Threat of extermination

Ishara JAYAWARDANE

Imagine a world ruled by the Nazis or the Khmer Rouge. Imagine the devastation and the charnel houses. The violence and the cruelty; the genocide; ethnic cleansing. Imagine multitudes of soldiers burning villages and putting innocents to the slaughter. The barbarism and the destruction of human lives. Being prepared for an ethnic conflict or violence in any part of the world is the key to a peaceful world. That is why an early warning system is so important. After all preparation is half the battle.

Recently the International Centre for Ethnic studies conducted a lecture by Tadakazu Kanno, a PhD candidate at the Department of War Studies, King’s college, London.

His PhD thesis focuses on Conflict Early Warning Mechanism. In particular, he attempts to expand the scope of the early warning field by applying Critical Theory. The lecture centered around Conflict Early Warning and A Critical Approach.

Kanno stated that he would like to reconstruct the traditional mainstream early warning theory. Once you destroy something you have to reconstruct. So the most part of his presentation was to reconstruct the early warning theory.

“The first thing we should know is what Early Warning is. The easiest way to understand early warning is to have an idea of weather forecasting. Similarly Early Warning is to know where and when the most harmful conflicts and confrontations will arise. The conflict can be prevented if there is a process or a system of right information,” stated Kanno.

Early warning and intelligence is the same in the sense that prevention is possible through analysis of information. Intelligence basically focuses on security the protection of national interest and integrity of state borders.

“Critical theorists say that there is no such thing called truth in the world. Emancipation is the right thing to do. Emancipation is universal” declared Kanno. We live in an age which is tumultuous.

It is an age of politics with various governing bodies involved in argument and debate.

It was through John. F. Kennedy’s diplomacy that the cold war was averted. Similarly today diplomacy is critical.

The correct information to the correct sources can prevent deadly conflict. Let us hope more research is done in the field of Early Warning.

The dangers are very real. There are various parties in this world, hell bent on creating animosity and strife. But we must join hands and prevail.