The situation on the ground is an ongoing civil war. A lot has changed with the end of the cold war when civil wars were actually waged among the parties with the proxy support by the powers.The war would halt with one of the powers withdrawing from the conflict. India as a sovereign state is today having to fight an insurgency on its own soil.The sweep of the insurgents has increased manifold in the decades.The Naxalites and the NE insurgents have been receiving support from our immediate neighbours, but none and this includes China has thought it important to offer a hand to curtail the insurgents. Why should India play the supercop? It is the job of the UN to stepin to ensure a ceasefire or a solution to stop the wanton destruction. If the UN could propose a 38th parallel in Korea and set a UN monitored DMZ then they should do so in Srilanka also.It is significant that the LoC and its demilatization is being thought of in J&K.
I do not agree with the contention of the Author. Even though the accord was mutually signed by the heads of the two countries, subsequent governments in Lanka ditched it, with the result that Indian Peace Keeping force was viewed as an occupying army in Lanka. They (the Indian army) was fighting a war with LTTE and the Lankan government was criticizing India for illegally maintaining the army there. Indian Army personnel were dying at the hands of LTTE and the Lankan Government was watching the Tamasha. Indian Army was severely demoralized because of this. A signatory to the UN charter can send a peace keeping force to another country only through UN. The unitary Superpower called the USA do not care for this. Whenever USA send their Army without UN sanction, India has always criticized it at various forums. So, how can India do the same mistake which USA is doing? Author likes it because It not only acknowledged India's pre-eminence in the region but also established its credentials as a military power. Suppose China does the same thing in Nepal for the same reason. Is it acceptable to you Sir?
Unless one is purblind, the reason for India's reluctance to intervene in the island nation of Srilanka is there for all to see. Last time in his immature, youthful zeal Rajiv Gandhi committed Indian troops into the nation; when their job was to be impartial, the IPKF took Sinhala side in handing over 13 LTTE leaders who had surrendered to them. Fearing tortuous death at Sinhalese hands all the 13 consumed cyanide pills and embraced death. As some one who cares for his cadre, Prabhakaran vowed to avenge their death, and fighting broke out between IPKF and LTTE. IPKF had to fight this battle with one hand tied to its back; it was not given a carte blanche in taking on the LTTE. The result was heavy casualties on the Indian side. Ironically the Sinhala government joined hands with the LTTE by providing it arms and ammunition in its fight against the IPKF. To this day subsequent Srilankan governments have yet to apologize to this act of cowardice, to this act of perfidy on their part. Therefore if at all India intervenes in the island nation it should be in favour of our Tamil brothers and not on the side of Sinhala chauvinists.
All the countries surrounding India are innimical to it-read anti-hindu-, and it is better that India stays away from such selfish people. Banglades is another example of ungratefulness. India must cater to its own aspirations, and let the ungrateful people suffer their own fate. At the same time, India should make its borders so impermeable that enemies of the state should think hundred times before entering it!! Sounds irrational, but it is the only thing that is logical in an otherwise illogical world.
India went in with the best intentions and in return we got 1000's of dead Indian Soldiers, The international humiliation of getting kicked out of Sri Lanka by the Srilankan Gov and the final blow came when Rajiv was brutally killed.
Sri Lankans might forget what happened but we Indians can never and thus will never go into Sri Lanka with one exception. carry out air strikes to kill LTTE Chief who ordered the killing on an Indian Leader (Rajiv)and countless Indian Soldiers.
Mr. Alok Bansal has tried his level best to portray India's incompetance viz-a-viz Sri Lanka as a minor hickup in Indian foreign policy. He vacilates between jingoistic chest beating about Indian Mirages violating Sri Lankan air space to praising Rajiv Gandhi and J.R. Jayawardena as peacemakers. He rambles on delusionally about India taking an active role in solving the Sri Lankan crisis. Mr. Bansal, I need not remind you that India tried and had their clocked cleaned out by the LTTE. Yes, Mr. Bansal, your pathetic attempt to portray the Indian Army's debacle in Sri Lanka as a success story is truly tragic. The Indian Army for all practical purposes were driven out of Sri Lanka by the LTTE with the help of the India-hating Sinhala people. Just like the U.S leaving Vietnam and the Soviets leaving Afghanistan, the Indian Army suffered a major military and political defeat in Sri Lanka. It is wishful thinking on your part to even assume that India can solve the crisis in Sri Lanka. India's only choice in Sri Lanka is to help in the creation of Tamil Ealam. You cannot kill a entire people's aspirations and extinguish the flame for self-determination.
Before acting in lanka, India must act in B'desh. What are the left parties doing (other than opposing reforms)? We first need to stop infiltration from B'desh.
I will rather have this 'analyst' para-dropped to Lanka and let him resolve the mess. Haven't we as Indians learned from our past blunder. We have paid a heavy price to be involved in Lanka. There are some things from which we do not want to be involved in, and this mess is one of them.
I write my comments here, after two days it will appear and by the time the article will be archived. No one will read the article or my comment, so why should I write it?
India must only facilitate processes already set in place by the Scandinavian countries. India must leave Sri Lanka alone, we are already in trouble with most countries around us with our big brother status, wantingly or unwantingly.
Bansal, can you imagine an ISI board room or a Pakistani newspaper carrying articles on why they must get involved in Kashmir now? Thank you for your strategic thinking, but no thanks.
