Now They Talk

I had noted that the international community seemed to give Sri Lanka far more leeway in its civil war with the Tamil Tigers than they ever did to Israel, culminating in their final epic victory this month. I wasn't the only one who noticed.

But fair is fair: The UN has stepped up its rhetoric dramatically in recent days, with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying that "I have traveled around the world and visited similar places, but this is by far the most appalling scenes [sic] I have seen." Of course, by the time the condemnations reached anything approaching a meaningful level, the damage had been done.

In any event, I think the rhetorical comparative point has been made. It's time to focus our attention on Sri Lanka qua Sri Lanka -- that is, making sure that, however we got here, this end to the conflict is the end, and manifests itself in a just and enduring peace for all inhabitants of the country.