Trojan Horses in Troy and Colombo

We were deep in thought about the issue that most Sri Lankans are thinking about today when a book came over our gate that may be considered a readymade handbook to identify causes of the national crises engaging our attention.

Our longtime friend, oldest member of the oldest Sri Lankan social club, archaeologist and neighbour, nonagenarian Dr. Raja de Silva, had sent us (‘On Very Long Loan’) the book: March of Folly by Barbara W Tuchman covering the stupidities of national leaders for years starting from the Trojan War, the Renaissance Popes and the Protestant Succession, War of American Independence, the French Revolution, Napoleon’s wars, the First and Second World Wars to the Vietnam War.

Barbara Touchman (twice winner of the American Pulitzer Prize) asks: ‘To begin at the beginning why did the Trojan rulers drag that suspicious-looking wooden horse inside their walls despite every reason to suspect a Greek trick?

She relates the story as it comes down the ages. At dawn when the Trojans discover that the 10- year siege of the Greeks on Troy is lifted and the enemy has gone leaving only the strange and awesome wooden horse at the gates. They read the inscription on the horse dedicating it to goddess Athena, as the Greeks’ offering, in the hope that her assistance would help them sail safely across the seas back home.

The citizens of Troy come out of their well- fortified citadel to see his monstrous replica of a horse left behind by the Greeks. The people cry out to destroy and throw it into the sea. Priam the King of Troy too has come out to inspect the wooden horse and confers with elders. Lacoon a priest of Apollo’s Temple sounds alarm and delivers a few memorable lines that are repeated to this day: ‘Do not believe this horse. Whatever it may be. I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts.’

The City’s elders taking the inscription at face value recommend to the king to take the wooden horse into the citadel to the ‘Temple of Athena despite continued warnings. The Trojans, thinking that long war is over celebrate and go to sleep drunk.

The rest of this ancient story is well known. Greeks hidden in the belly of the horse come out, signal to others hiding in ships far away to return and the Trojans are massacred as they awake from the drunken sleep.

In considering the stupidities committed by leaders of nations down ages researched by the author, she states in her epilogue: ‘If pursuing disadvantages after the disadvantage has become obvious is irrational, then rejection of reason is prime characteristic of folly. According to the Stoics, reason was the ‘thinking fire’ that directs the affairs of the world and the emperor or ruler of the state was considered to be ‘ the divine reason [appointed} to maintain order on earth’. The theory was comforting, but then as of now ‘divine reason’ was more often than not overpowered by non-rational human frailties -ambitions, anxiety, status- seeking, face- saving, illusions, self- delusions and fixed prejudices. Although the structure of human thought is based on logical procedure from premises to conclusions it is not proof against the frailties and the passions’.

‘Rational thought clearly counselled the Trojans to suspect a trick when they woke up to find the entire Greek army had vanished, leaving only a strange and monstrous prodigy beneath their walls. Rational procedure would have been, at the least, to test the Horse for concealed enemies as they were urgently advised to do so. The alternative was present and available but yet discarded in favour of self-destruction’.

The question that the Sri Lankan venting his anger on the roads today is: Is he (or the government) gone mad? To put it in another way what is guiding the thinking of our leader/leaders? We are well aware that the gods – divinities -- guide them to a certain extent by their much publicised presence in places of worship of the divine, their association with traditional religious advisers. There is also by their human frailties mentioned by Tuchman: ambition, illusions, self- delusions, fixed prejudices etc. But has rational thinking been forsaken?

There is good reason to think so considering the decision to impose a ban on chemical fertiliser that has brought the country to a point of self-sufficiency in rice particularly at the critical point of time when the economy is collapsing.

Readers may wonder why we have brought the Trojan Horse into the discussion at this time. Trojan Horses come in various shapes and forms with the ages and in this age of technology it is likely be in some form of technology.

Last week in Parliament, Opposition members led by Harin Fernando caused a furore about alleged agreements reached between the Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and the Indian government in the pursuit of a $(US) One billion loan. He alleged that a strategic communication network had been agreed on for India to monitor Sri Lanka’s air and territorial waters by the Indian authorities in locations from Sri Lanka.

If these allegations are correct it would be a concern for the defence and national security of this country. It will be a 21st Century Trojan Horse for Sri Lanka.

India’s somersaulting in foreign policy is well illustrated when compared with this proposal to the establishment of a Voice of America Broadcasting station at Iranawila which its learned pundits said was for the purpose of monitoring, military movements in the Indian Ocean and a grave threat to India. Now India the Land of Mahatma Gandhi and has transformed itself into a regional hegemon and appears to be heading for the long cherished dream of some of its geopolitical thinkers like Panikkar of making the Indian Ocean, India’s Ocean.

India cannot be blamed for implementing its cherished ambitions when Sri Lankan leaders are on their knees begging for economic assistance to provide food, fuel and medicines to its destitute people.

International agreements have to be ratified by their legislatures and even so there must be consensus within the country about them. The Indo-Lanka Agreement is a notable example.

This country is at a momentous point in its history. The rational thinking of its leader/leaders is all important lest we become another Troy three millennia ago. There is a better example to be admired: Ukraine led by Volodymyr Zelensky. He commenced defying the mightiest of Nuclear Powers ever known with Molotov cocktails, primitive guns and the spirit of Ukrainian nationalism still holds on.

India’s somersaulting in foreign policy is well illustrated when compared with this proposal to the establishment of a Voice of America Broadcasting station at Iranawila which its learned pundits said was for the purpose of monitoring, military movements in the Indian Ocean and a grave threat to India