A closer look at generosity
The gesture by Nisha Biswal, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs of the neocon empire, that the US is "looking forward to the resumption of a more comprehensive military relationship" with Sri Lanka is curious.
No doubt, Biswal's announcement came following a friendly meeting with a certain Sri Lankan political non-leader, currently in Boston, receiving instructions on winning the presidency from an absolutely hopeless situation, and formed part of the neocon assistance he is being promised.
In addition to what's intended through the offer of a military relationship, the rest of the content of Biswal's speech shows a degree of naivety on her part about the image of the US in the region; Biswal's "assurance" to the region that President Obama and Secretary Kerry are keen to play a larger and long-term role in "shaping" the region and its future is based either on extreme naivety or is a charade - the US shaping of the region is a prospect they are as keen to secure as a hole in its collective head!
Biswal "urged" the upcoming Indian government to follow economic policies that would facilitate investment, to enable America's dream of increasing bilateral trade to $500 billion a year. In short, she asked India to do what is good for the US rather than pursuing India's own economic and strategic interests.
In a speech loaded with condescending remarks aimed at promoting the US agenda, Biswal noted that India had the potential to "exceed all expectations" economically.
She linked that prospect however, to the adoption of investment and tax policies designed to "lure" capital flows by tweaking the Indian legal system to meet American demands.
 |
| Nisha Biswal |
Biswal spoke for the entire population of Indian voters by declaring that "those are the questions that India's voters are asking as they cast their ballots" and more importantly, by insisting that "those are the questions that we (the US) wants to see answered".
What's emanating from Biswal's speech is typical of the current approach to foreign policy based on attempts to aggressively create and modify the political, economic and social situations the world over to suit their self interest.
US State Department deploys...
The offer of a comprehensive military relationship needs to be rebuked as another dangerous manoeuvre by an untrustworthy neocon administration of America. Sri Lanka needs to show that it is not prepared to play the global diplomatic game.
John Kerry took it upon himself to perform the sensitive task of pointing the finger at India's alleged "significant human rights problems", (after sending Biswal away to Kyrgyzstan to meet with "businessmen and civil society leaders" there to discuss what is described as regional and bilateral issues). In the meantime Kerry produced another of the so-called Human Rights "reports" that contained a long list of "problems" in India including alleged extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape by the police and security forces, widespread corruption at all levels of government, denial of justice.
Many more were thrown in to the mix. Incredibly, Kerry blamed the Indian government for the "separatist, insurgent, and societal violence" it is confronted with.
While consistently failing to look under his own lectern for the types of financial and official corruption that led to the financial crisis of 1998, and crimes such as the ongoing drone-killings, Kerry went on to pontificate about "corruption" in India and the Indian "authorities continuing to infringe on citizens' privacy rights" including the right to religious conversion.
He produced an endless list of human rights complaints about India, based on alleged incidents of rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, and discrimination against women - apparently issues unknown or unheard of in the US!
It is clear from the inconsistencies between what is preached to the rest of the world and their own conduct in the area of human rights, that the bogus commitment to imposing a contrived human rights regime the world over is the foundation of the move towards regaining global hegemony.
Biswal is simply reading a template
The offer of a military relationship to Sri Lanka is aimed at "chipping-away" at the unity between the armed forces and the elected government of Sri Lanka.
The offer of increased contact with the armed forces is driven by their reliance on the tried and tested means of creating division among 'centres of power' in developing countries, as was unsuccessfully tried through the promotion of the 2010 presidential candidacy of Sarath Fonseka.
The neocons' objective in offering increased military contact is to "cultivate" future leaders of the armed forces through training opportunities and joint combat opportunities enabled through military agreements.
 |
| US fighter jets at Clark air base in the Philippines |
Such opportunities to plant "seeds of dissension" within the power structures of Sri Lanka are additional to the benefits they anticipate through military pacts and agreements in terms of securing a military foothold in the region. The links between the role of US training of high ranking army officers and subsequent destabilisation of developing countries came in to sharp focus following the March 2012 coup in Mali, instigated by General Amadou Haya Sanogo, hand-picked by the US Embassy to receive military counter-terrorism training, and had travelled several times to America for "special training".
The extraordinary interest Robert O. Blake took in developing military contacts with the Maldives, including the aborted signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) - during his stint in Colombo, and subsequently - shows the prominence attached to this approach.
There are other reasons why Sri Lanka should reject the offer
In addition to the obvious risks of destabilisation, Sri Lanka also needs to consider the future of military relationships carefully in the light of emerging international trends.
Sri Lanka's defence and strategic needs will necessarily be linked with the regional power India, and to those of Pakistan, and to a lesser extent with those of China.
Neocons are working hard to "pick a quarrel" with China as the next "Cold War" tactic for dividing the world and increasing arms sales on trumped-up fears of a Chinese invasion.
Upon the grand design of a US "Pivot to Asia" becoming a forlorn hope - due to India's unpreparedness to play ball - they are now attempting to interfere in China's minor territorial disputes in the South China Sea with small countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam, and with the major power Japan in the East China Sea.
Developing closer military relationships with US under these scenarios can help further escalate international tensions through obligations to allow Sri Lankan harbours and airports during times of potential instability.
The need from Sri Lanka's national interest point of view is less, rather than more US military involvement in the region.
The urgent need in this regard is to form regional alliances to expedite the handover of Diego Garcia Island to its customary owners, the Chagossians.
No comments:
Post a Comment