Refusing to learn from the past

"History may be repeating itself. In the 1980s, the Sri Lankan government sought to suppress the Tamil militancy utilizing a combination of military and diplomatic initiatives. But those efforts to quell the Tamil militancy did not succeed. The international climate at that time was more favorable to rebels with a cause than to governments that waged air raids against their own country's citizens."

By: Jehan Perera

(October,26,Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's synchronized ground and air attack on the Anuradhapura Air Force Base that destroyed several aircraft came two days after the Sri Lankan government played host to a galaxy of international experts on terrorism and counterterrorism at an International Conference on Countering Terrorism. The selection of this theme showed a perfect synchrony with the concerns of the dominant countries in the world today. The three-day conference was attended by academics and media personnel from 23 countries.

The ability of the government to mobilize an array of international experts to focus their attention on the Sri Lankan conflict is indicative of its renewed sense of purpose to defeat the LTTE's challenge to the state. The talent that the government has harnessed from the ranks of academia, media and civil society to confront the LTTE has found expression in engagement with the international community. The new breed of government representatives have sought to shift the focus of international attention away from the ethnic conflict that gave birth to terrorism, and instead focus on terrorism.

Addressing the conference, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said he hoped that the deliberations would focus on the need for states to convert conventions into enabling legislation and tangible actions that would keep terrorist front organizations from their soil. He also emphasized the urgent need to develop ways and means of combating the growing threat of terrorism in the Indian Ocean region. The emphasis was on combating terrorist organizations through collective action of the international community, rather than through political reform within countries that had given birth to such organizations.

History may be repeating itself. In the 1980s, the Sri Lankan government sought to suppress the Tamil militancy utilizing a combination of military and diplomatic initiatives. But those efforts to quell the Tamil militancy did not succeed. The international climate at that time was more favorable to rebels with a cause than to governments that waged air raids against their own country's citizens. Neither the Sri Lankan government's diplomacy nor its military strategy could succeed in the face of opposition by the Indian government and the propaganda campaigns by the LTTE and Tamil diaspora in Western countries.

On the other hand, the Sri Lankan government faces a more favorable international climate today, especially in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack on the United States. Hardly any country in the world today is prepared to publicly declare sympathy for a rebel group that uses terrorism as a weapon in its arsenal, even if its proclaimed cause can be considered to be just. The just cause of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka has suffered a major setback internationally as a result of the LTTE's use of terrorism to achieve their objectives and its simultaneous claim to be the sole representative of the Tamil people.

In the currently favorable global context, key decision makers in the Sri Lankan government appear to believe that they have the LTTE on the defensive and close to total collapse. The public statements of government spokespersons show that their sights are now set on the north, after the victory over the LTTE in the east. Although the ethnic conflict came before the LTTE, the present government leadership appears to believe that the defeat of the LTTE is essential for the ethnic conflict to be resolved. This was evident at the international conference on countering terrorism, where the primary focus of most speakers was how best to deal with the LTTE, rather than with the ethnic conflict.

However, even at the international conference on countering terrorism, there were cautionary voices that warned against an over reliance on military means of ensuring victory. In his keynote address Dr. Gerard Challiard, who heads the European Center for the Study of Conflicts, said, "The grievances of the Tamils are legitimate, they are a part of this country, they should have a place in it as a recognized minority, whether it is in the framework of political autonomy or a federation."

Challiard expressed skepticism about the long-term viability of the government's militaristic approach to the LTTE. In an interview with Reuters news agency he opined that the Sri Lankan military would not be able to defeat the LTTE, which earned an angry rebuke from Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who accused him of being ignorant of the ground situation and of not being logical.

Unfortunately, successive governments in Sri Lanka have shown that they have little or no institutional memory. New governments, with new ministers and advisers at the helm of affairs, do not learn from or build upon the lessons of the past, but want to do things newly. The same holds true of the ethnic conflict. A new government leadership, with new ministers and advisers, is seeking to accomplish what was tried and failed before. They appear to be confident that they will succeed, but the rest of the world is skeptical.

(Dr. Jehan Perera is executive director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka, an independent advocacy organization. He studied economics at Harvard College and holds a doctorate in law from Harvard Law School.)