Features

NATO enlargement set to heighten East-West tensions

Published

3 years ago

2023/07/13

Civilian victims of war in Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered a disquieting 500th day but there are no prospects of the war ending any time soon. With the warring sides and their international supporters showing no signs of backing down from their adversarial positions the possibility is that civilian lives in increasing numbers will be lost in the war in the days ahead. It need hardy be said that this, the civilized world would find most difficult to countenance.

We have it on the authority of the UN that over 9,000 civilian lives have been snuffed out in the invasion thus far, inclusive of 500 children. These, apparently, are conservative estimates because the numbers are feared to be very much greater. But as matters stand, prospects of ending the war by peaceful means are nil. Where do the advocates of a negotiated settlement in Ukraine go from here? This is another challenge in Ukraine that could be expected to grow grimmer.

A factor that could get very much in the way of a peaceful solution to the conflict is the recent seeming challenge posed to President Putin’s authority by the Wagner group, which fought alongside the Russian armed forces in Ukraine. The commentator is compelled to take this view in consideration of the fact that Putin could not afford to be seen as weak in the eyes of his supporters, going forward.

If President Putin is to be continued to be seen as Russia’s ‘supreme leader’, he cannot afford to give the impression that he is beatable. Besides, he cannot soften his stance on the invasion because he has staked a considerable amount of his political future on the war. Thus is the Ukraine tangle rendered increasingly complex to unravel.

Greatly aggravating this complexity are some notable developments on the East-West front. Even a glance at the map of Eastern Europe would reveal that NATO has indeed managed to increase its membership from among a majority of Russia’s immediate neighbours. The most recent entrant to NATO from Eastern Europe is Finland, with Sweden too making what seems to be a successful bid to join the NATO fold currently although this is yet to come to pass in full.

It is quite some time since Ukraine herself made a bid for NATO membership. When Ukraine acquires NATO member status, she would come to be seen by Russia as posing quite a formidable security concern.

Therefore, it may seem that Russia has made a substantive point when it claims that NATO expansion poses a grave threat to its Eastern flank. NATO is slowly but surely spreading its influence and heft in Eastern Europe and there is no doubting it. However, it does not follow from these developments that Russia could invade its neighbours, which are today sovereign states although most of them were formerly ‘satellites’ of the USSR.

Historians disclose that these current security concerns of Russia are not entirely new. In fact Russia’s present day rulers, it is revealed, are on the ‘same page’ as the former Tsars of the country who sought to bring under Russian control vast territories on its eastern flank, so as to defuse some of their security concerns. These security worries accounted in considerable measure for Russia’s participation in World War 1, for instance. Nevertheless, these fears could in no way justify military invasions of any kind decades into the post- World War 11 order.

The fact that NATO is on a steadfast path to expand and consolidate its power and influence in Eastern Europe is substantial evidence that the war in Ukraine would drag on at considerable cost to the principal antagonists to the conflict. The warring sides could not be expected to step down from their policy positions in the foreseeable future. This will ensure the conflict’s tragic continuance.

As mentioned, for the Russian leadership, a tame withdrawal from the war is currently unthinkable. On the other hand, Ukraine is enjoying unstinted military and political support from NATO, which renders it quite unconquerable. In fact, the US has committed itself to supplying Ukraine with cluster bombs and this factor could further strengthen the latter’s fighting capability and ‘staying’ power.

The current NATO summit in no less a state than Lithuania, with the prominent participation of US President Joe Biden, emphatically underscores the West’s unflagging backing for Ukraine. While neither main party to the Ukraine conflict could be expected to register any remarkable military gains in the short term, what Ukraine would present for Russia is an Afghanistan style, suicidal military quagmire from where there could be no easy escape.

Meanwhile, the US has not done its battered image any good by opting to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs and other lethal weaponry. Since Russia matches the US in its fire-power it is difficult to conceive how cluster bombs and the like would drastically shift the military balance in Ukraine in the latter’s favour.

What is doubly certain is that there would be increased civilian blood-letting in Ukraine as a consequence of the US decision. That is, Ukraine’s torment would increase several fold. The world would be saddled with yet another wasting war on the lines of an East-West confrontation.

The danger remains that the Ukraine conflict could escalate into a Europe-wide war, if not judiciously managed. Put simply, NATO would militarily confront a remnant of the Warsaw Pact, but a very powerful one at that. The possibility of the use of nuclear weapons in such a region-wide, expanding war and its horrifying consequences, one hopes, would prompt the powers concerned to seek a solution to the conflict at the negotiating table, and quickly.

Unfortunately, the UN has been reduced to the position of a passive onlooker in the face of these dangerous tendencies. The international community has not made any headway in its efforts to broad-base the UN Security Council and as a consequence the latter has remained an arena wherein the foremost powers have continued to jarringly lock horns, while armed conflicts the world over dangerously escalate.

However, the world cannot afford to allow the UN system to remain in a state of inner paralysis. Democratic opinion the world over needs to come together to work out ways of converting the UN into a conflict resolver which would be widely respected. Besides, ‘Swing States’, such as India and China, need to consider as to how they could positively influence international developments for the collective good of the world.

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Features

The hard challenge of clinching a political settlement in the Middle East

Published

11 hours ago

2026/07/23

Sahan Weerasooriya

Bruised hearts: Displaced Palestinian civilians in the Gaza.(Photo by Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Despite some sections of the Trump administration persisting with the view that the possibility could not be entirely ruled out of there being a diplomatic solution to the current US-Iran hostilities in West Asia, the skeptic could not be blamed for thinking otherwise. The intensity, scale and frequency of the tit-for-tat strikes by the antagonists over the past few days against selected military targets and civilian infrastructure in particular in West Asia make the adoption of this stance excusable.

The continuing hostilities render the mentioning of the MOU signed between the warring parties in mid-June a laughable matter. While it could very well be that the foes are wishing privately for a cessation of hostilities before long, what seems to be uppermost on their minds right now is to negotiate with each other from a position of strength. This strategy compels them to incapacitate each other militarily to the extent possible, lest they have to concede too much to each other during negotiations. Hence the stepped-up hostilities.

However, even on the question of there being a negotiated political settlement in the West Asian theatre in the longer term, the skeptic could come to be seen as scoring over the optimist. Developments on the ground account for this.

At the time of writing Israel’s Netanyahu government is going ahead in fairly care-free fashion with the establishment of more Jewish settlements in the Gaza and the West Bank, and it’s all happening under the apparently complacent gaze of the US. In fact, some quarters estimate that Israel is in control of some 65% of the Gaza Strip. Ethnic cleansing, that is, is being drastically stepped-up.

Accordingly, in terms of the power relations of West Asia, the world is almost back to the status quo of the late forties of the last century when the state of Israel was established and the Palestinians were reduced to a microscopic minority in the land they came to inhabit. Therefore, even the impartial observer would be compelled to ask: ‘Will a negotiated peace be ever possible in the Middle East?’

The humanist in the observer would prefer to answer this question in the affirmative and it is indeed the ideal stance to adopt considering the staggering human and material costs of the conflict. But the way ahead to peace could be expected to be highly hazardous and arduous. Among other odds, it would also prove an uphill endeavour to win minds and hearts.

The US’ Trump administration would need to be counted out in this pursuit. This is on account of the fact that it has been far too wayward in its management of West Asian affairs in particular over the past couple of years. Given its unpredictable character it is a matter for conjecture whether it could be counted on to live up to its commitments.

Moreover, Israel could be expected to ‘go it alone’ in the Middle East regardless of whether US help is coming or otherwise. It has indicated as much in recent times and Israel could be doubted on this score only at the doubter’s peril. Because time and again Israel has demonstrated that it could steadfastly defend its interests even single-handedly in the Middle East. History bears this out.

However, a durable alliance with the US would stand Israel in good stead. On the matter of military and intelligence assistance, for example, the US’s help proved invaluable for Israel in the past and going forward this is bound to be so as well. Moreover, it is unlikely that the Trump administration would give up on Israel, considering that a strong Israel is crucial for the furtherance of the US’ strategic and economic interests in West Asia.

But whether the above factors would have a considerable bearing on the question of working out a durable solution to the West Asian tangle is an entirely different matter. Israel, as in the case of the Palestinian enclaves, is acutely security conscious and would need to satisfy itself fully that it could live in a security environment that would guarantee its complete safety, going forward.

The Middle East is badly in need of another peace effort on the lines of the Oslo Accords of the mid-nineties that brought the key actors together and helped hammer out a solution that addressed some of their notable concerns. To be sure, that process did not prove to be the ideal answer to the tangle, but it yielded some respite to the region and drove home that one-time sworn foes could indeed negotiate with a degree of success. The West Bank authority, although falling short of fulfilling some key Palestinian aspirations, is testimony that a degree of success is possible if the intent is right.

Given the current realities of West Asia, peace-making is bound to be an uphill challenge. The violence faced in recent times by the Palestinian community, in particular, has been nothing less than mind-numbing. Merciless has been the violence visited on them by the Israeli side. In such circumstances, durable peace in the region could smack of an idealist’s dream.

Nevertheless, there needs to be urgently, a meeting of minds over the divides. The US would need to be counted out as an honest broker in bringing the sides together but the rest of the West would do well to step up to the challenge.

In this exercise the onus would be on the world’s democracies to take the initiative and doggedly stay the course. An acceptable combination would be the EU and the UN. Given their credentials, the main sides in West Asia ought to find them the least controversial.

Even if the relevant institutional and political arrangements could be shored up to take a reconciliation process forward, winning hearts and minds for the peace drive would prove a grueling challenge. Over the past few years in particular tens of thousands of hearts and minds on both sides of the divide have been bruised badly in the runaway murderous violence that has come to define the Middle East.

These badly scarred personalities would need to experience healing without much delay. It is therefore a multi-faceted challenge that is at hand. Since wide-ranging expertise would be needed in the healing process, people’s participation in peace-making, ranging over the divides, would need to be made a durable reality. It will be a time for enthroning humanity and ensuring the rejection of all forms of violence and coercion.

Features

Amazing Thailand …right here in Colombo

Published

11 hours ago

2026/07/23

Sahan Weerasooriya

For many Sri Lankans, Thailand is the go-to holiday — beaches, temples, food, and that famous warm hospitality.

In fact, I’ve been to Amazing Thailand 24 times myself, and was honoured with the Friends of Thailand International Media Award by the Tourism Authority of Thailand for promoting Thai tourism.

The good news I have for you today is that you don’t even need a passport to get a taste of Amazing Thailand.

The Royal Thai Embassy, in Colombo, is bringing a vibrant slice of Thailand, to the city of Colombo, with Thai Festival 2026 — a cultural experience like never before.

Whether you are an avid enthusiast of Thai culture, a total novice, or simply just interested in exploring foreign cultures, Thai Festival 2026 is going to be the perfect opportunity for you to get more than just a glimpse into one of the most celebrated cultural heritages in South East Asia. And ENTRANCE IS FREE.

The festival will be held on the 1st and 2nd of August, 2026, at Siam Nivasa, 43, C.W.W. Kannangara Mawatha, Colombo 7, and the East Parking Area, of the Colombo Municipal Council, from 11:00am to 5:00pm.

Both days will be full of live entertainment, and dispersed throughout with Thai cultural displays, including exhilarating traditional dance performances and breathtaking Muay Thai demonstrations.

Exploring art and craft specific to Thailand, tasting irresistible authentic Thai cuisine, and playing arcade games, are just a few more fun-filled events available for visitors at the festival premises.

An array of Thai products will also be available for purchase.

While at the festival, you will find Sri Lankan Alumni from Thai universities sharing their experiences with you and willing to answer any questions you might have, related to studying abroad in Thailand.

You can also register for the Muay Thai workshop that will be happening on the 7th and 8th of August, 2026, in Colombo.

Irresistible authentic Thai cuisine

Visitors can also stand a chance to win traditional Thai souvenirs, get exclusive photo opportunities, and, the big one — to enter the raffle draw, at the end of each day, for the grand prize of an all-inclusive round trip to Thailand.

Be sure to avail yourself of this exceptional opportunity and add a cultural spin to your weekend.

To keep up with the latest updates on Thai Festival 2026, head over to the Thai Festival official social media pages.

The Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo official webpage:

https://colombo.thaiembassy.org

Official social media:

Facebook: @RTEColombo

Instagram: @thaiembassysrilanka

Thai Festival official social media:

Facebook: Thai Festival in Colombo

Instagram: @thaifestival_colombo

TikTok: @thaifestival.incolombo

Features

Thicker, stronger hair …

Published

11 hours ago

2026/07/23

Sahan Weerasooriya

Hair fall, in this heat, can be so frustrating, and noticing a thin patch is even more worrying. The good news is … yes, with a little care and kitchen ingredients, you can nourish your scalp and support healthy regrowth.

Try these four easy home remedies … even our grandmothers trusted:

* Coconut Oil and Curry Leaves Tonic:

Warm 04 tablespoons of coconut oil, with a handful of curry leaves, till the leaves turn black. Cool, strain, and massage into scalp 02-03 times a week. Leave for 01 hour, or overnight.

Why:

Coconut oil deeply nourishes, while curry leaves help strengthen roots and add shine.

* Onion Juice for Spot Treatment:

With cotton, dab the juice of 01 small onion, directly on the thin/bald patches. Leave for 20-30 minutes, and then wash with a mild shampoo. Use twice a week.

Why:

Rich in sulfur, onion juice helps boost blood circulation to the scalp.

* Aloe Vera and Castor Oil Mask:

Mix 02 tablespoons of fresh aloe vera gel and 01 tablespoon castor oil and apply to the scalp, focusing on thinning areas. Leave for 45 minutes, and then rinse with cool water.

Why:

Aloe vera soothes the scalp, while castor oil coats hair to make it look thicker.

* Fenugreek and Curd Strengthening Pack:

You will need 02 tablespoons fenugreek seeds, soaked overnight, and 02 tablespoons plain curd.

Grind to a paste, apply to scalp for 30 minutes, and then wash.

Why:

Fenugreek strengthens strands and reduces breakage.

Extra Tips for Healthy Hair:

Avoid tight hairstyles that pull on the scalp.

Eat iron and protein rich foods: greens, dhal, eggs, fish.

Use lukewarm water, not hot.

Be gentle when brushing and drying.