The West may have made vast strides in physical development but it is doubtful whether its old habits have changed, if how it is relating to the rest of the world is anything to go by. Some members of the western bloc still practise the method of giving a dog a bad name and hanging it. In some cases, they do not even hesitate to give a bad dog a good name and protect it, if that serves their purpose. How they handled Saddam Hussein and many other dictators such as Bokassa, Papa Doc and Pinochet is a case in point. They were mollycoddled in spite of their grave crimes against humanity and it was only when some of them turned against their western masters or became too embarrassing to protect, they were given a bad name and hanged or politically destroyed.

The western governments are ably assisted by their media cohorts and INGO lackeys in conferring pariah status on governments and political leaders they wish to tame or destroy. This country has been one of their targets. They have suddenly woken up to the adverse effects of Sri Lanka's war against terrorism. But, mum's the word on their part about blatant human rights abuses being committed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of saving democracy. Human Rights Watch has, in its latest report, revealed that since 2007, the number of civilian deaths in the US and NATO air strikes has tripled in Afghanistan.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis have so far perished in counter terror operations since the inception of the war. Last year, personnel of a private US security firm known as Blackwater murdered 17 Iraqi civilians in cold blood. One may wonder whether the killing and maiming of civilians do not amount to human rights violations, if the perpetrators happen to be western nations.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom some western governments and their media lackeys are zeroing in on because of his war against terrorism, has said in New York that he is not a hawk. Why he is so desperate to get rid of that label is not difficult to understand. He that has an ill name, it is said, is half hanged.

It is ironical that Prabhakaran is free from such trouble. His outfit has been banned in many countries but he is under no international pressure to give up terrorism and desist from harming civilians. His activists are safe even in the countries where the LTTE stands banned. Some EU bigwigs, in a bid to counter adverse criticism against them for their partiality to the LTTE, have claimed LTTE activists are arrested in the EU member states. But, the fact remains that the LTTE continues to raise funds and coordinate its terror operations from those countries.

A few arrests are not sufficient to cover up their partiality to the LTTE. Last year, the LTTE almost succeeded in destroying a chopper carrying a group of western diplomats in the Eastern Province in a bid to have the government blamed for exposing them to danger. LTTE shells fell close to the helicopter and some envoys suffered minor injuries while running for cover. But, Prabhakaran got away with that attack. What would have happened, if the armed forces had targeted a group of ambassadors? Sanctions would have been imposed on Sri Lanka post-haste.

That the West is treating a democratic state like a terrorist outfit and vice versa in Sri Lanka's conflict is clearer than crystal. But, should President Rajapaksa be so worried as to claim that he is no hawk? We don't think so. For, the LTTE has had a Humpty-Dumpty type fall and no one is going to put it together ever again. Not even the Norwegian king's horses and men are capable of that feat!

Western governments are aware that saving the LTTE is not a task they can accomplish by trying to queer the pitch for the armed forces at this juncture. Nor do they want to sully their hands with such an overt attempt, as they are convinced that the LTTE will never agree to a political solution.

It was the EU Parliament which in its resolution of Sep. 08, 2006 unequivocally condemned the intransigence of the LTTE and categorically stated that the LTTE had 'successively rejected so many possible ways forward, including devolution at the provincial level or Provincial Councils; devolution at the regional level or Regional Councils; as well as the concept of a federation with devolution at the national level'. Given this stance of the EU Parliament, those EU member states which have ganged up against Sri Lanka and brought the entire European Union into disrepute have their work cut out.

President Rajapaksa made an adroit move the other day. He offered to hand over Prabhakaran to India in case the latter was captured alive. Whether Prabhakaran will be captured or not remains to be seen but President Rajapaksa has subtly reminded the world that defeating the LTTE will be in India's interest as well. However, he chose to remain silent on the fact that Prabhakaran has been sentenced to 200 years RI in Sri Lanka and is wanted in connection with many political assassinations and massacres.

President Rajapaksa should not go on the defensive vis-à-vis pressure from a handful of western countries. The LTTE is as good as dead and the LTTEallies don't have India on their side. If the war is conducted without harming civilians, India will continue its policy of non interference. After all, it needs Prabhakaran, doesn't it?

It is hoped that President Rajapaksa in his address to the UN General Assembly will make it a point to tell the world that Sri Lanka's war, besides being an offensive against terrorism to liberate civilians, is a hunt for a band of notorious convicts who must be thrown behind bars. Sri Lanka is under international pressure to respect the rule of law and therefore it must go all out to capture convicted criminals at large.