American Double standards

There were 800,000 killed by machetes in Rwanda but not many video cameras around, no infrastructure, no financial markets. None of the iconography: the twin towers, New York, Wall Street, the American project. Makes you wonder what we value most.

People are saying the world has changed. I think many - in Rwanda, East Timor, Aceh, Sudan, Palestine, Jerusalem and too many etceteras -are saying to the US: "Welcome to the real world. This is how we live our lives, with the uncertainty, fear and loss."
The world may not have changed much, but the US certainly has. Come of age, maybe.

The terrorist bombing of the US World Trade Centre and the Pentagon is a shocking signal of global proportion to awaken humanity to the fact that differences between the world's major religions must be reconciled if humanity is going to live in peace.

America should now rethink its policies in favour of an even-handed
attitude. When Katunayake International Airport was attacked by terrorists, this same indignation was not there. What we had were some perfunctory expressions of sympathy and condemnation followed by pressure on Sri lankan government to talk to the terrorist.
Another example of American double standard was clearly visible, when Sri Lankan fighter jets made a pre emptive attack on LTTE bases in Jaffna, fearing a major assault on Sri Lankan forces to retake jaffna. Instead of supporting such action by the government, US pressured the government to go back to the negotiating table. It will be very interesting to see what American Military will do now. There can never be negotiations with terrorists because that gives them legitimacy to their cause, that is, to kill more people.
America is a arrogant nation who always thought such attacks can be kept at bay, Whilst they preach to the rest of the world how to deal with terrorists.

It is interesting to see if US ambassodor to sri lanka can now advise his government to immediately start negotiating with Bin Laden. As they always maitain the notion that only solution to the terrorist problem is "peacefull negotiated settlement". The lesson they must learn is that terrorism of any kind anywhere shouldn't be tolerated.

Rohan Welangoda