Features

Security risks on the rise from intensifying ‘New Cold War’

Published

3 years ago

2023/02/23

President Joe Biden meets President Volodymyr Zelensky

One year into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is all too clear that none concerned has in any way gained by it. The two main sides to the conflict have dug their heels in and are in an unrelenting posture, raising the possibility of the Ukraine situation degenerating into yet another humanly-costly ‘Killing Field’.

The UN has given the world the ‘bleeding statistics’. Well above 8000 Ukraine civilians have reportedly lost their lives over the past year while tens of thousands of others have been wounded or displaced. The question recurs: why are civilians being made to suffer in this invasion? Isn’t it plain to see that they have had no hand in creating the Putin regime’s ‘security’ worries or any other factors that it sees as justification for its invasion of Ukraine?

This is a matter of humanity or one of consideration for human life. The latter attitude requires that everyone who cares for the security of human beings anywhere stands up and be counted as those who oppose the killing of civilians in conflict and war. The ‘silent majority’ and other quarters who care for the wellbeing of humanity cannot remain silent any more.

The humane need to clearly and loudly voice their opposition to the taking of civilian lives in Ukraine and other wasting conflicts that place at risk the achievements of civilization. Public pressure needs to be applied on regimes that seem to be uncaring about the Reverence for Life, with the expectation that they would defer to wise counsel and give humanity the opportunity to be ingrained in hearts and minds.

Hopefully, the Russian people who possess a rich legacy of humanity left behind by the likes of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky would prove equal to this visionary undertaking. This task cannot be deferred any longer.

Of course, Ukraine is not the only military quagmire in contemporary times that raises the sensitive and troubling question of the escalating human costs of war. Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, under US-led military interventions raised the same issue and more.

The fact that civilian deaths are continuing unabated in such war zones testifies to the fact that the human conscience could be deadened to the point of total insensitivity to the problem of suffering. This is a foremost tragedy of our times that calls for urgent rectification.

Meanwhile, the security issues for the world could only be expected to intensify from the Ukraine quagmire. US President Joe Biden’s unscheduled recent visit to Ukraine and his meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he pledged continuous military assistance to Ukraine, freshly underscores the fact that the war in Ukraine could only be expected to drag on.

President Zelensky, for his part, wanted ‘war-winning’ armaments. That much was indicated to the US President. The former probably hinted at the need for fighter jets and the like that would clearly turn the war in Ukraine’s favour.

Further compounding the conflict is Russian President Putin’s adamancy in not backing-down from his position of continuing the invasion. His elaborate address to the Russian ruling class on the first anniversary of the invasion made that much clear. With neither party to the conflict indicating a softening of their positions the torture of Ukraine could only be expected to intensify.

However, there are security ramifications from these developments for the world as well that should have it deeply worried. There was, for instance, President Putin’s recent comment to the effect that his regime would not be going ahead with ratifying a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with the US.

The non-ratification of such a treaty would open the possibility of both sides going ahead with developing strategic weapons in an unrestricted, unaccountable fashion.

For the more experienced watcher of international politics, these developments carry more than a whiff of the US-USSR Cold War of decades past. We seem to be very much back in times of stepped-up East-West tensions, fueled principally by the super powers’ scramble to develop strategic weapons, even of a nuclear kind. However, in the present ‘New Cold War’ the ideological polarity of capitalism versus communism is absent on account of the fact that the Russia of today is by no means socialist or communist. However, the path has just been paved for an intensified East-West arms race which the world could very well do without.

In the days ahead the international community would need to figure out more intently than before how this new ‘Cold War’ could be contained and prevented from growing beyond its control. The UN is going the extra mile with regard to the provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need but keeping the super powers under control and getting them to adhere to the core principles of International Law has emerged as a principal challenge for it.

There are no simple answers to these dilemmas. However, some positives could be achieved if the UN reform process is speeded-up. A broad-basing of the UN Security Council’s permanent membership to bring in major democratic countries, thus far not included in the UNSC, that could act as an effective counter-weight against those permanent members of an authoritarian kind who tend to use their power arbitrarily, is one solution worth considering.

Nevertheless, there is no getting away from the need for the principal states of the world to keep the communication channels among them open. From this viewpoint the G20 finance ministers’ summit due to be launched in India today would prove important.

Ideally, this forum ought to impress on its participants the importance of working consensually in view of the fact that they all stand to lose as a result of having on their hands an unstable world, where politics would reign over economics. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is on record as having said that she would call on China in particular to ‘quickly deliver’ on debt relief measures for economically distressed countries but the West no less than China would need to cooperate in efforts of this kind. East and West need to work consensually on bringing about global economic equity. Thus, would be created a less unstable world.

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Features

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

Published

17 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

17 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

17 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.