The ‘International Community’ doesn’t have its money where its mouth is, and they wonder why they have no one’s ear. Global politics has changed. According to the Hindu and Times Online China gave about $1 billion last year compared to $7.4 million for the US (I read about 24 in this State Dept PDF). The West simply isn’t in the same position to dictate terms. But they are in a position to help.
There’s a prescient article in the New York Times from March 2008 called Take Aid From China and Take A Pass On Human Rights.
But however free Sri Lanka feels to dismiss Western concerns about human rights these days, there are still long-range costs it may find itself confronting one day. The real Achilles’ heel for the government is looming economic trouble, as its war chest expands and inflation reaches double digits.
Those long term costs can and will come due. The $1.9 billion we need from the IMF is just the start. We need more than money to rebuild our country anyways, we need integrity and basic good governance. Which we don’t have.
This government isn’t especially benevolent or wise. The one thing they can prosecute ‘well’ is the war. Economy and peace and actual life for people here is not so good. I don’t hold high hopes for relief, rehabilitation or reconstruction or reconciliation, but I do hope.
The International Community, however, would be wise to understand the political reality today and make some tough compromises rather than antagonizing the government. There is still time to save some people trapped in the warzone and support those that get out. However, they either have to pay or use humble diplomacy and their wits.
China has given Sri Lankan fuck-off money and the government is telling the world to fuck off. The ‘international community’ can’t really lecture Sri Lanka anymore. China will fund the war and China is on the UN Security Council. The IC needs to back off on the bluster and understand geopolitical reality if they want to actually make a difference.
Getting help from China is kind of scary, innit? Especially since they’re a little nuts and this means, possibly, that they can dictate terms to us?
like it isn’t scary enough to take money from the U.S or any other country for that matter..everyone dictates terms..
somehow China makes a less scarier ally than most..
anyhow seeking help from other nations comes with its compromises..
damn ….when will v ever be self-sufficient!
When Sri Lanka face danger, from Indian subcontinent, as we usually do every couple of hundred years or so in past couple of thousand years, we received important military support from China, almost all the time when needed. May be China wanted Sri Lanka to stay stable, since it was located within their trade routes, may be for some other reasons. But whatever the reason it may be, geography hasn’t changed. China other hand, never big on human rights and that sort of concepts for past couple of thousands of years. But that do not mean China have no values or they are barbarians. Since Homer to NY Times, Greek Euro civilization had nothing good to say about Orients.
I’m beginning to wonder if this represents an extension of the old India -China rivalry? Remember the war and the still disputed territory?
India has been growing fairly rapidly, perhaps too rapidly for its neighbours liking.
Pakistan is a bit too unstable, but SL may make a useful launch pad, unsinkable aircraft carrier, in the event of another Indo-Sino flare up?
And I wonder where that would leave us, were such a thing come to pass?
China is basically propping up North Korea, Sudan and Burma as well. Economically, and in terms of Security Council vetoes. They’re morally questionable but not irrational.
The issue is that human rights and stuff actually make life for average people better, outside of the geopolitical play.
Electra, China is not any more “scarier” than US, UK or any other country. They all have agendas. China is not doing all these because they see the true humanitarian crisis here or anything, but what’s wrong with getting help from someone who’s agenda actually happens to fall alongside of ours?
It’s like chosing the better of the two bads – sooner or later they are all gonna fuck us if they have to, be it the west or China or Russia, but now at least they are helping what we’re going to accomplish.
That’s how the world works.
They prop up different regimnes for different purposes.
N. Korea because it is on their border and they do not want it to implode suddenly, spillings hundrededs of thousands of desparate people into China.
Burma and Sudan because they are a useful source of resources.
SL is the mystery. Perhaps its petty cash for old times sake, perhaps there is a wider geopolitical implication.
SL’s associiation with Sudan, Burma Iran is straightforward – money and mutual support at the UN and elsewhere whenever human rights issues crop up.
“Take Aid From China and Take A Pass On Human Rights.”
This argument is equally valid with US and its allies. Just compare how they approach Iran and Saudi Arabia. To my knowledge Iran is a much more progressive country than Saudi Arabia is. Iranian women can serve their army even while Sadui women are yet to get their right to drive a car let alone voting. But US or its allies have no issues with Saudies. They won’t spare anything to do with Iran, though. I think this is another form of “getting money from China and by pass the rest of the IC” theory.
NY Times is just another face of those Westerners who attempt to impose their way of thinking upon the rest of the world despite obvious and not so obvious differences in different cultures, communities etc. They don’t care about these differences as they believe in their principles only. Whoever don’t comply with them is not worth living and should be tackled through any means. This is another form of Nazism but surprisingly they get away with that.
The theory is that China props up SL to secure the oil route from the middle east/africa. Look at the shipping lanes and container traffic to major Chinese ports and you will see why. Hambantota is also useful for laybys but that is in the long term.
Besides, China has a lot of catching up to do – most of their funding until the late 90s was primarily for ideological reasons. Now they’re starting to flex their muscles (and counter the EU/US). The fact that the cash comes with no string attached makes it all the more attractive.