Peace and its Perils - More lessons from Nepal?

Though peace seems a distance prospect in Sri Lanka, a recent BBC article on Nepal really got me thinking. Apparently the Moaists rebels, especially "empowered teens", refuse to give up their weapons, even when expressly ordered to do so. They say that they have grown to like the gun culture and see weapons as the source of their respect and legitimacy and thus, giving up their weapons is the same as surrendering. They have thus far resisted the rehabilititation process to the point of "threatening rehabilitation workers" and "hiding knives in their beds".

I see disturbing parrallels with the Sri Lankan scenario in that both sides employ vast legions of very young soliders, who's dreary, poverty-wracked lives have been uplifted and given meaning and respectability by fighting the good fight. The LTTE cadres will be worst hit by peace, as they will have lay down their arms and try to integrate themselves in a country that, at best, think they are all a bit mad. Further, carrying a gun and being part of the world's best terrorist organisation and one of the largest drug smugglers is South Asia is much easier than growing rice or chilli in Trinco, or studying Computer Science in Jaffna. There is atleast a reward for the risk.

It is clear that former terrorists will have to be rehabilitated into an economic, social and political system that they abandoned in the first place. It will be not enough to simply devolve power to the big-wigs and political apparatus of Terrorist groups, the demands on the grassroots cadre will have to be addressed and actually provided for. If not, hopes for peace could disintegrate into a thousand personal wars.

For some of my readers, all this TLC for former terrorists might sound shocking coming from me. Let me assure I am not their side. How any terrorist organsiation comes to the negotiating table (except in surrender), is a perversion of civilised human conduct and undermines the legitimacy of a country's entire political and legal system. But we live in times where great prosperity greets times of peace and great hardship results from war. We therefore have to embrace peace. At any cost.