“Non-alignment” and Sri Lanka’s foreign policy dilemma

It’s not about taking sides in a conflict. It’s about demanding the UN Founding Charter be honoured to its very letter

“… I will say to any terrorist who kills an American, and threatens the American People, or threatens our troops, or our interests… know this… we will always bring you to justice”. 

Kamala Harris, Vice President of USA and Democratic presidential candidate at the 5 November US presidential election, addressing the media at the White House on 18 October 2024, expressing Biden regime’s stand on Israel and its future after Israel announced the previous day, it killed Yahya Sinwar the Hamas leader in Gaza.

Kamala Harris’ lingo here, “any terrorist” is anyone America would call a “terrorist”. Bringing to “justice” here meant “search and eliminate” as they wish. American “interests” is nothing but “economic dominance” the world has to accept at any cost. To be precise, American definitions and decisions depend on their weapons and ammunition manufacture and trade profits. In year 2023 the official “total value of transferred defence articles and services and security co-operation activities” conducted “under the foreign military sales system” was $ 80.9 billion, an increase of 55.9% over year 2022 (Fiscal Year 2023 US Arms Transfers and Defence Trade/29 January 2024). 

That was not the total US sales of arms in 2023. That was what went through their State defence system. US arms manufacturers also have direct commercial sales of arms, ammo and military hardware with “US government approval”. In 2023, that was $ 238 billion, up 16% over year 2022, according to the US State Department. Interestingly, the US State Department considers arms sales as “important U.S. foreign policy tools with potential long-term implications for regional and global security…” (https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-arms-exports-hit-record-high-fiscal-2023-2024-01-29/) Increased “arms sales” with Russian-Ukraine conflict creating a new market.

Policy cannot be tinkered by Presidents coming and going with every election

US foreign policy is about foreign income and that policy cannot be tinkered by Presidents coming and going with every election. Their foreign policy is decided by the “Deep State”. President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris and the next President elect will have to continue with the Russian-Ukraine war and stay with the escalating Israeli war on Gaza. That required Harris to say, Israel has the right to defend itself and eliminate Hamas. That Gaza without Hamas is their choice for Palestine. Unresolved, it would be another market for US arms manufacture.

This remains same with all other permanent Security Council (SC) members, China, France, Russia and the UK. They were all in the top 10 arms dealer list during 2019 – 2023 period, US leading with 41.7% of world sales and France (10.9%), Russia (10.5%), China (05.8%) and the UK two slots behind with 03.7% of world sales. (SIPRI statistics) They certainly should not be decision makers in a world that is already starved of peace and stability.

We have to accept the UN “Founding Charter” signed in October 1945 promising post WW II generations a world without war, a world with human rights, human dignity, equality with justice, peace and social progress is now a ridiculously irrelevant Charter. We have to say without ambiguity and in a loud voice, the UN controlled and guided by its SC packed with arms dealers has disgracefully failed to uphold its own pledge ever since it was signed, nearly 80 years ago. We have been held captive in a world that continuously wage savage and brutal wars since the 1950 Korean war. We have all been stupid “Members” in this UN, delivering laudable statements once every year at the General Assembly, while all through the year, top arms dealers as “Permanent Members” of the SC decide what their profits would be.

Sri Lanka should adopt as its foreign policy stand, a strong anti-war, anti-nuke position

While collective efforts should be consciously programmed and made for democratising of the UN and hold it responsible for its member States, it is important for Sri Lanka to adopt as its foreign policy stand, a strong anti-war, anti-nuke position. Caught in triangular geo-political manipulations and interferences, it is important for Sri Lanka to stand for an effectively strong and independent UN with an uncompromising Secretary General. 

That being a strong reason, along with Sri Lanka’s long-standing solidarity for people of Palestine and endorsement of the “02 sovereign States” proposal, there should not have been any hesitation to silently opt out of the first release of the 105 member States letter that confirmed faith in UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. There was no reason for Sri Lanka to keep away from condemning Israel that on 2 October (2024) declared the UN SG as “persona non grata”. That Israeli denunciation was in the background of Israeli refusal for a ceasefire, to continue with its human massacre of civilians to establish total authority over Gaza. 

According to Gaza health authorities, Israeli ground and air attacks since 2023 October has displaced the entire population and has caused 42,519 civilian deaths by 18 October, 2024. In a special story published on 19 October 2024, Australian ABC News says with dead bodies still lying in debris, in inaccessible backyards and with numbers missing reported by family members, this count of 42,000 is an “undercount”. 

While Netanyahu’s Israel refused to accept a ceasefire, mediated by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the UN SG Guterres stressed the region needed a ceasefire immediately. That too was ignored by Israel, further disrupting UN emergency supplies of medicine, food and water to Palestinian refugees. Netanyahu is obsessed in flattening Hamas, Hizbullah and Houthis, condemning them as Iranian proxies, thus escalating the war and dragging it into Lebanon, Yemen and Iran. It’s another market for top arms dealers in the UN SC. 

Though the 105-member joint statement did not go the whole hog in calling out the SC as responsible for continued Israeli massacres, its mention about Israeli decision undermining the UN’s ability to carry out its mandate, which includes mediating conflicts and providing humanitarian support, was more than enough reason for Sri Lanka to be a signatory to the statement Chile initiated on 4 October, backed by countries like Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, Uganda, Indonesia, Spain, Guyana, and Mexico. Yet it took almost two weeks for the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister to reluctantly decide to request for inclusion as a signatory.

What gave in to this initial reluctance?

What gave in to this initial reluctance in staying away from the letter that reposed trust in UN, its SG and Staff? It was no doubt the US and then India next-door. US made some side remarks to the effect Israel’s decision is unproductive, referring to Israel’s denunciation of Guterres. That never would be an indication for US toning down its strong backing for Israeli aggression in Gaza. This AKD government was thus careful, not to create any distaste in its relations with the US administration when IMF assistance remains indispensable and AKD is hopeful of WB assistance as well, for economic sustenance.

Indian factor too would have also held back Sri Lanka’s hand in including its name, reposing faith in UN SG, condemning Israel. India, also a candidate for membership in the SC, is the strongest Israeli ally in South Asia and perhaps in South East Asia too, since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. Modi’s old time business aide Adani, from his Gujarat period, presently a dollar billionaire and the owner of Adani Defence & Aerospace in collaboration with Israel’s Elbit Systems established the “Adani Elbit Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Complex” (UAV) in Hyderabad in 2018. SIPRI, the reputed Swedish institute on peace research is on record saying, the Indian company “Premier Explosives Limited” manufactures solid propellants for MRSAM and LRSAM missiles used by Israel.             

Six months into the ongoing Gaza conflict, on 17 May 2024 Spanish newspaper “El Pais” reported, the ship, “Marianne Danica had requested two permits to transit through Spanish waters and make a stopover in the port of Cartagena on May 21. The ship, which is transporting explosive materials, carries a load of 26.8 tons. The sender is the Indian company Siddharta Logistics Co and its recipient is the company Israel Cargo Logistics (ICL)”. The news report added, Marianne Danica, had departed from Chennai “….en route to Haifa in Israel”. 

Present AKD rule, now wholly submerged in Indian hospitality even agreeing to a railroad link with India, forgetting their “Indian expansionism” theory and their opposition to the same proposal mooted by PM Wickremesinghe in April 2017, was obviously concerned what the New Delhi response would be if Sri Lanka became a signatory to a letter condemning Israel. The two weeks’ delay probably sorted out their dilemma of supporting Israel at the expense of Muslim votes, during this election period.  

Yet post parliamentary elections, AKD will have to decide once and for all, what his foreign policy for Sri Lanka would be with Gaza, Israel and the UN with its SC demanding more attention. He would have to say where his Government would stand in this regular massacre of innocent Palestinian civilians, the US says is Israeli right to defend itself, and Modi’s India, that would want to exploit the increasing arms and weapons market. Caught between them, Sri Lanka located in a geo-politically sensitive sea route, will have to have political arrogance to adopt an anti-war, anti-nuke foreign policy and call for UN SC to be led by nations who are not arms and ammunition merchants. It’s not about taking sides in a conflict. It’s about demanding the UN Founding Charter be honoured to its very letter.