Thursday, 7 February 2008
'Conflict in Sri Lanka legacy left by European Colonialism'
Leel Pathirana
Dr. Peter Leitner, is the President Higgins Counter Terrorism Research
Center, and former Professor with the National Center for Bio Defense
of the George Mason University US.
He is also a Senior Fellow and Professor with the Center for Advanced
Defense Studies responsible for Terrorism, Intelligence, and Cyber War
issues.
Dr.Leitner has over 30 years of Federal service in a variety of
national security positions including 21 years in the Department of
Defence.
He has testified numerous times before the US Congress and holds a
Doctorate from the University of Southern California and four Master's
degrees as well. Dr.Leitner's in-depth study and understanding about
the country's separatist conflict has brought the attention and
admiration of many Sri Lankans who are living in and out of Sri
Lanka.
Dr.Leitner has stated that Sri Lanka is the world's greatest learning
lab for Countering Terrorism.
The Asian Tribune interviewed him recently.
Q: As a longstanding researcher and analyst, in which perspective do
you see the separatist war in Sri Lanka?
A: I see the war as part of the sad legacy of European colonialism in
whose wake has been left most of the contem****ary conflicts that we
are now coping with around the world.
Sri Lanka is an unfortunate case study of how the former colonial
powers set one ethnic group against another in order to perpetuate
their own power through divide and conquer strategies.
And now they pretend that they have no responsibility to bear for the
divisions they fostered and the resultant bloodshed.
This history in no way excuses LTTE, and its sup****ters, from direct
responsibility for the barbarous acts of terrorism, mayhem, and
nihilism that they perpetrate upon innocent civilians on a daily
basis.
Q: The LTTE was a conventional guerrilla organisation around late
1983. But later on they were innovative and became ever stronger and
managed to assassinate Premier Rajiv Gandhi of India and Sri Lankan
President Ranasinghe Premadasa. They innovated their own Suicide
Bombers, Sea Tiger Wing and trained piloting Ultra-Light Air-craft.
How do you describe their development?
A: The mutation of LTTE into the modern terrorist machine it is today
is an unfortunate result of the intersection of technological
expertise, financial sup****t from a highly educated and successful
Dias****a, ruthless and amoral leader****p, a perverse absolutist
mentality among LTTE leader****p, misguided sup****t from certain
outside countries, and a vacuum created by a genuine ambivalence among
the Western democracies for conflicts in far-away places that do not
involve oil and gas deposits.
Within this dangerous prescription for perpetual conflict arose an
increasingly frustrated and radicalised LTTE that attempts to wage all
out conflict on its own terms.
The lack of any meaningful international response to LTTE atrocities -
to include the murder of two sitting Heads of State - taught them that
there is no negative consequences to their actions no matter how
brutal and heinous.
Q: How do you classify LTTE and Al Qaeda?
A: LTTE and Al Qaeda are distinctly different entities who share a
common set of tactics and a belief that it is possible to affect
political change by engaging in the wholesale murder of innocent
civilians. Of the two groups, LTTE is far more professional,
technologically competent, innovative and multifaceted in their
tactics.
Al Qaeda imitates while LTTE innovates.
LTTE is the malevolent teacher and Al Qaeda is the student sociopath.
Q: Mainly from which countries have they procured armaments? What are
those and how?
A: LTTE arms have been acquired through a network of unscrupulous arms
dealers in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Bulgaria, Ukraine,
Cyprus, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Croatia and elsewhere. They include
the following:
1. Tamil Nadu - Explosives, weapons and other supplies
2. Bulgaria - SA 14, LAW
3. Ukraine - 50 tons of TNT and 10 tons of RDX
4. Cyprus RPGs
5. Cambodia - small arms
6. Thailand - small arms
7. Burma - small arms
8. Croatia - 32,400 mortars
Q: Since the past couple of years, LTTE strategies were dramatically
changed and most of their offensives launched against the Sri Lankan
Forces ended up causing heavy losses. How do you see this?
A: I believe that, in part, by demonstrating a willingness and
capability to attack Government Forces directly they hope to convince
sup****ters, Western Governments, in particular the EU and USA that
they are a National Liberation Movement and should not be subject to
sanctions arising from the "terrorist" label.
By engaging in conventional warfare tactics - aerial bombing of
military bases, ****p-borne assaults on Government naval vessels, small
unit assaults on Government troops, etc., they hope to derive some
propaganda value in spite of the fact that Government Forces win
virtually every such engagement. This is an im****tant part of the
'Psyops' and 'Infoops' campaign they are waging in parallel with their
unrelenting campaign of terror being waged against the civilian
population by LTTE.
Q: First time in the history in the war with the LTTE, last year the
Government could liberate the entire East of Sri Lanka with limited
civilian casualties.
At present, the Government is in the process of resettling Internally
Displaced Persons (IDP) of East and building massive infrastructure.
Are you happy with these Government initiatives and what is your point
of view?
A: Resettlement, repatriation, infrastructure building, reintegration
into the national economy are all vital measures to be taken if the
nation is to remain whole.
Forgiveness and redemption are essential if one hopes to rebuild trust
and confidence in the concept of a pluralist state with a single
central Government.
This is a two-way street, as well as an investment, with the
government taking the first steps in being magnanimous, welcoming,
forward-looking and representative of all religious, ethnic, and
linguistic groups. The loyalty and allegiance of those displaced
people will be monitored and *****sed to determine the effectiveness
of these programs.
One thing is always certain in these situations - half-measures never
work - the commitment must be genuine and backed up with deeds and
money.
Q: The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) withdrew from the Ceasefire
Agreement (CFA) officially on January 16, 2008. Since it was signed on
February 22, 2002, LTTE violated the CFA on 3830 occasions and the
GOSL on 351 occasions. What is your point of view of abrogating the
CFA in terms of fighting with the LTTE?
A: Ceasefires in name only never work. While diplomats may argue they
are confidence builders and a step toward reconciliation - unless the
respective leaders of the warring parties take them seriously - they
are exercises in self-delusion that tolerate the continued spilling of
innocent blood.
When rational leaders finally realise that a military victory is not
possible they will consider alternative approaches such as
negotiation.
A Government that appears to be tired of conflict or worn-down by a
ruthless opponent will never know peace and the atrocities committed
by their opponents will increase. The terms of LTTE's current strategy
- an increase in their operational tempo may signal desperation and an
attempt to be seen as a relevant power to be reckoned with.
Q: Facilitating the Sri Lankan Peace process by Royal Norwegian
Government has miserably failed. Most Sri Lankans are not happy with
the role played by the Norway and then Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission
(SLMM). The reason is, hiding behind the curtain of the CFA; LTTE
procured massive amounts of Military Hardware.
Even the Ultra Light Aircrafts were also believed to have been
smuggled in to the Island after the CFA was signed on 2002.
Facilitating a Peace Process in a country, how should it be
administrated and monitored?
A: Multinational peacekeepers do not heal societal divisions.
They are only a short-term expedient that, if left in place
indefinitely, will only perpetuate divisions. A unique Sri Lankan
solution to problems on the island is required.
It is possible that continued military pressure combined with a
generous resettlement/ rebuilding and modernisation program will yield
the greatest probability for a long term peace. A formula for sharing
prosperity and egalitarian op****tunities must be constructed while the
Government continues to assert its determination to keep the country
whole under any cir***stances.
Q: Fighting with the world's most dangerous and deadliest terrorists
outfit for the past 27 years, how do you see the capability of the Sri
Lankan Forces? Are they capable of meeting any type of unconventional
guerrilla war?
A: The Sri Lankan Forces are remarkably skilled in unconventional
warfare; however, no military force on the planet is able to
immediately meet all threats. New enemy tactics must be recognised,
analysed, countered, or neutralised.
As the initial initiative is always with the aggressor and his ability
to innovate and maximise the effectiveness of a new tactic or strategy
it is impossible to say that strategic surprise will not happen in the
future - it will.
With an adversary as innovative, smart, bold, and creative as LTTE the
ability to mitigate or limit the impact of whatever they do in the
future seems within the capabilities of the Sri Lankan Forces.
After all, it takes massive amounts of hardware and manpower to
effectively wage war and to seize and hold territory. Engaging in a
series of one-off raids using a small airplane, fast boats, a mini-
sub, etc., are attempts to secure press coverage to magnify an image
but they have little to no military significance.
Q: Listing the LTTE as the World's most dangerous Terrorist outfit,
the FBI has asked donors to be careful about charities established as
front organisations by the rebel group to raise funds to finance its
terrorist activities.
Why did the US take such a long time to ban them despite the Sri
Lankan Government's numerous requests made to the US since nineties?
A: Again - out of sight out of mind - is often the reason for US
policy inaction.
It is very significant that the US FBI formally characterised LTTE as
the "World's most dangerous terrorist group." The FBI has long been
ultra cautious in applying the terrorist label.
Their doing so now, I think, represents an acknowledgement of the
centrality of LTTE to the broad array of terrorist groups and
movements around the world.
Q: Having said that why did the US Government suspended their military
assistance to Sri Lanka when it is waging a war against Terrorism?
A: This is part of the diplomatic balancing act that is a fact of
life. Often politicians don't want to bother to understand conflicts
that do not directly affect them and in so doing create a moral
equivalency between victims and their executioners.
This is born of ignorance, expediency, and a desire not to be bothered
by more problems from cultures different from our own.
Q: You stated that Sri Lanka is the world's greatest learning lab for
countering terrorism in the world. Why do you say that?
A: Because (1) other terrorist groups emulate the innovations and
tactics invented by LTTE, et.al., and (2) Governments fighting
terrorism the world over can benefit by studying those very tactics
and developing counterstrategies.
Asian Tribune
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