Rice’s Strategy on Genocide: Stay The Course
“U.S.’s Deadly Errors in Darfur”, John Prendergast in The Philadelphia Inquirer
The genocide in Darfur has killed at least 255,000 people — the equivalent of nearly two times the number of U.S. forces now in Iraq. Yesterday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a major speech on the issue to the Africa Society. Rice announced no new commitments or policy proposals to end the violence. Instead, she bragged that Bush officials are “bend[ing] every fiber of our being to ease the suffering of people of Darfur.”
Despite Condoleeza Rice’s protestations to the contrary, it would appear that the Bush Administration is NOT, in fact, “bending every fiber of our being” in their efforts to find something resembling peace in Darfur. The sad reality is that, whatever Rice thinks is being done, people are still suffering and dying when this Adminstration is fixated with Iraq.
Were the truth to be told, there would be more than 100,000 American troops in Iraq- if only Darfur were an oil-producing region. America has no discernible economic interest in Darfur. Then again, as the preeminent economic and military power in the world, we certainly have a moral interest, and indeed a moral obligation to do whatever can be done to eae the suffering of innocent civliians in Darfur. IF we can invade Iraq to steal oil “defend freedom”, should we not be able to defend freedom where it is truly imperiled. Does genocide not constitute denial of freedom? If we can put untold thousands of troops on the ground to protect and defend Iraqi oil freedom, should we not be able to do something similar to protect the residents of Darfur?
Just as in Iraq, Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader has made mistakes- grave and costly mistakes- in Darfur. These mistakes have cost thousands their lives, and will continue to do so until the Bush Administration removes its anterior from its posterior and recgonizes the cost of their inaction.
John Prendergast convincingly lays out a 10-point indictment of the Bush Adminstration’s ineptitude regarding Darfur. The sad thing is that if the Bush Adminstration had acted instead of reacting to the genocide there, many thousands of innocent civilians may well still be alive. Apparently this Administration’s ineptitude is not limited to Iraq.
The administration’s press statements and offers of incentives, and U.N. Security Council resolutions without real punitive actions have left the impression in Khartoum that Washington and the rest of the international community are all bark and no bite. “Constructive engagement” sometimes works, but it is making no impact here. Until the international stance, led by the United States, becomes much tougher, Khartoum can be expected to go on relentlessly targeting the civilian population in Darfur.
While our government fiddles, Darfur continues to burn. “Diplomacy” is not the answer, not when the Sudanese government remains complicit in the extermination of their own citizenry. The longer the Bush Administration waits for diplomatic half-measures (Neville Chamberlain lives) to have an impact, the more innocent men, women, and children will be massacred in Darfur. If we’re so concerned about fighting freedom, shouldn’t we truly be “bending every fiber of our being” and exploring every available avenue to stop the Sudanese government from slaughtering their own citizens?
Memo to the citizens of Darfur: get some oil and THEN talk to us. Until then, it would seem you’re on your own.
