American Defense Contractors are now Health Care Providers

Monday, 23 February 2015, 10:38 am Opinion: John Stanton

American Defense Contractors are now Health Care Providers
Tracking Patient Data Like Tracking a Missile

by John Stanton

“Defense Contractor” is no longer a valid term for US weapons makers.

References to the “military industrial complex” are agonizingly silly particularly since the man who coined the term --President Dwight Eisenhower--was as ruthless as his CIA director John Foster Dulles. According to the Miller Center at the University of Virginia, defense spending never fell below 50 percent of the US budget during Eisenhower’s presidency. In fact, he increased spending on nuclear weapons. And it gets worse:

“During his first year in office, Eisenhower authorized the CIA to deal with... Iran that had begun during Truman's presidency. In August 1953, the CIA helped overthrow [Iran’s] government and restore the shah's power. In the aftermath of this covert action, new arrangements gave U.S. corporations an equal share with the British in the Iranian oil industry. He relied frequently on covert action to avoid having to take public responsibility for controversial interventions... CIA tactics were sometimes unsavory, as they included bribes, subversion, and even assassination attempts. But Eisenhower authorized those actions, even as he maintained plausible deniability, that is, carefully concealing all evidence of U.S. involvement so that he could deny any responsibility for what had happened...A year later, the CIA helped overthrow the elected government of Guatemala…”

Multi-Service Contractors

So diverse in expertise ranging from intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, energy management, nuclear power, space launch systems and health care solutions it is futile to maintain the illusion that American defense contractors build only killing machines. The evidence clearly shows that these companies straddle the commercial and government divide; hence, it is more appropriate to term them Multi-Service Contractors (MSC’s). So critical is war preparation and making for advances in US information and health care technologies that the MSC’s actually have an advantage over many private corporations unable to transfer battlefield innovations into useful technology products that can be used by, say, hospitals and insurance companies.

That is why Lockheed can unabashedly claim that tracking patient and healthcare data is like tracking a missile, Lockheed Martin’s Health and Life Sciences division offers products for genomics, patient big data tracking and analysis, and sepsis monitoring. According to Lockheed’s website :

“ Using analytical technology developed to detect launched missiles, Lockheed Martin has discovered a way to identify sepsis, a potentially fatal blood condition, between 14 to 16 hours earlier than physicians currently do. The solution requires looking at the human body’s data the same way you would collect sensor data from a missile traveling at mach speed – as continuously changing signals. Initial trials indicate Lockheed Martin’s solution detects Sepsis, a leading cause of death in the U.S., faster and more accurately than current industry-accepted methods.”

The kill/pacify chain is now invoked not to signify the process to kill, capture of pacify an individual or collective human enemy, it is to describe a process to identify, terminate or manage the disease/illness within an individual patient or a group of patients. Find, fix, track, target, engage, assess. Deadly microorganisms are now as evil as the Islamic State terrorists.

So Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have made nearly complete their transition to bona fide national health care providers. The makers of the F-35 and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles like Global Hawk and X47-B UCAS are now defending the health and wellness of the American civilian population. So, in a sense, it’s a homeland security mission: what could be worse for national security than a sickly American public, particularly one that needs to be fit to fight the war on terror and potentially Russia and China.

As Northrop Grumman puts it :

“Northrop Grumman sustains the essential functions of population health with reliable and responsive technologies. We embrace the health protection mission across domestic and global customer partnerships, and are committed to strengthening their response to challenges. Years of experience in public health help drive the quality of our population health solutions and services – which enable the characterization of population health risks, projected health costs and potential savings. The systems we support have been pivotal in every major health-related event in recent years – from natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina to disease outbreaks like H1N1.”

But it is not just the behemoths of the American defense industrial base that have found profits in the health services and medical support industry, it’s comparatively smaller defense contractors like Blue Canopy LLC-- that serves the US Defense Intelligence Agency and “other classified” customers along with a small slate of commercial enterprises--that have become, like the giants of defense contracting, legitimate players in the health care industry.

Visit http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-03-14-00231.pdf: “An Overview of 60 Contracts…” and perform web searches on the contractors listed in the report by the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services. Defense contractors figure prominently.

War is Healthy

And there should be no surprise at these developments. America is a nation at war, still operating under the 911 state of emergency. The prime mover behind the creation of the US Constitution, former American president James Madison said this :

“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manners and of morals engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”

On that note do yourself a favor and purchase Michael Glennon’s National Security and Double Government. The book by the Tufts University professor is an excellent piece of sober scholarship. As Glennon states in the work, “ The public believes that constitutionally established institutions control national security policy--but that view is mistaken.”

So the next time you find yourself in the hospital or under treatment by a physician, thank your lucky stars for perpetual war and the efforts of America’s MSC’s.

*************

John Stanton is a Virginia based writer. Reach him at camus666ster@gmail.com

Ukraine truce rocked by Kharkiv blast

Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels exchange prisoners.

Alec Luhn in Donetsk and agencies-Sunday 22 February 2015

Two killed including a police officer in explosion in Ukraine’s second-largest city as violations of ceasefire continue

Two people were killed and about a dozen injured when a bomb exploded in Ukraine’s second-largest city at a march on to mark the first anniversary of the ousting of president Viktor Yanukovych, the country’s interior ministry said.
Ukraine Truce Rocked by Kharkiv Blast by Thavam Ratna

UN Peace Coordinator Declared “Persona No Grata” by Palestinians

By Nicola Nasser- February 21, 2015

The PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) did not object to the appointment of new UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Nikolay Mladenov, although he was described by Tayseer Khaled, a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee, as “persona non grata” — not trusted by the Palestinians and nor qualified for the job.

The 15-member UN Security Council unanimously voted to appoint Bulgarian Mladenov, 42, to succeed Holland ’s Robert Serry. He would also be the representative of the UN secretary general to the International Quartet (the UN, US, EU and Russia ), and personal representative of the UN chief to the PLO (the State of Palestine) and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Although protocol allows the PLO the right to reject diplomatic representatives to the organisation, observers cannot understand why it accepted Mladenov. There is no convincing answer except a futile desire by the PLO to appease the UN and Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, at a time when PLO diplomatic efforts are focused on the UN and its agencies.

Mladenov not only failed in a similar mission as UN envoy to Iraq and resigned, he is someone who describes himself — and is described by the leaders of the Israeli occupation — as “a good friend of Israel ”. As Bulgarian foreign minister, Mladenov suggested a “military alliance” between Bulgaria and Israel . He has often spoken about his bias towards “ Israel ’s right to exist” and its right “to defend itself” against Palestinians resisting Israeli occupation. He even admitted to being a Free Mason, and publicly advocated the US ’s “constructive chaos” policies in the Arab world. In fact, his Jewish origins may be the least controversial aspect of him.

Meanwhile, the occupation state does not hesitate in ignoring the UN, its resolutions and representatives, disregarding and even assassinating them when necessary. Most recently, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to “expel” Mladenov’s predecessor Serry as “persona non grata”. Shortly before that, William Schabas, the head of the UN commission investigating the occupation’s recent war on the Gaza Strip, resigned after Israel refused to cooperate with him or allow him to enter the country.

After the UN tolerated the assassination of its first envoy to Palestine , Swedish Count Folke Bernadotte in 1948, at the hands of the Zionist Stern Gang led by Yitzhak Shamir (who later became prime minister of the occupation state), Israel was emboldened to adopt a permanent policy of disregarding the UN without deterrence so far.

In fact, over the past two years the occupation state has carried out a proxy war against the UN. It has facilitated logistics, intelligence, firepower and medical assistance to allow the domination of militias fighting the Syrian regime on its side of the disengagement zone between the liberated and occupied Arab Syrian Golan. This compelled the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to withdraw after its positions were attacked, dozens of its troops kidnapped and their weapons and equipment seized. Until today, the UN has not dared to rectify the situation, which resulted in the collapse of the UN-sponsored ceasefire and rules of engagement between Syria and Israel .

The Middle East is teeming with international peace envoys. The UN has one, so does the US , the EU, Russia , China and the Quartet. Their names change without anything on the ground in occupied Palestine changing. Except for expanding the occupation through settlements under the “peace” umbrella these envoys provide, without any hope that the international community they represent will be able to effect any real tangible change for the present and future of the Palestinian people on the ground.

So what can Mladenov do that his predecessors, the UN, the Quartet, the Arab League and others, couldn’t?

Khaled believes the real test, to remove Palestinian doubts about Mladenov’s role and mission, will be his position on the siege on Gaza and reconstruction there. However, Mladenov’s track record does not indicate there is cause for optimism. Nor does the track record of “UN special coordinators” since the creation of the position in 1994 and the subsequent expansion of its role, as well as the extensive history of choosing UN and US envoys of Jewish origins or related in the first degree to Jews, such as Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, John Kerry, Dennis Ross, Martin Indyk and Quartet representative Tony Blair.

On 6 February, the secretaries general of the UN and Arab League issued a joint statement expressing “deep concern” about conditions in Gaza . They urged Arab and international donors to honour their financial pledges made at the Cairo Conference last October “as soon as possible”, in order to rebuild the Gaza Strip and end the siege there. A few days ago, James Rowley, UN coordinator for humanitarian affairs in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, sent out an “urgent call” for these commitments to be fulfilled and an “immediate” lift of the siege on Gaza, because he is “very concerned another conflict will break out” if not.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry described the statement by the Quartet on 8 February after it met in Munich , Germany , as “short of expectations” because it ignored “all the old-new and evolving truths” of the occupation state.

The Quartet also said it is “deeply concerned” about the “difficult conditions in Gaza where reconstruction needs to be quicker” and urged donors to “pay their financial pledges as soon as possible”. However, it linked this to encouraging both sides to “restart negotiations as soon as possible”.

Restarting talks “as soon as possible”, nonetheless, must await the outcome of general elections in Israel and the US . This means the Palestinian people must wait for another two years in the vain hope of reconstructing Gaza . It is obvious the occupation state is enjoying the luxury of time, making easy the occupation without resistance, as well as building settlements without deterrence.

Before handing over the reins to Mladenov, Serry described the failure of donors to pay their dues as “scandalous” and warned “if there is no progress in the coming months” — not two years — towards a two-state solution, “the reality will be a one state [solution]”: the single state of Israel . Former UN coordinator Terry Rod Larsen said in 2002, “the Palestinian patient is dying in the interim.”

Last December, Serry warned in his report to the Security Council that a war in Gaza “could re-ignite if conditions on the ground do not change” in the besieged Gaza Strip. It is clear that what Serry described as a “deadly diplomatic vacuum” coupled with the ongoing siege on rebuilding Gaza, are an explosive recipe in the besieged Gaza Strip, the outcome and ramifications of which are unpredictable.

The “scandal” of donors not paying their dues to rebuild Gaza , as Serry described it, under the pretext that the PLO government does not control the Gaza Strip, is a green light given by the international community to the occupation state to carry out another military assault on national resistance forces in Gaza .

The scandal of Arabs not paying their pledges at Arab summits to provide the PA with a financial “safety net” amounts to flagrant Arab pressure on the PLO to accept the Quartet’s proposal to restart talks with the occupation state “as soon as possible”.

This is Mladenov’s dual mission as the new UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. PLO negotiators continue to wait for a breakthrough by “peace” envoys that are imposed on them and appointed by the US and the UN, although they represent the occupation state. Mladenov is the most recent. He will not change anything on the ground.

Nicola Nasser is a veteran Arab journalist based in Birzeit, West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories (nassernicola@ymail.com). This article was translated from Arabic and first published by Al-Ahram Weekly on 20 February 2015.

Kerry and Iran's Zarif aim to narrow gaps in nuclear talks
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reacts during a media briefing at the U.S. Embassy in London, February 21, 2015.

BY LESLEY WROUGHTON-Sun Feb 22, 2015 

(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif try to narrow gaps in another round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Sunday as they press to meet a March 31 deadline for a political framework agreement.

Before Kerry arrived in Geneva, Zarif told Iranian state media that mid-level bilateral talks had produced "good discussions but no agreements", and some differences remained.

"The fundamental gap, in my view, is psychological. Some Western countries, the United States in particular, see sanctions as an asset, a lever to exert pressure on Iran. As long as this thinking persists it will be very hard, difficult to reach a settlement."

Kerry did not make remarks on his arrival in Geneva, where he was first meeting members of the U.S. delegation before sitting down with Zarif.

Joining the talks for the first time are U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi, as well as a close aide and the brother of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Hossein Fereydoon.

Zarif said this reflected a need "for higher level people with all-embracing command over all issues", while Fereydoon was involved for better "coordination with the president".

Kerry said on Saturday the presence of Moniz reflected the highly technical nature of the current talks and in no way meant "that something is about to be decided".

"There is still a distance to travel," Kerry said in London where he met British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

The negotiations between Iran and "P5+1" powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - have reached a sensitive stage with divisions remaining, mainly over Iranian uranium enrichment and the pace of removing sanctions.

A recent U.N. report said that Iran had refrained from expanding tests of more efficient models of a machine used to refine uranium under a nuclear agreement with the six world powers. Development of advanced centrifuges is feared to lead to material potentially suitable for manufacture of nuclear bombs.

Iran says it does not intend to develop atomic bombs.

Kerry said U.S. President Barack Obama was not inclined to extend the talks again. The parties already missed a November 2014 target date.

Obama believed it was "imperative to be able to come to a fundamental political outline and agreement within the time space that we have left," Kerry said.

Zarif said Rouhani would not accept a small, short-term agreement, nor a broad accord that left room for interpretation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, increasingly critical of U.S. policy, said it was "astonishing" that the talks, which could end by allowing Iran "to develop the nuclear capabilities that threaten our existence", were proceeding.

Any agreement would be "dangerous for Israel, the region and the entire world," Netanyahu said on Sunday.

(Additional reporting by Merhdad Balali in Dubai and Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Rosalind Russell)

U.S. weighs more sanctions against Russia over violations in Ukraine

By Carol Morello and Michael Birnbaum February 21 at 6:59 PM

The Obama administration is weighing a new round of sanctions against Russia in response to its continued “land-grabbing” in eastern Ukraine ­despite a cease-fire agreement, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Saturday.

U.S. weighs more sanctions against Russia over violations in Ukraine.odt by Thavam Ratna

Southeast Asia palm oil industry faces new era of accountability

A tractor hulls a load of oil palm bunches at a plantation in Tawau, Malaysia. Pic: AP.

By Kyle Lawrence Mullin Feb 20, 2015

After years of rampant deforestation and environmental degradation, Southeast Asia’s most notorious industry may be turning over a new leaf. At least that’s how eco-NGO’s like Forest Heroes are describing a new transparency policy adopted by Wilmar International, a corporate giant that enlists mills in Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests to extract palm oil, a key material used in a slew of products like toothpaste and potato chips.

Southeast Asia Palm Oil Industry Faces New Era of Accountability by Thavam Ratna

Expert Interview with Lee Dennis, ND: How to Care for Your Thyroid?

Dr. Lee Dennis, ND

Dr. Lee Dennis is a licensed Naturopathic physician in the state of Oregon and an associate Naturopathic physician at Namaste Natural Healing Center in Portland, Oregon. He strongly believes in the core tenets of Naturopathic medicine and in striving for a holistic and balanced approach to patient care.   In a candid interview with CureJoy, Dr. Dennis acquaints us with one of the largest and the most important endocrinal glands in the human body, the thyroid, and how its smooth functioning is critical for our general well being.    

Q: Dr. Dennis, why is the health of the

thyroid

gland critical to a person’s wellbeing?

The thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped gland that is situated in the front of the neck just below the Adam’s apple. It produces two types of thyroid hormone known as T3 and T4. These hormones help to regulate an enormous number of metabolic processes in the body. In fact, the thyroid acts very similar to a thermostat. When it’s turned up, the body warms up and everything works a little faster and more efficiently. But, if you turn it up too high or down too low, then a number of unpleasant symptoms can begin to develop. It is much more common to have an underactive thyroid (a thermostat turned too low), than an overactive one. This underactive thyroid is known as hypothyroidism, whereas an overactive thyroid is known as hyperthyroidism.

Q: What, according to you, are the common causes of

hypothyroidism

and

hyperthyroidism

?

One of the most common causes is autoimmunity. This occurs when the body’s immune system makes antibodies against the thyroid gland. When the attack results in hypothyroidism, it’s known asHashimoto’s disease. On the other hand, if autoimmunity leads to hyperthyroidism, it’s known asGrave’s disease. Which disease manifests depends on the type of antibody produced and where/how it affects the thyroid gland.

Another cause of thyroid problems is nutrient deficiencies. Iodine deficiency tends to be more of a problem world-wide than in the United States. Since iodine is a part of thyroid hormone, a deficiency in this nutrient can lead to hypothyroidism. Other nutrient deficiencies may also be involved with thyroid problems.

Q: How can one detect if they are suffering from hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism? Are there any classic symptoms? What tests can corroborate our observations?

Symptoms of hypothyroidism can vary from person to person, but an individual with low thyroid function will often feel more tired than usual, have dry skin, dry/brittle hair, feel achy and have joint pain. As processes in the body slow down, they may begin to feel cold more often, have weight gain (or difficulty losing weight), experience more constipation, poor concentration or mental “fogginess” as well as depression. Though other symptoms can manifest, these are some of the more common ones we see.
The symptoms of hyperthyroidism are essentially the opposite of what you see in hypothyroidism. An individual with hyperthyroidism may experience nervousness or anxiety, feel their heart pounding in their chest, likely be warm, sensitive to heat and may have excessive sweating. They may also be hyperactive, have trouble sleeping and find themselves losing weight unintentionally.

To confirm a suspected thyroid problem, your doctor will typically check your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)levels. This is the hormone produced by your pituitary gland that tells your thyroid gland when to release more thyroid hormone. It will generally be elevated in a low functioning thyroid and depressed in an over functioning thyroid. Naturopathic physicians will also often test your free T3 and T4. There are also additional tests can be used to identify the cause of the problem.

Q: Once diagnosis proves that one suffers from hypothyroidism, what are treatment alternatives one can opt for?

There are many treatment options available for hypothyroidism. Most commonly patients are treated with a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement or dessicated pig thyroid. Some patients respond better to dessicated pig thyroid even though it’s not as commonly used anymore. While either of these can help to effectively treat the symptoms of hypothyroidism, it doesn’t get to the cause.

Nutrient deficiencies can often be a contributing or causative factor in hypothyroidism, therefore nutrient supplementation can be helpful. These may include iodine, selenium, zinc, copper, vitamins A, E, C, B­2, B3 & B6, tyrosine and essential fatty acids. Eliminating allergenic foods can also be helpful. The most common culprit in cases of Hashimoto’s disease tends to be gluten.

Additional supplements that can improve hypothyroidism include DHEA for Hashimoto’s, guggul (Commiphora mukull) for mild cases and bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosis) when iodine deficiency is present. Physical activity can also help to improve thyroid function and maintain a healthy metabolic rate.

Q: What are the remedies available for people suffering from hyperthyroidism?

Hyperthyroidism can be treated symptomatically with drugs and herbs. Drugs such as methimazole or propylthiouracil can help because they prevent the thyroid from making thyroid hormone and thereby decrease symptoms of hypothyroidism. Other drugs such as beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers can also help to relieve symptoms. Some herbs can be used to relieve the symptoms of hyperthyroidism as well. Common herbs include lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), bugleweed (Lycopus virginianus) and motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca). It is important to avoid stimulants, such as caffeine, which could make symptoms worse. Additionally, stress management is huge for preventing and treating hyperthyroidism. This could include healthy sleep patterns, meditation, progressive relaxation, breathing exercises and avoidance of stress triggers. Homeopathy can sometimes be curative in cases of hyperthyroidism. Which remedy is used is going to depend largely on the individual being treated and their specific symptom picture. It is not uncommon to see the iodum family of remedies indicated in cases of hyperthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism can have some dangerous complications, so if it doesn’t resolve or cannot be well managed, ablative therapy may be indicated. This involves using medications or surgery to destroy all or part of the thyroid gland. Individuals that have ablative therapy performed subsequently need to take thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives in most cases.

Q: Thanks Dr. Dennis for providing these valuable pointers. What would you recommend our readers to follow to maintain a healthy thyroid balance?

Diet, physical activity and stress management are important factors for overall health, including maintaining healthy and balanced thyroid function. Nutrients such as iodine, selenium and zinc are some of the more common deficiencies involved in thyroid problems, so eating foods high in these nutrients will be helpful. These may include sea vegetables (kelp, nori, hijiki, arame, wakame), meat, brazil nuts and pumpkin seeds among others. Daily physical activity is good for maintaining a healthy metabolism and healthy thyroid and good stress management can help prevent problems as well.

Energetically speaking, the 5th chakra, located at the base of the throat, may also influence thyroid function. This chakra has to do with faith and communication. Singing and chanting are beneficial to the 5th chakra as is connecting with your own inner truth and having the freedom to speak that truth.

Tamils in Jaffna demand justice for loved ones disappeared by Sri Lankan state

21 February 2015
Tamils protested in Jaffna on Saturday calling on the international community to find those disappeared by the Sri Lankan state and ensure those in custody are released. 

Starting at 9.45am am local time by Jaffna central bus stand, relatives of the missing, together with politicians from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) marched via Hospital Street and Saththira Junction before heading towards the site of the massacre at the World Tamil Research Conference in 1974. 

Tamils in Jaffna Demand Justice for Loved Ones Disappeared by Sri Lankan State by Thavam Ratna

Sri Lankan Tamils and the International Community 

By Izeth Hussain-February 20, 2015

I wonder whether the Sri Lankan Tamils are in a unique position compared to other ethnic groups all over the world. They can be assured of the sympathy and support of their fellow Tamils in Tamil Nadu, though the extent of that sympathy and support can vary greatly over a period of time. That fact could mean that although the SL Tamils are a minority in the national context they are in a majority over the Sinhalese in the regional context. This is said to be one of the reasons why the Sinhalese are a majority with a minority complex and the Tamils a minority with a majority complex. This is regarded as one of the reasons why the SL Tamil ethnic problem has been so peculiarly recalcitrant to solution.

There are many ethnic groups in adjoining states that are divided, quite often by lines of demarcation that were drawn for the administrative and other convenience of colonial powers. Mutual sympathy and support between them would be quite normal. It has to be expected consequently that when one component of an ethnic group is perceived to be subjected to discriminatory treatment, the other across the border would try to do something to help. In the case of the SL Tamils their perceived ill-treatment causes a fall-out in Tamil Nadu, which then proceeds to exert pressure on New Delhi to take corrective action. There is nothing odd or objectionable about any of this. What makes the SL Tamil ethnic problem unique is a contextual factor: India like any other multiethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual country can break up, and Tamil Nadu restiveness over perceived maltreatment of SL Tamils could spawn separatist movements there.

I can think of no other case where an ethnic problem in one country leads, not just to a serious fall-out in a neighbouring country, but carries the potential for its dismemberment. I would acknowledge that it does seem a most unlikely eventuality, and indeed at one time it could have seemed quite absurd. I refer to a time when the secularism of Nehru and the other founding fathers of modern India seemed to be ineradicably well-established, and democratic values ensuring fair and equal treatment for the minorities were firmly entrenched in the Indian political psyche. But in recent decades we have witnessed what looks like the triumphal march of the Hindutva ideology. The power of that ideology is shown in many ways. It is only now, belatedly after several months, that Prime Minister Modi has spoken out against the violent intolerance shown towards the Christians. There is now a serious move to change the secular basis of the Indian state. And who could have imagined, just a few years ago, that there would ever be a serious move to build a temple in honor of Nathuram Vinayak Ghodse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi? In other words, the factors on which Indian unity has been forged are being seriously eroded. The theoretically possible break-up of India has of course to be regarded as a worst-case hypothesis, not as something that is around the corner. The important point is that any responsible Government has to bear in mind a worst-case hypothesis when it concerns so primordially important a matter as the unity of its country. India has therefore to give high priority to bringing about an equitable and lasting political solution to the Tamil ethnic problem. It is not something that it can ever afford to ignore.

Certain consequences follow from the argument that I have developed above. One is the sense in which we have to use the term "international community" in relation to the Tamil ethnic problem. The term is often used derisively to mean the rich and powerful countries which use the mechanisms of the UN to impose their will on poor and weak countries. It can also be used, quite legitimately, to signify the members of the UN who constitute a community in the sense that they have all agreed to abide by certain values and norms. But I would say that in relation to the Tamil ethnic problem "international community" has a very restricted meaning: it really refers to India and its ally the US, with others playing not much more than peripheral roles.

Another consequence of my argument is that if not for the Tamil Nadu factor and its impact on the Government in Delhi there would not be a major Tamil ethnic problem, not one that concerns the wider international community. It would be a domestic problem with the Tamils treated as a conquered people - that is to say like dirt - with hope of redress only in the long run. The stark fact is that the SL Tamils cannot by themselves hope to take on the Sri Lankan state militarily with any hope of success, not now and not in the future. That stark fact dictates another consequence: the SL Tamils have no alternative to accepting a tripartite understanding on a political solution reached between India, the SL Government, and the Tamils. The important point in that connection is that India would not want to go too far in agreeing to devolution as that would set a bad precedent for India itself. Another consequence flowing from the argument that I have developed above – specifically from the point that India’s own unity could come to be threatened – is that under certain circumstances India could want to impose a Cyprus-style solution in Sri Lanka. It too is a worst case hypothesis, not something that is around the corner. What we have to bear in mind is that it could be perilous for Sri Lanka to allow the ethnic problem to go unsolved into the indefinite future on the premise that the Tamils cannot by themselves successfully challenge Sri Lankan state power.

It is clear that after the Presidential elections we have come to a new juncture over our ethnic problem: there is now some hope of our moving towards a political solution whereas under President Rajapakse there was none. The international community has signaled this new juncture by the decision to postpone by six months the release of the UNHRC report on war crimes. The decision was announced by the UN human rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, but obviously there were very powerful forces behind that decision, notably the US. According to Al Hussein the decision was made because of "the changing context in Sri Lanka and the possibility that important new information may emerge which will strengthen the report". The latter reason makes no sense because surely even in September there will be the possibility of the emergence of further important new information. The "changing context" evidently refers to the Government’s decision to hold its own credible investigations into war crimes. But would it be possible to make much headway over that by September? Furthermore, can we really expect the Government to hold wholly credible investigations?

I will conclude this article by raising very briefly a question that seems to be of fundamental importance. Ever since the UN Secretary General moved to set up the Panel of Experts to investigate war crimes – resulting in the Darusman findings – I have supposed that the US and India were behind it in a benign conspiracy to use the war crimes allegations as an instrument to propel the Sri Lankan Government into really moving towards a political solution of the ethnic problem. But that proved to be impossible under President Rajapaksa and consequently the issue of war crimes has gathered a momentum of its own. It will therefore be difficult to jettison it even if the international community becomes convinced that the Sri Lanka Government is really in earnest about a political solution. The case for playing down, diluting, or wholly jettisoning the issue of war crimes seems to me to be very strong. The reason is that there is an incompatibility between moving towards a political solution and holding really credible investigations into war crimes. President Sirisena was Acting defence Minister while the worst war crimes were allegedly being perpetrated, and he and others such as General Sarath Fonseka could be arraigned as war criminals. The Sinhalese cannot be expected to be enthusiastic about people they regard as their heroes and saviors being arraigned in that way. The crucially important point is that really moving towards a political solution requires a climate of mutual accommodation between the Tamils and the Sinhalese, and that will be very difficult if alleged war crimes remain a live issue. A jettisoning of the issue will of course be seen by the Tamils as their being let down yet once more by the international community. But their own best interests demand that priority be given to moving towards a political solution above all else.

izethhussain@gmail.com

Let’s stop racism, stop influencing majority against minority, civilized world disdains – Mangala 

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Mangala Samaraweera who came to Sri Lanka following a successful visit to the UK, USA, UN and India reinstating the fallen reputation of Sri Lanka during the Rajapaksa regime briefed his visit in the parliament today the 20th

Let’s Stop Racism, Stop Influencing Majority Against Minority, Civilized World Disdains – Mangala by Thavam Ratna

Patriotism, Nationalism & Dayan: Fracturing The Sri Lankan Identity?

By Romesh Hettiarachchi –February 20, 2015 

Romesh Hettiarachchi

Calls for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to be appointed as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka continue to grow. One vocal supporter of these calls has been former diplomat and current academic, Dayan Jayatilleka whodescribed this movement as standing for a Sinhala nationalism that forms the core of Sri Lankan nationhood and Sri Lankan patriotism. Dayan elaborates on this stance in his previous article Smart Patriotism and the Marginal Majority (“Smart Patriotism“), asserting that Smart Sri Lankan Patriots must acknowledge the central role of Sinhala nationalism. Any failure to recognize Sinhala nationalism is characterized by Dayan as being ridiculously artificial and dis-organic.

The Duty of the Patriot is to the Country not to Former Elected Officials

Given Dayan’s admitted soft spot for Mahinda Rajapaksa, Dayan’s agreement with Wimal Weerawansa that “Mahinda is not a name, Mahinda is a country!” should not be a surprise. However equating a former elected official with a whole country is hardly the behaviour of a patriot. As United States President Theodore Roosevelt said:

Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.

Characteristics of Nationalist Thought

As astute and intelligent as Dayan may be, Dayans’ writings tend to dwell on the victories, defeats, triumphs and humiliations of the past. Such tendencies are described by George Orwell in his essay Notes on Nationalism (full essay here) as being essential for the nationalists quest to secure more power and prestige for “their nation.”:

The nationalist does not go on the principle of simply ganging up with the strongest side. On the contrary, having picked his side, he persuades himself that it is the strongest, and is able to stick to his belief even when the facts are overwhelmingly against him. Nationalism is power-hunger tempered by self-deception. Every nationalist is capable of the most flagrant dishonesty, but he is also — since he is conscious of serving something bigger than himself — unshakably certain of being in the right.Read More