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Could the United States unite Sri Lanka?

28 Apr 2022

At the conclusion of her visit to the Northern Province of Sri Lanka earlier this week, newly appointed US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie J. Chung said that she gained a better understanding of the impact of the war and the human rights concerns in the area, and that she heard from people firsthand about their challenges and opportunities. Her visit to Jaffna came shortly after a visit to Kandy, which was her first visit outside Colombo after assuming duties as Ambassador to Sri Lanka. The US has played diverse, crucial roles in Sri Lanka’s affairs throughout history, and has received both admiration – when it provided various forms of financial and in-kind assistance – and criticism – when it came to various bilateral agreements. However, at this particular juncture, when Sri Lankans of all social strata are experiencing the impacts of unbearable economic, social, and political instability, it is important that Sri Lanka is aware of what sort of support or strengthened diplomatic relationships it requires. First and foremost, it is important that the global superpower has a strong, clear, and accurate overview of Sri Lanka’s affairs, and the selection of Kandy and Jaffna, two socio-demographic centres of importance, to look into the people’s concerns, is notable. The end result of these visits could be manifold. However, the details gathered during these visits could contribute to changes in the US policy on Sri Lanka.  The kinds of support Sri Lanka needs, what Sri Lanka can contribute to the world, and how the internal affairs of Sri Lanka take place, have considerably changed owing to the prevailing crises, which are unprecedented, and therefore require newer or improved policies with more focus on foreign reserves, exports, and foreign employment. This is one point where the US can assist Sri Lanka. In fact, if the US policy on Sri Lanka can be based on all Sri Lankans and their viewpoints, the US can work as a unifying force for Sri Lanka. Instead of talking only with those who can be easily accessed, or those who have experienced just a handful of many realities Sri Lankans live with, taking into account the experiences of diverse groups can help the US understand, and then help Sri Lanka manage, more critical grassroots-level issues beyond national issues.  At a time when Sri Lankan politicians make blanket decisions, sometimes even failing to acknowledge that the prevailing economic crisis affects different communities in different ways, if the US Ambassador pays attention to the factors that have led to the differences in these experiences, that could lead to considerable improvements in the US policy on Sri Lanka. The US is not historically known as a force that unites countries or communities. On the contrary, it has a reputation for creating and aiding conflicts, and thereby dividing countries and communities. However, if Sri Lanka and the US can agree on Sri Lanka’s pressing concerns and needs, especially with regard to economic and humanitarian affairs, Sri Lanka can actually prove an exception to the abovementioned historical perception. However, the US should be blind to the majority-minority dichotomy in the current context if it is not considerably related to matters it is planning to address or discuss. The US Ambassador and the US Government must not take sides in this matter. Taking the majority’s side and enabling the oppression of the minorities is equally bad as considering only minority concerns and sidelining the majority. At a time when Sri Lanka is desperately in need of unity and assistance more than ever, we can only hope that the US, through its new Ambassador, can defy expectations and break stereotypes in order to be the said unifying force in Sri Lanka’s case.

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