong statements on these issues, as religions were supposed to speak against racism.

Banning Commercial Surrogacy In India: Will It Lead To New Types Of Exploitation? – Analysis

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By Neha Gupta*

‘Fertility tourism’ in India, prevalently called commercial surrogacy, emerged on the scene in 2002 and went transnational within a year. Fertility clinics around the country that are provide services of surrogating mothers for both the foreign and Indian clients form a gigantic industry within the medical profession. Surrogacy is generally undertaken by poor women who use it as a survival strategy to make their ends meet.

Legal difficulties in commercial surrogacy came to light for the first time in 2008 when a Japanese couple contracted an Indian woman to become a surrogate mother. Unfortunately, prior to the woman’s delivery, the couple got divorced. Consequently the child was born legally parentless as well as without citizenship. It is perhaps because of the difficulties that accompany surrogacy that pushed the Government of India to draft Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill in 2016.

This bill seeks to simplify the legal position of a child born out of surrogacy and certifies that he/she will have all the legal rights as a citizen and will not be abandoned by parents. The proposed bill also intends to bring about a radical change by enforcing a comprehensive ban on commercial surrogacy, permitting the scope of the same only to those couples who have been married for 5 years or more. It further stipulates that the surrogate mother can be a close relative only. As per this provision, the married blood relative who has herself borne a child can be a surrogate mother only once in her lifetime. Importantly, she cannot receive any money for her “selfless” act. The Bill even proposes to convert surrogacy into an ‘ethical and altruistic activity’ by putting forward different restrictions on its use.

The proposed bill has restricted surrogacy to legally-wedded infertile Indian couples between the ages of 23-50 years (women) and 26-55 (men). Couples with biological or adopted children are not entitled for having kids through surrogacy. Besides overseas Indians, foreigners, unmarried couples, single parents, live-in partners and gay couples cannot go for surrogacy as per the proposed legislation. The drafting of Surrogacy Regulation Bill has sparked numerous debates over the government’s role a domain which is considered to be highly private – reproduction.

Commercial surrogacy has been criticized by many for its exploitative nature. Most of the clinics, which are successfully carrying out commercial surrogacy practices, would henceforth be forbidden to carry out their activities under the current outline of the bill.

The government has described the new surrogacy bill as “revolutionary step” towards women’s wellbeing. Commercial surrogacy is certainly not free of problems. Surrogates have little idea about their rights, procedures and the like. Where pre-natal care is hardly seen, post-delivery they are made to surrender the baby immediately and are not given follow-up care. Moreover, a vast majority of surrogate mothers come from economically weaker backgrounds or are illiterate and have faint understanding of the contractual rights that they are guaranteed on paper as they undertake this pain-staking task. They get no legal or psychological assistance either.

The exploitation of women in the name of commercial surrogacy and the non-payment of actual amount promised to them for surrogacy have added to the exploitative nature of this already exploitative activity. However, bans are indeed not the solution to these problems. It is being debated if surrogacy via relatives will lead to new types of exploitation.

Banning of commercial surrogacy has also come under sharp criticism for the restrictions it has put on those who can, legally, get a child using this method. Many suggest that by placing conditions, such as the duration of an existing marriage, exclusion of gay couples, this bill will certainly be out of sync with the evolving social realities of India. Instead of banning commercial surrogacy, many believe that increased and strict regulation of surrogacy could have been the most effective way of ensuring that surrogacy doesn’t continue in the same exploitative fashion that it does today.

Those who are opposed to the bill have called it as “inherently illegal,” and even labelled the ban as a means to promote underground black marketing. The state, it has been opined, should not meddle in something as private as one’s decision to have a child and how, especially since surrogacy is not a preference but a last resort for those wanting to have a child.

However, many countries across the world have banned commercial surrogacy including Australia, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, Japan and Thailand etc. Given that many countries have passed legislations banning surrogacy, the bill on surrogacy introduced in India appears to be in consonance with global norms. Forbidding commercial surrogacy can possibly increase the prospect for adoptions in India.

The draft Surrogate (Regulation) Bill endeavours to thoroughly deal with the concern of surrogacy in India. The sensitivity of the bill is indeed banning commercial surrogacy. Commercially profiteering from a woman’s womb by exploiting her vulnerability is an awful offence. The drafting of Surrogacy Bill 2016 therefore seeks to protect the defencelessness of women in India from different types of offences.

*Neha Gupta is a Research Scholar at Dibrugarh University, Assam. Comments and suggestions on this article can be sent on: editor@spsindia.in

Sindh Separatism: Pakistan Needs To Balance Regional Aspirations For Own Survival – Analysis

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By Sanchita Bhattacharya*

The demand for independent statehood of Sindh (Sindhudesh/ Sindhustan) is not a latest phenomenon and definitely not a reaction to the ongoing upsurge of Baloch separatism. In Pakistan, Sindhi deeply feel the negation of their ‘Sindhi’ identity, which is five thousand years old. They appear just unwilling to sacrifice their thousands years nationhood over the seventy years of Pakistan.

Sovereignty of Sindh has been violated in Pakistan at various times. Karachi was illegitimately separated from Sindh against the will of the Sindhi nation in 1948. The status of province-hood of Sindh was canceled and a unitary political system was adopted. Besides, reading, writing and name-tags in Sindhi and Bengali languages were also banned during 1960s. Hundreds of thousands acres of fertile lands of Sindh that became arable due to the commissioning of Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri barrages in Sindh on river Indus were allocated to Punjabis as well as gifted to military officials and Punjabi civil bureaucracy.

The term Sindhudesh was coined in 1972 by G. M. Syed. He proposed the formation of an independent nation for the Sindhis under the name Sindhudesh. It was a sort of continuation of separatist movements initiated by people of East Pakistan.

Sindh has also suffered in terms of exploitation of resources. MNCs extract uranium and copper, oil and gas, coal and gold from Sindh because Sindh is one of natural resource richest belt of South Asia. Unfortunately, Sindhis are not only refused employment opportunities in these MNCs, the royalties of these resources are taken by the federal government. Even the funds allocated for the Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) are not spent on the development in the districts of Sindh.

Moreover, demography of Sindh is being attempted to be changed. Mass migration of Punjabis from Pakistani Punjab, Afghan, Biharis from Bangladesh, and Rohingya Muslim from Myanmar are being settled in Sindh, especially Karachi and Hyderabad in search of better financial prospects. Fake Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs) and Domiciles are issued to non-Sindhi outsiders so that they may get the employments on the quota as well as resources of Sindh.

Sindh separatist organisations like Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), and Sindhu Desh Liberation Army (SDLA) have frequently raised voice and protest movements for independence of Sindh. On March 23, 2014 JSQM organised a massive ‘Freedom March’ in Karachi. The people from across the province, particularly from the Karachi city, rallied at the Tibet Centre, with the protesters holding party flags and chanting slogans demanding freedom of the Sindh from the Pakistan. In addition to the JSQM, representatives of other Sindh rights political parties attended the protest including Sindh United Party (SUP), Sindh National Party (SNP), Jeay Sindh Mohaz (JSM), Sindh Tarqi Passand Party (STPP), Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT). Earlier in early 2012, railway tracks at around 14 different locations across Sindh were damaged in a series of bomb blasts. Pamphlets recovered from these sites carried the name of SDLA, issued by its Chief Commander Darya Khan Marri.

For the survival and continuance of sovereignty, Pakistan needs to take into account various demands of generated by its people. The country will survive only if there is accord among the people on how they want to live and how they want to govern the affairs of their country.

*Sanchita Bhattacharya is a Post-Doctoral Fellow, UGC and Visiting Scholar at Institute for Conflict Management, New Delhi. Comments and suggestions on this article can be sent on: editor@spsindia.in


How Sri Lanka Won Battle Against Malaria – Analysis

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By Sugeeswara Senadhira*

Sri Lanka, a country which maintained an excellent record in health indices for several decades has achieved yet another landmark by eradicating malaria, a disease that killed more than 35,000 people in a single year (1934), less than a century ago. The World Health Organisation has certified that Sri Lanka is a malaria-free nation on September 5, 2016.

The WHO regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh, who made the announcement at the 67th Meeting of the WHO Regional Committee held in Colombo earlier this week, emphasized the significance of this achievement pointing out that Sri Lanka had been among the most malaria-affected countries in the mid-20th century.

The only other country in South Asia to get rid of malaria is the Maldives and in the relatively more affluent region of South East Asia only Singapore has this distinction. But, those two countries have less than a quarter of Sri Lanka’s 21 million population. Furthermore, Sri Lanka succeeded in this campaign while facing a three-decade long civil war that placed strict limitations on resource allocation.

As the WHO said in its citation, Sri Lanka began its anti-malaria campaign by successfully targeting the mosquito-borne parasite that causes the disease, not just mosquitoes. “Sri Lanka’s achievement is truly remarkable. The change in strategy was unorthodox, but highly effective. Mobile malaria clinics in high-transmission areas meant that prompt and effective treatment could reduce the parasite reservoir and the possibility of further transmission. Health education and effective surveillance also helped the campaign,” The WHO statement said.

President Maithripala Sirisena received a Special Award of Excellence for Health Care from WHO Director General Margaret Chan at the 67th Meeting of the WHO Regional Committee.

In April 2014, President Sirisena, then as Health Minister, made an announcement on malaria eradication at a function to mark the World Malaria Day. “It is with great pride I state that this is an occasion for our nation to celebrate the total eradication of indigenous malaria from the soil of Sri Lanka. From over 400,000 malaria cases two decades ago, the disease has been reduced to zero in October 2012, an achievement of utmost significance. It gives us a great satisfaction to note that the country has been free of locally acquired malaria since then.”

The elimination of indigenous malaria from Sri Lanka is a historic milestone considering the colossal cost caused by this dreaded disease to Sri Lanka over the years, President Sirisena said. “Over the centuries, malaria cost Sri Lanka innumerable lives, aggravated poverty, weakened our human resources causing immense harm to the economy and impaired education of many school children.”

Sirisena said that the efforts of many made it possible to eradicate malaria – sound policies and commitment of successive governments which sustained and expanded the health services and anti-malaria research programmes and dedicated healthcare staff in preventive and curative sectors who worked tirelessly in remote rural areas. The support and cooperation given by the World Health Organizations and other institutions made this achievement possible, he said.

Sri Lanka began its anti-malaria campaign in 1911 just ahead of the disease peaking at 1.5 million cases and almost achieved malaria elimination in 1963, when just 17 cases of the disease were recorded but funding was diverted and malaria took hold again. It took five decades to recover the ground lost against the disease.
According to the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka had 400,000 malaria cases in 1991 and it was down to 1000 cases in 2006. Finally the figure was reduced to zero cases by November 2012. Since then, strict vigilance was maintained to prevent parasites re-entering the country. The anti-malaria campaign worked with local and international partners to maintain surveillance and screening.

According to the latest estimates from WHO, there were 214 million new cases of malaria and 438,000 deaths from the illness worldwide in 2015. The African region accounted for most, or 88%, of new cases followed by the Southeast Asia at 10%, and the eastern Mediterranean at 2%.

In Southeast Asia as many as 1.3 billion people are estimated to be at risk from the disease, according the World Malaria Report 2015 published by WHO.

Malaria cases are falling worldwide. Between 2000 and 2015, new malaria cases fell by 37% globally, and by 42% in Africa. During this same period, malaria mortality rates fell by 60% globally and by 66% in the African region, according to the WHO.

The WHO has targeted eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries more countries by 2030 with India and Indonesia expected to meet the target. However, the WHO said annual funding for malaria will need to triple over the next 15 years, from the current $ 2.5 billion to $ 8.7 billion by 2030 to achieve this goal.

Health Minister Dr Rajitah Senaratne, who received the malaria-free Sri Lanka citation from the Regional Director said, “We are very proud of this achievement and it should be dedicated to our exceptional medical professionals.”

“Sri Lanka’s achievement is truly remarkable,” the WHO statement said. “The change in strategy was unorthodox, but highly effective. Mobile malaria clinics in high-transmission areas meant that prompt and effective treatment could reduce the parasite reservoir and the possibility of further transmission.”

However, Sri Lanka should not be complacent with this achievement, said former Director of Sri Lanka’s Anti-Malaria Campaign Dr. Risintha Premaratne. “Our biggest challenge is to ensure monitoring. International funding for Sri Lanka’s anti-malaria campaign ends in 2018 and after that the full financial responsibility falls on the government,”

Although, Sri Lanka succeeded in eliminating malaria parasite from its soil, the other forms of diseases carried by mosquitoes such as dengue are raising their heads. For the last ten years, the number of dengue patients increased by 5% to 10% every year posing a major threat.

Sri Lanka’s government has assured additional funds for anti-dengue campaigns and continued support to continuation of current anti-malaria programme until 2018.

The medical researchers express doubts over the future of Sri Lanka’s commendable health service standards. “We have only one medical research institutes in the country and that too lacks sufficient staff to handle laboratory tests,” a senior researcher said. “We have now stopped tests on meningitis and several other diseases as we don’t have enough laboratory technicians”.

Medical officers in rural hospitals lament that there work is hampered by shortage of medicine and staff. Minister Senaratne is, however, optimistic about future. “We plan to increase health sector allocations in the Budget for 2017. Furthermore, we have increased intake of nurses and medical technicians. We have also taken effective steps to reduce the cost of medicine and I am confident that the standards could be maintained,” he said with confidence.

*Sugeeswara Senadhira is Director (Research & International Media), Presidential Secretariat, Colombo. Comments and suggestions on this article can be sent on: editor@spsindia.in

Moving From Sanctions To Dialogue – OpEd

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North Korea carries out a nuclear test. The international community condemns it vehemently and the UN Security Council musters up some fresh sanctions to slap on Kim Jong-un’s belligerent regime. The North Korean dictator scoffs at the sanctions and continues to pursue nuclear weapons regardless. This is the merry-go-round put into motion with each nuclear test, in 2006, 2009, 2013 and twice again this year. If the pattern sounds familiar it’s because the same futile standoff is taking place with Russia whose annexation of Crimea in 2014 has seen it subject to similar sanctions. The question is: are sanctions effective at dissuading governments from breaking international law, or do they merely embolden them?

A cursory glance at North Korea’s weapons testing schedule so far this year would strongly suggest the latter. In January, observers mocked Kim’s claim to have detonated a hydrogen bomb, pointing to seismic recordings of the test that suggested a much smaller explosion. However, in August, those same skeptics sat up and took note as the North Koreans successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine, a method of weapons delivery which is much harder to detect than an above-ground launch. And just last week, as the G20 convened in China, the North fired 3 medium-range Rodong missiles into the sea.

Evidently, sanctions against North Korea are not preventing it from pursuing its nuclear ambitions. If Kim is to be reigned in and brought around to respecting international norms – as he must – then more than likely this will come about through the restoration of multi-party talks, leaning heavily on China to restrain their cold-war ally and ensure they don’t do anything reckless.

The same scenario is playing out in Russia. The West may be appalled by Russia’s conduct, but if the long history of using sanctions to bring about change in recalcitrant regimes, including the example of North Korea, has taught us anything, it should be that they are unlikely to force the Kremlin to pull out of Ukraine or Crimea. The sanctions, which hit a range of companies in the construction, defense and extractive industries operating in Crimea, as well as individuals thought to be behind Russia’s activities in eastern Ukraine, are hardly even effective. Many of the individuals targeted simply transfer their assets to a family member. When President Putin’s top advisor, Vladislav Surkov had a travel ban imposed on him as part of the sanctions regime, he mockingly responded by saying “The only things that interest me in the US are Tupac Shakur, Allen Ginsberg, and Jackson Pollock. I don’t need a visa to access their work.”

As facile a response as this seems on the surface, there is a valid point underpinning it. In an increasingly globalized world where the Internet has broken down borders and as the idea of a new global commons is taking hold, attempts to freeze countries out of international relations look increasingly doomed to failure. More to the point, given the number of common priorities shared between Russia and the West and the many fora in which they meet to discuss them, there are ample opportunities to work on resolving their differences without recourse to such unhelpful instruments as sanctions. To be sure, there are some differences which may never be resolved: Russia’s treatment of LGBT people, Putin’s persecution of his political foes, the Kremlin’s stranglehold over the media, to name but a few. The United States had similar quarrels with the government of Fidel Castro and opted to go down the path of sanctions with them resulting in more than 60 years of recriminations and the impoverishment of the Cuban people, while failing to bring about the desired policy changes.

There is no need for Russia and the West to head down the same dead end again. Whether it be through the G20, the UNSC, or various grassroots think tanks and policy groups, stakeholders should be encouraged to take a step back from the brink, dial down on the “new cold war” rhetoric and work towards finding mutually acceptable solutions. Southern and Eastern European members looking for a more measured response should not be ostracized with such ease. When the Czech, Hungarian and Slovak leaders announced they will attend the Rhodes Forum led by the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute, and work towards exactly that purpose, many feared the emergence of a fifth column in Europe. But this narrative brushes aside any sort of strategic cooperation with Russia and entrenches the idea that Moscow is an irreconcilable adversary. The Rhodes forum for one, to be held between 30 September and October 1, is not even a new idea to be so casually dismissed but is born out of a UN initiative going back more than 15 years, to a time when building bridges among countries was still a laudable goal.

The alternative to more dialogue is more unnecessary suffering and entrenchment of positions, while Putin consolidates his grip on power by portraying Russia as an embattled nation, encircled by antagonists. The experience of Iraq, Cuba, Serbia and Libya among many others teaches us that sanctions are a broken tool of diplomacy more likely to lead to war than prevent it. Let’s not let that happen with Russia.

*Nicholas Kaufmann is a public affairs consultant based in Brussels.

Iran: President Rohani Says Political Dialogue, Understanding Solutions To Regional Problems

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says political dialogue and showing understanding are the only solutions to the ongoing problems in the region, particularly issues in the Persian Gulf.

“Regional issues must be solved by regional countries and only through political dialogue and understanding,” Rouhani said.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will spare no effort in establishing and promoting such a process and everyone must make efforts in this area,” the Iranian president added.

He pointed to the spread of extremism, violence and terrorism in the region and expressed regret that “the region is not in a good state.”

“We are all duty-bound to save Muslims from the threat of terrorism and to make efforts to establish stability in the region and reinforce fraternity among Muslims,” the Iranian president pointed out.

The Iranian President has also felicitated leaders of Muslim countries on the occasion of Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice), which marks the culmination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

President Rouhani expressed hope that Muslims would enjoy the spiritual and social benefits of Eid al-Adha and present to the world the true image of Islam, which is based on justice and mercy, through cooperation and harmony.

He also hoped that Muslims would reinforce their unity and cordial bonds and foil all efforts aimed at sowing discord among them.

Iran, India Open New Chapter In Relations – Analysis

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By Mehraveh Kharazmi

Iran and India are going through a new stage in their bilateral relations. The two countries, which have maintained cordial relations characterized by low tension in the past centuries, are now opening a new chapter, whose impact can even transcend the limits of their bilateral ties.

Iran’s relations with India, which had become restricted to import of non-essential goods from India in return for selling Iran’s crude to Indian oil companies due to anti-Iran sanctions and because Tehran did not have much of an option, have now entered a totally different phase. This is true because following the endorsement and implementation of Iran’s nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of countries, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran has now more options for the establishment of political and economic relations with various countries of the world. As a result, Tehran has entered a new era in its relations with such countries as India and China on an equal standing and on the basis of the realization of its medium- and long-term economic interests.

However, the role played by a country like India in helping Iran go through conditions, which governed its economy from 2007 to 2013 as a result of international sanctions and pressures exerted by the SWIFT network of bank exchanges, cannot be considered totally ineffective in bringing about the new round of those relations. This is true because economic channels and important companies that had been established among Iran, Russia, China and India in order to help Iran evade sanctions, were greatly effective in raising Iran’s bargaining power during nuclear negotiations and helped change the imposed course of events. As a result, following the implementation of the JCPOA – as put by Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, during his recent trip to India – Iran has been giving priority to cooperation with countries, which stood by it at the time of sanctions and this has been a dominant trend in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic’s eleventh administration.

At any rate, the new round of relations between the two countries started in late May 2016 when India took the first step and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Iran. It was the first visit to Iran by an Indian official at this level during the past 15 years. In the meantime, a recent visit to New Delhi by secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and his meetings with the Indian prime minister and his national security advisor, Ajit Doval, were considered as Iran’s response to Modi’s Tehran visit and a sign of deepening relations between the two countries.

During these exchanges, both sides emphasized on the need to promote bilateral relations in political, security, defense and economic fields while the Indian government asked for further strengthening of strategic dialogues among Iran, India, China and Russia over security, political and economic issues. The results of such cooperation and dialogue have been already manifest in certain fields and have a bright prospect in other fields.

Chabahar agreement, objective manifestation of development-based relations

The agreement signed for the development of Iran’s southeastern Chabahar port is an objective manifestation of the new chapter of relations between Iran and India on the basis of development. This agreement, which was signed among Iran, New Delhi and Kabul during a concurrent visit to Iran by the Indian prime minister and President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, is of special importance because it pursues such goals as activating the North-South Corridor and bringing prosperity to transportation plans among the three countries. Remarkable increase in the productivity of marine transport in the Sea of Oman, making many commercial ships needless of entering the Persian Gulf and traveling longer distances, Iran’s position along the transit route that runs from India to Central Asia and – as a medium-term objective – development of one of the most deprived regions of Iran are among major goals, which can be achieved as a result of this trilateral agreement among the three countries. These advantages have become associated with the eleventh administration’s special effort to provide political and economic requirements for the facilitation of this tripartite cooperation. Attracting investment from India in line with this development plan will boost the capacity of Iran’s Chabahar port for onloading and offloading of goods and commodities to 84 million tonnes per year. All these developments will result from the implementation of an agreement, which is hoped not to meet the same fate as the Peace Gas Pipeline project that was supposed to take Iran’s natural gas to Pakistan and India, and would not be obstructed by Western countries, which are bent on blocking development projects that may unite developing countries.

According to what the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said during his visit to India, the two countries have also decided to revive a document of strategic cooperation between the two sides, which was signed by the two countries’ heads of state in 1998. Before that, due to existence of various obstacles and limitations resulting from anti-Iran sanctions, implementation of that document had not been possible and now, following the implementation of the JCPOA, it can be taken as a basis for more cooperation.

In addition to the outlook of future plans to be implemented by Iran and India, what has been observed in the short term is increased volume of the two countries’ trade. According to available statistics, following the conclusion and implementation of the JCPOA, India has increased Iran’s share in its oil market by, at least, 10 percent as a result of which India’s biggest oil importing company bought a daily total of 185,000 barrels of Iran’s crude oil last month.

Cooperation against terrorism and extremism

Having more than 170 million Muslims, who account for about 12 percent of its total population and over 10 percent of all world Muslims, India is potentially capable of turning into one of the effective countries in the fight against extremism and terrorism, which arise from the Takfiri way of thinking. Therefore, reviving joint cooperation among Tehran, New Delhi and Moscow over regional security issues, especially preventing spread of terrorism and helping restoration of stability and security to Afghanistan as a major hub of extremism, have been among the most important topics raised in bilateral consultations between the two countries’ officials. Such cooperation will take the impact of relations between the two countries beyond bilateral ties and may be bolstered or undermined according to the approach that other regional countries would take toward the anti-terrorism front. Of course, in the new chapter of their relations, officials of Iran and India have emphatically noted that they would to their best to prevent these relations from being affected by foreign pressure and obstructionist efforts.

Source: Iran Newspaper
http://iran-newspaper.com/
Translated By: Iran Review.Org

Politics Of Reconciliation In Sri Lanka: Time For A Home-Grown Solution – Analysis

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By Srimal Fernando*

In 1983, Sri Lanka was severely unprepared for a war. A major landmark in the spiral of violence was a landmine blast in Tirunelveli, in Jaffna, causing deaths of 13 Sri Lankan soldiers. The decisive factor in the triggering of the crisis that led to the Sri Lankan conflict was the rivalry between the Sinhalese and Tamils living in the southern and in the northern provinces of the country. Sri Lanka was engulfed in a civil war from 1983 to 2009. The Tamil Tigers’ uprising was one of the most misunderstood political troubles in the island nation for decades. For many years, Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) managed to create a de facto autonomous enclave in the northern province of Sri Lanka and repulsed the advances by the Sri Lankan forces.

When the war spilled over into the mid-1980s during the Eelam War IV, the Tamil Tigers prevented the Sri Lankan forces from capturing the strategic towns of Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. There was little potential for peace after failed tries at peace talks between the two conflicting parties.

In May 2009, Sri Lanka armed forces won the swiftest and most decisive battles in the modern history of Sri Lanka. Throughout the course of the Sri Lankan conflict, the predominantly Sinhala government of the country continued its state-centric bias towards the war on terror against Tamil Tigers and sympathisers of the Lankan Tamil cause using politically pro-government biased propaganda to mobilize the public at large. The operational plans for the final push by the Sri Lankan government forces from Muhamalai Forward Defence Line (MFDL) in Jaffna to Nanthikadal Lagoon in the Northern province of Sri Lanka changed countless times in the run up to the war. The Sri Lankan government’s effort to protect civilians in the conflict zone through creation of safe corridors and no fire zones and by adhering to a “zero civilian casualty”.

During the final days of the conflict in May 2009, along with the Tamil Tigers around 330,000 Tamil civilians had been trapped and packed into an area of few square kilometers on the island’s Northeast coastal belt. Tamil civilians, trying to flee Sri Lankan war during the final stages of the conflict, were blown on the streets due to shelling by military. The difference lay in the scope of the ground operations in the last phase of the conflict at Mullivaikal and at Chalai beaches. The battles intensified between both conflicting parties during the last days of the conflict in May 2009. The Tamil Tigers put a desperate defense amidst overwhelming fire power from artillery, multi barrel air sorties.

It is difficult to imagine what the confusion of the final days and hours of this terrible siege must have been. Sri Lankan military has an active fighting force of nearly 3,00,000. The Sri Lankan army, with nearly 200,000 personnel, was one of the most powerful branches of the country’s military apparatuses. The Sri Lankan government raised the defense spending to USD 1.95 billon in 2014. About 100,000 Sri Lankans died as a result of such intense warfare. By the end of 2008, the Tamil Tigers had lost not only thousands of its cadres in the Eelam War IV but also large swaths of Northern territory. After the guns fell silent in Chalai beach in the immediate aftermath of the victory, efforts of re-building of the war-torn areas and the conflict affected communities was to be shouldered by the government of Sri Lanka and the international community to make the area a better place to live in.

In the course of the conflict, the western countries had been struggling to make an impact for a long period to ensure peaceful settlement of the dispute. The new dynamics of global politics that emerged after the US government-led campaign against war on terror. There was a key shift in US policy during the Sri Lankan conflict from peaceful negotiations to war on terror. Of all the countries in South Asia, India and Sri Lanka can boast of an enduring experience in democracy for the past seven decades. India, initially maintained stable and friendly relations with Sri Lanka, but in mid eighties to early nineties, found itself drawn into the civil war. New Delhi remained calm when Sri Lankan forces ordered troops into Mullivaikal on May18, 2009. This silence supposedly signalled to the Sri Lankan forces a nod of approval for an attack. India does not want to lose sight of the economic and security interest of the Indian Ocean islands like Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

China continues to be a major influence not only within the region but also in a broader framework of global politics. Changes in China’s international behaviour are clearly related to the countries changing image in global international society. It is clear that Rajapaksa’s ascendance to power led to a new era in China’s involvement in Sri Lanka; China-Sri Lanka relations developed more rapidly. The two countries witnessed a growing dependency of the two countries. The Chinese also hoped that their support for Rajapaksa’s regime at this crucial time would pave way for more influence on the bigger projects later. The Chinese manipulated Sri Lanka’s vulnerable situation and its willingness to make strategic concessions giving Chinese free access to Sri Lanka’s maritime ports and to air facilities. Pakistan was an important provider of arms and training to the Sri Lankan forces during the conflict

Scholars have offered a variety of explanations about the origin of the Sri Lankan conflict. The ending of the 30 year conflict in Sri Lanka pushed the majority of the Sinhalese towards a more specifically Sinhalese nationalism. The victory in the Sri Lankan conflict transformed and polarised the Sinhalese and the Tamil political matrix.

For Sri Lanka, the relations with India are the most important. The country’s bilateral relationship with India is deeply linked to Sri Lanka’s domestic issues of reconciliation with the Tamil minority. In 2009, Sri Lanka relations with India started on the high note given the silent role played by India on the final stages of the conflict. The relationship between the Tamil Nadu state of India and Sri Lanka have been tense during the post conflict period The mandate of the Sri Lanka’s own post war commission ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ (LLRC) report was made public after being tabled in the parliament on December 16, 2011. Five years after the end of Sri Lankan conflict, a major diplomatic rift emerged between the United States and Sri Lanka over human rights records. Despite India’s abstaining from the United States (US) sponsored resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva which seeks to authorise a body to be set up an independent international inquiry in Sri Lanka to probe into human rights violations during Sri Lanka’s civil war. The relationship between both nations varied from 2013 to 2015.

Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa called snap elections, appearing confident of winning with a record. The tables were turned hurriedly when a senior minister, Maithripala Sirisena, defected to the government, after serving as health minister, along with some 20 members of the Sri Lankan parliament. The presidential election of 2015 was a democratic milestone and marks a new dawn for the Indian Ocean nation for choosing Maithripala Sirisena as the new president, following a victory in the tightest ever presidential race in post-Independent history of Sri Lanka. Even though the war has ended, the main problem’s on ethnicity still remains. Sri Lankan politicians representing the Sinhalese and Tamil ethnic communities have not been able to come to one platform to obtain a sustainable solution to the national problem.

In Sri Lanka, there are still potential threats to national security. However a home grown solution is the best way to bring about reconciliation among the two ethnically divided communities. . Trauma in the 30 years of the Sri Lankan conflict has become synonymous with the dilemmas of humanitarian action. With the election victory of President Maithripala Sirisena, there is widespread hope, especially within the Tamil community, for a transitional justice process to happen.

*Srimal Fernando, a Sri Lankan national, is a Phd candidate at South Asia University, Delhi. Comments and suggestions on this article can be sent on: editor@spsindia.in

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