Rebuilding Sri Lanka

How does a society move from war to peace? What makes the transition from emergency assistance to long-term development possible earlier rather than much too late?

These were questions I was pondering after reading today about a letter sent to the US Secretary of State. \"[S]uch a peace [in Sri Lanka] can only be reached once the full truth about the past is understood.\" - Joint letter from 58 members of Congress to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The article stated that momentum is building to hold those responsible for war crimes in Sri Lanka accountable and finally be brought to justice.

While I understand the need for reconciliation and co-existence, and how important they factors are in making forward progress possible, I am interested more in hearing from the people of Sri Lanka how they feel meaningful progress can be made towards achieving Millennium Development Goal successful outcome over the next 5 years:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development