Terrorism, France and Beyond

Paris Attacks

The Parisians awoke in 13^th of November in to a terror stricken world. Paris terror attacks have killed more than 130 people and left many injured, some are still in critical condition. The jihadist group ISIS has claimed responsibility. Now it is the 3^rd attack beyond ISIS controlled territory after Russian airliner bombing and Lebanon attacks. After the Second World War, it was the biggest attack in French Soil and most probably the deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11 in any western country except Spain.  The events unfolding in the middle-east and mainland Europe shake us with the deadly realism that we are not safe.

Now the whole world is in mourning, condolence messages and Facebook profile pictures changing it to French Tricolors. They want us to pray for Paris only to Pray for some other city later if we don’t understand the root-cause of the threat of international terrorism and dealt with it once in for all. We can look immediately to the Syrian civil war but it is important to look beyond that particular conflict to understand why, the so called Islamic State Militants have dared to commit suicide killing many unarmed civilians who were not connected to their cause at all.  

Terrorism 101

There were many terrorist groups in the world, most of them fighting to overthrow a government in order to establish their own state with an ideology of their own. Most of the groups belong to the minority of a country; ethnic, religious or political. They were either get wiped off or drawn in to agreements to stop their acts of terror. There is no clear word to define a terrorist because, a person may appear as a terrorist for someone or a freedom fighter to some other.  But for the record, we can identify terrorist as a person who inflict terror through violent method to achieve his goal. He has an ideology on which his acts are governed. They can be religious, ethnic or political such as Marxism. Now most of the international terrorist groups have a religious ideology.

The world is heavily globalized with increasing travel opportunities and communication methods. Thus a terror organization is not limited to one particular country but to the whole world if its followers are scattered globally. Before World War 2 There were rouge nations with sinister ideologies but they have the characteristics of a state and comes with it the responsibilities of a state even at warfare but terror organizations have no such constraints.

As we have previously mentioned, a terrorist organization has

• Operating region
• Ideology
• Specific goal
• An adversary
• Followers
• Support network and
• Sympathizers (sympathizers may turn into followers later)

How it Happen?

Majority of the terrorist organizations born out of the last couple of decades were from the middle-eastern region. Religion plays an utmost part of their ideology. The usual adversary is the western world and governments who are supportive to west. Their goal rages from gaining control of a specific territory to world domination. They have followers, supporters and sympathizers throughout the world. Since their religion is widespread and rapidly growing, they are in no shortage. Not every religious person is a follower of supporter but most of the people have a soft spot in their subconscious mind towards the people of their own religion trying to dispose the enemies of their religion and to propagate it no matter where they live either in a desert in Syria, in a slum in Pakistan or a suburb in England.  

Who to Blame?

It was happened in many Abrahamic religions, sometimes spreading in to the people of different sect of their own religious resulting Spanish inquisition, Catholic-Protestant problems in Europe and Problems among ultra-orthodox Jewish sects. The world has moved away from inquisitions, religious persecutions in Europe and Antisemitism (at least in the western world) but the crusades have never been ended yet.  Blood still spills furiously in the same crusade battlefields where Richard III and Saladin fought. Although battlefield is the same, tactics differ. In a standard warfare, the mightiest military power wins but in a guerrilla war, standard armies and states were pushed in the brink and rouge groups gain the upper hand.

Who Stormed the Hornets’ Nest?

It is not wrong to say that most of the international terrorist groups have born as a result of the interventions from their enemies itself. Colonization in the 17^th-19^th century, aftermath of the WW2 in the middle-east, Israel-Palatine problem, Soviet Intervention, Gulf War, Invasion of Afghanistan, Gulf War 2 and finally the Arab Spring aftermath gives ample evidence of who have driven the first blood. Once incident was linked to another and to another. The list goes on and on with attacks and retaliations only to spill more and more blood on those forsaken lands and beyond.

It is a viable question to ask that even though the so called colonials and socialists have done the exact same thing in Asia, Africa and Latin America, why global terrorism never immerged from those regions. Even if it did, it was in small scare and usually subdued. This is the million dollar question! What is so special with the middle-east? Religion plays a major role and tribalist sentiments dominate people’s ideology. Heavy unequal distribution of wealth, poverty and most important of all, the lack of education to train the mind to be logical are the main causes. It is of utmost importance to note that one cause alone won’t create the situation in middle-east. And blaming religion ONLY won’t solve the problem at all.

What Shall We Do?

There are short-term, medium-term and long-term remedies to battle the wave of international terrorism.

Short-term -  Security has to be tightened. An intelligence services have to run on full alert. Border security and surveillance need to be enhanced. Refugees are one of the biggest threats to Europe and to the rest of the world; unpopular but drastic measures have to be taken even if it is disappointing for the refugees. Balkan states and Eastern-European states have to regulate if not close their borders stopping the influx of refugees to the Western-Europe. ISIS has to be dealt with somehow. Shaking hands with Russia and if possible with Assad, is to be done no matter how unpopular it is. Any enemy is better than ISIS now.

Medium-term – The European dream need to be shattered. Open borders, Multiculturalism and immigration policies need to be changed. Dealing with the middle-eastern governments no matter how unappealing they are, is the way to go. If the west had dealt with Assad differently, ISIS would never have immerged this strong. Assad might get defeated but at least the replacement would never be ISIS.

  

Long-term – Addressing the root cause. Why the west need to be interested in the middle-east so much. One reason is the Israel-Palestine problem. It is a tricky problem. United States and west are always Israel’s allies. Neither Palestinians nor Israelis ready for negotiations. Next one is oil. Oil will run out eventually. Soft diplomacy and international umbrella combined with long term alternative energy plan shall be enough to keep the oil problem at bay. That’s why working with the middle-eastern governments is the key.

Conclusion

What the western world did for decades was make the middle-eastern problem their own. Deal with it politically rather than economically. China was doing the opposite thing and gained profits from it. It is up to the people in the middle-east to decide what they want, either to collapse or thrive as a civilization. West shall take live-and-let-live stance and grab the spoils from it rather than engaging in a regime change for like they did and failed every time. 

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Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero; In Remembrance.

A sad day indeed for Sri Lankans. The passing away of Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha thero, the Chairman of the National Movement for a Just Society had shocked us. We grieve not as Buddhists or members of a certain political party but as Sri Lankans who expected a change and fought for it.

Although Sri Lankans knew Sobitha Thero as the key player in the resent regime change, his social activism dates back many years, leading several political campaigns for just society. Sobitha Thero, not having a rigid political afflictions had always been in the common man’s side in the struggle for democracy, equality and justice. Whenever a progressive political change has happened in this country, Sobitha Thero had always been in the forefront of it. Even as the chief incumbent of a Buddhist Temple, Kotte Sri Naga Viharaya, the Thero had leaded a modest life dedicating his life to social progression compared to some monks who went on to developing lavish temples and focusing on worldly goods which is contradictory to the essence of Buddhist teachings.

Sobitha Thero’s activism came to its pinnacle with his work in the Presidential Election in January 2015. Even before the election Sobitha Thero had raised his voice against the nepotism, corruption and undemocratic governance of the previous government. Sobitha Thero had always in the stance of changing the system rather than the people who were running the system. The Thero understood the fact that if we change the people who govern without changing the system they govern, the replacements will be ineffective. He had proposed several changes to the system even before the Presidential Election such as Independent Commissions, Corrupt-free governance and accountability mechanisms.

The opposition always criticized the previous government but never found a suitable candidate for changing the system let alone a better system itself. There were speculations about who shall be the common candidate as opposition had decided to put a common candidate to the presidential race. Sobitha Thero’s name also surfaced and some had doubted how a Buddhist monk is able to contest for the election.

Although most of the supporters of the previous government do not know it, it was Sobitha Thero who initially supported Mr. Rajapaksha BUT on several conditions to ensure democracy. As this author can remember in one occasion, the Thero has stated that Mr. Rajapaksha will be the ideal candidate if he scuttles the undemocratic 18^th Amendment, introduces Independent Commission and Eradicates corruption. But since there was no positive response from him, Sobitha thero had to look for someone else and Mr. Sirisena was an ideal candidate. The rest is history.

Although Sobitha Thero was in the forefront of the regime change, he was the first person to criticize it as well. The lack of progress in the ‘Yahapalana Government’ was appalling and it is no doubt that the Thero was highly dissatisfied with the aftermath. First, the three-month interim government period was extended, hundred Day program was just a broken promise, and the most important change promised, enacting the 19^th Amendment was intentionally delayed. 20^th Amendment and shifting to new electoral system was never done. It is ironical to see that the ‘Father of the recent political change’ has to go on protesting against the ‘Yahapalana child’ in April 2015 to enact the long awaited 19^th Amendment which was the keystone of a new political change.  

Sobitha Thero openly criticized the present government and its lack of progress. It is an open secret that the Thero was really disappointed with it and it must have affected him very much. Surely there shall be a sense of betrayal by the present government’s highest offices. It was not only Sobitha Thero who was betrayed but 6.2 million Sri Lankans who had voted for a change. Resent events suggests that the successive government is similar the previous one if not worse.

People lobby for political movements for many reasons. Most lobbying was done as an investment in the future earnings and favors from the successive governments. Among them, Sobitha Thero was a true patriot and person with high moral standards as he never expected any return or favor from the people who was raised to power by his activism.

It is so heartbreaking to see some people who were posting defamatory comments and celebrating Sobitha Thero’s passing away mostly in social media. Indeed they are the people who never knew the political history of Sri Lanka, how the struggle for ‘Good Governance’ was initially won in January 2015 and subsequently lost by the activism in the civil society and how the people currently in power had betrayed the activists who really helped them. Most of the ‘post-sharing internet radicals’ who use the internet behave as ‘monkeys handling straight razors’ showing their lack of character and how they were brainwashed.

There are lessons to be learnt from the altruistic life and disappointing passing away of Sobitha Thero. It brings us to the bitter realizations that no matter how you intend to change the world for better, the dark forces always win. No matter how good you are, if you are not in the winner’s side, everyone will eventually betray you. At the end of your life, bitterness, regret and disappointment will be your only companions. Last but not least, you will be disgraced even after you were dead and eventually be forgotten.

Ven. Maduluwawer Sobitha Thero, May you Attain Nibbana as it is the only retreat with the eternal peace. 

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The Never Ending Saga of the Rioting University Students

(Photo Courtesy : http://www.asianmirror.lk/ )

University students, according to some, the eager young minds that are going to take the future of our country, were always in a disadvantaged position in their quest for winning their claims. It has been recently proven again by the police crackdown of HNDA (Higher National Diploma in Accountancy) students at Colombo 7 last week. Unlike the previous protests, even though the similar brutal treatment was received by the students, the media, civil society groups and politicians condemned the attack. Even the prime minister has ordered an investigation in to this incident.

There is an inherent nature of the human being to rally against oppression. When some external force blocks their liberty, individually or collectively humans rise against it. The tug of war between the authorities and their subjects thus begun and it was virtually unchanged for millennia. Students, who were in the lowest social class in terms of their bargaining and economic power had always pushed into collective actions against the authorities. The authorities have the reins to control the system so naturally, the students’ demands for changes which often been bluntly rejected. Throughout the history, youth were in the vanguard of social change. It might range from a simple change in their educational facilities to a broader change in the whole society. American Anti-War Riots in 1960s by the new hippy generation which came to its pinnacle with the killing of Columbia university students, demonstrations against Margret Thatcher and recent UK student riots in 2010 against rise of university fees were several examples.

When discussing this matter, it is natural to venture in to the youth activism in general which Sri Lanka had plenty of examples in 1971, 1988 and 1983-2006 by both Sinhala and Tamil youth for political and economic freedom but for the sake of the HNDA incident, it is better to limit the discussion to student movements centered in educational institutions. It is also important to note that institutions, mainly universities are a breeding ground for social movements as well.

Why students riot?

As discussed above, for a conflict to arise there should be two or more parties with conflicts of interest. When their powers are divergent, group with lesser power will always be kneeling down to the other. The power is not entirely depending on the money and institutional structure that is controlled by a group by also depending on the social impact and bargaining ability as well. The two parties in this conflict; student community and government, each is superior in their own sphere making a compromise impossible.

Almost all of the reasons of students to rise against the authorities are entirely legitimate in terms of the free education system of Sri Lanka. Unless that system got changed (by a policy decision which no politician would dare to make), Sri Lankan students should be entitled to all the associating privileges coming under free education from grade 1 to university. It is not only meant having lecture panel and a place for the students to learn but also up-to-date curriculum targeting future needs, quality of human resources and most importantly, adequate infrastructure.    

Sri Lankan university system is plagued with shortages of suitable degree programs to suit the need for the future. Lack of standard among different degree programs and non-degree programs is also a problem. That was resulted in two of the most intense student standoffs in recent history; last week HNDA students’ clash and Allied-Health Science students’ problem. It is also a breeding ground for clashes within the universities and non-degree awarding government institutions such as National Diploma in Technology (NDT). Conflict with private universities (now it resorted to Private Medical Colleges because for better or for worse, all the other degrees are awarded by private institutions in Sri Lanka except Medical Degree) is another clash point.

For some of the inter-institutional crashes such as University-PMC and Allied Health Science, professional bodies such as Medial Professionals Trade Unions are also engaged making the problem harder to solve. The intervening parties might have legitimate reasons for opposing PMCs and rival non-degree institutions since it is a matter of their professional integrity. Non-standardization and popular political promises given by politicians without thinking of the consequences make the problem worse. For example, as in the case of HNDA, a policy decision was made long before to give the degree status to HNDA and to increase the course duration to 4 years. When the government refuses to keep that promise, it is highly unlikely that the students would not go in to a confrontation with the authorities who shattered their legitimate expectations.

Infrastructural problems are much easier to solve but requires money. It is not exaggeration to tell that most of the university infrastructure is not even suitable for minimum human habitation standards let alone for education. This is most prominent in university lodging. Most of the hostels are in dilapidated condition. Even the newly built ones boasted by the former Higher Education Minister ‘Sumanaweera Banda Dissanayake’ as of highest caliber are plagued with problems. Student clashes in Sabaragamuwa University and continued student movements in the University of Colombo for better hostel facilities were still unanswered. It is not that the government lacks monetary resources but improving education is as not lucrative as building highways, mega-cities and boasting about them by organizing musical shows costing millions of rupees. Every government had invested in votes rather than the general welfare of the people. It is apparent to the politicians that the university students or their family member will never going to vote for them so why bother? Investing in votes is the most ferocious form of misuse of public money. It is the tax money of the general public not politicians’ private donations that are spent here after all.  

Unlike the student movements fuelled by socialist ideology in the seventies and late eighties contemporary university student is highly motivated by capitalism. Even the lucrative slogan of ‘free education’ is considered as a path for upward social mobility by gaining wealth. As we all know, education is the only path for a lower and middle class person to gain wealth and to be part of the capitalist dream. Even though significantly weakened by the resent world economic and social unrests, the capitalist ideology still has some momentum thus it is inevitable for the young mind of university student share the Sri Lankan Dream. It is ironical that ultra-capitalist United National Party government has shattered that dream of HNDA students. Thus not getting the degree recognition will weaken their bargaining power in the job market.

Are students troublemakers?

The short answer is no. Students turn to confrontation with the authorities (not referring to the internal clashes and rivalry within the student factions) as the absolute last measure. Every confrontation is ended in the similar manner. Students march in to the authorities, police are deployed, confrontation and brutal crackdown by the police, injuries, arrests followed by their release, social disapproval, many press conferences then gradually the situation subsides but student claims remain unanswered if not partially resolved and in the end, everyone will live happily ever after except the university students who bears the trauma, disappointment and anger for the rest of their lives.

Nevertheless, protests and confrontations coupled with violent confrontations with the authorities were somewhat effective in recent years. In other words, rioting is the only proven method for their pleas to be heard by the deaf ears of the authorities. More violent the confrontation and injuries, better the outcome will be. Sadly, injuries are the only means to direct the public uproar against the authorities. ‘We need to cry for the milk to form’ is the justification used by the students and they have proven it over and over again. Martyrdom is now the only means of resolving problems while student martyrs are hailed as heroes; this acts as a precedent in future student problems also.   

The question we need to ask ourselves is do all these need to be happening? A university student is not a thrill seeker or a daredevil stuntman who always looking for trouble with police. If the government is always keen to ensure free education, it is not wasteful for them to listen to students’ pleas. Now students are the people who share the same ideology with them after all.

Several changes should be made in the governance to resolve the students’ problems.

• Adamant nature of the government and ministers when dealing with students should be changed. Government has a responsibility to ensure the well-being of students and they should be treated with respect. 
• Government should give priority to the reasonable demands of students (most of demands in fact are reasonable)
• There should be a higher education policy and standardization of degrees and certifications by non-degree awarding institutions to solve the inter-institutional clashes once in for all. Recognition and validity of existing course should be retained if not improved.
• Rules of engagement of the police need to be radically changed. Poor riot control training and attitude resulted in many deaths in the past and continuous tarnishing of public image of police. Lack of negotiation skills of police officers is the main problem. Not one of the senior police officers has been trained on negotiation and conflict resolution. Without that a police officer will be a thug with license to kill as the current police media spokesperson has proved over and over again. Proper training and education will improve the situation. It is important to address the situation as soon as possible before another group of students become victims of police brutality.

University student can be compared to a flame; full of energy and eager to light up the world with wisdom. But that energy can also be used to incarcerate everyone. They can be hazardous material to handle but somehow the authorities should be wise enough to direct that flame productively for the sake of our country’s future.   

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