Wow, I'm really disappointed by Matthew and Mark. There thoughts on Sri Lanka are predictable and knee jerk. Here is a case of pox on both their houses, both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. I don't see any innocent actors in this. Even the so called innocent civilians aren't that innocent. Sad as it may be, letting this thing come to its bloody conclusion will probably result in fewer innocent deaths in the long run as the LTTE usually takes ceasefires to "tax" expatriates, re-arm and come back and kill hoards of truly innocent civilians. I used to have a high regards for the purity of Matthews vision but now I think that his understanding is less deep than he lets on. For me, Matthew failed the Sri Lanka test.

I tend to agree as well. People who are really knowledgeable about world affairs, particularly the human rights hot spots of the hour, should be more honest with themselves and others, and admit that often nothing is going to prevent whatever tragedy is unfolding. Everyone knew the United States was not going to involve itself seriously in Sri Lanka especially if it meant helping the LTTE, and this meant nothing was going to stop the killing and mutilating. And like you said if the end of the LTTE is here, then Sri Lanka might have a peaceful future from here on out. Drawing a conclusion to the war might have long lasting benefits to Sri Lanka. Although not often said or popular, violence sometimes leads to no more violence. I think Matthew though is right to call Goldberg out on his infatuation with Susan Rice. She might be a neo-liberal by her lonesome, but in the realist administration of Barack Obama she's a "America firster". America has no interest whatsoever in Sri Lanka, so the people there were going to be killed in the crossfire of the war. So she's

Sanctions? Haha... laughable. The Sri Lankan government has likely brought peace to Sri Lanka. Peace through killing and mutilating, but peace. Why sanctions then? Why sanctions after not getting in the government's way? After the fact, do nothing, let me feel good for caring, balderdash. How sanctimonious.

Some commenters are 'failing' in their reading of the Sri Lankan situation if they are assuming that the end of LTTE will automatically bring peace to Sri Lanka. What are the chances? In December, one of the brothers of the Sri Lankan President (who, ahem, happens to be the defense minister) said that Tamils should not make unreasonable demands once the war is over. (Translation: Tamil problem?? What Tamil problem?? Tamils are just whining.) After the victory, the President has said that 'The West' should not tell Sri Lanka what to do. (Translation: I would determine what to do with the Tamils and whatever I do is beyond criticism.) This pre-emptive defensive rhetoric does not give me much confidence. Further, there was an "All Party" Conference that met for over a year and finally produced an "agreement" earlier this year. But, not only the opposition parties boycotted this but even the parties within the ruling coalition couldn't agree on this "agreement"! Of course, Sri Lankan journalists (even non-Tamils) have been jailed, kidnapped, murdered and threatened. Foreign journalists have been refused permission to cover the war and have been asked to even immediately leave the country. Tamil businessmen have been regularly kidnapped in much

Btw, Mark's piece praising on Rice and Obama on TNR (where Rice says that she would "go down in flames if that was required"!) indeed sounds very hollow based on the results. I hope it would make Rice, Obama and Mark to concentrate on the aftermath of the war even more...

Excellent points... but no war and no violence is better than a bit of bullying I think. I don't think anybody thinks the Sri Lankan government are saints, heros, or particularly great, but... there is an opportunity now for Sri Lanka to mature in peace.

Quoting qingl78: Here is a case of pox on both their houses, both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. I don't see any innocent actors in this. Even the so called innocent civilians aren't that innocent.

What do you mean by the last statement here?

Watch out Matt! Susan Rice is coming to get you!

CNN Reports:

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday visited refugee camps housing [Sri Lankan refugees]. "I have traveled around the world and visited similar places, but this is by far the most appalling scenes I have seen," he said.

Ban requested that the United Nations be provided full access to the displacement camps in order to provide aid.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan.... 1.8 million refugees are on the move. Then there is the photo-op of the year!

No violence in Sri Lanka?
What are you smoking. Tamils in the concentration camps are being raped and murdered. Children are being abducted. Tamils are living in Terror. this is not bullying. This is terrorizing. The Government of Sri Lanka is practising State Terrorism and all UN can do is.... Ask for access... This is not peace... Sri Lanka is a rogue state. They are no better than North Korea. May be even Iran is better than Sri Lanka. After all they don't kill their own people....

... and this is all happening because the Tamil Tigers decided long ago to go barbaric on the majority in Sri Lanka. We're not stupid about what is going on, but we aren't going to do a damn thing about it because we've got other problems to deal with that far outweigh helping Tamils. Hopefully one day Sri Lanka will acknowledge all the horrible things that have gone on, but the Tamils must now admit that they've been defeated, were wrong to use terrorism, and commit to living in peace with the majority of people in Sri Lanka.

Samson, Suck on some Christopher Hitchens. http://www.slate.com/id/2218847/?from=rss ... the money shot It's just not true, as some liberals tend to believe, that insurgencies, once under way, have history on their side. As well as by nations like Britain and Russia, they can be beaten by determined Third World states, such as Algeria in the 1990s and even Iraq in the present decade. Insurgent leaderships often make mistakes on the "hearts and minds" front, just as governments do, and governments are not always stupid to ban the press from the front line, tell the human rights agencies to stay the hell out of the way, and rely on the popular yearning for law and order. It can also be important to bear in mind, as in Sri Lanka became crucial, that majorities have rights, too.