Darfur Deaths “Will Reach A Staggering Total” In Coming Months

Exactly what does spitting into the wind feel like? 

I, along with others who stress the need to right the wrongs of Darfur are the folks to ask.  We are the experts.

There are some themes and issues that get mentioned often on this blog.  Sometimes I admit in a preachy way.  But so be it.

One of those international issues with a clear moral foundation that requires our attention is Darfur where blood and fear are more common than anything else.  Sure, the issues are highly complex, but I strongly state that denying justice and safety to those affected now only make the matters on the ground in that region far more problematic to resolve.

Now comes a column by a Sudan expert, Professor Eric Reeves from Smith College, that writes things might get much worse very quickly.  The article first appeared in the Washington Post, and was reprinted in the Tuesday edition of The Capital Times.  History will harshly judge our inaction to this human catastrophe.

Paralyzing seasonal rains begin in earnest in June throughout the region. In eastern Chad, an obscenely underreported humanitarian crisis has put half a million Darfuri refugees and Chadian displaced persons at acute risk because of insecurity spilling over from Darfur. A European Union force deploying to eastern Chad may provide some of the protection necessary to halt the most threatening violence, but much depends on whether the force is perceived as an extension of a long-term French military presence that has supported Chadian President Idriss Déby.

In Darfur itself, however, the protection force authorized by the U.N. Security Council last July has stalled badly. Little more than a slightly augmented version of the African Union mission, it risks failing soon if it cannot do much better than its weak and undermanned predecessor. Khartoum refuses to accept key contingents from non-African countries and obstructs force deployment and operations in a range of ways. Indeed, nothing contributes more to what Human Rights Watchrecently described as “chaos by design.” While a variety of rebel groups, bandits and opportunistic armed elements contribute to the violence that threatens humanitarians, Khartoum has invested virtually nothing in providing security for Darfuris or humanitarians. On the contrary, reports from the field make clear that a climate of hostility, obstruction and abuse defines the working environment for all aid organizations. Khartoum still refuses to disarm its brutal Arab militia forces, the Janjaweed. Recently, in a campaign reminiscent of the worst military violence of the genocide’s early years, Khartoum’s regular ground and air forces coordinated with the Janjaweed in massive scorched-earth assaults against civilian villages in West Darfur.

###

The international community has waited far too long to come to terms with the brutal motives behind Khartoum’s simultaneous blocking of a U.N.-authorized protection force and its unconstrained harassment of humanitarian operations. Nothing short of the most urgent deployment of security forces will allow food to be moved into areas of greatest need. And nothing less than an equally urgent commitment to protect aid operations will permit an expanded humanitarian reach in the critical three months before the start of the rainy season. If Khartoum is not confronted over its deadly policies of fostering insecurity while obstructing humanitarian operations, then we may measure the consequences in hundreds of thousands of lives lost. The choice is before us now.

Technorati Tags: Darfur, Sudan, EricReeves, SmithCollege, ForeignPolicy

Boycotting The Summer Olympic Games In China

I for one was very pleased to see the protests taking place in Paris, London, and now San Francisco over the human rights abuses and dreadful foreign policy decisions by China.  At a time when too many here think of Iraq and the Middle East when the extremely broad topic of foreign policy is mentioned, it is important that Chinese policies be brought to the center of our global awareness.

I have long argued that the decision by President Nixon to go to China was more important than the Watergate affair.  As deeply damaging as Watergate was to the political culture in our nation, the fact is the positive effects of Nixon’s famous China trip are more important.  The long lasting impact of opening lines of dialogue and trade has benefited both our nations, and fostered connections that will serve all in the future.  If we do what is right.

By having international connections with China does not mean there are not serious differences that will require honest debate and action.  We should not be blind to the fact that every nation that we consider to be a rouge state has the support of China.  China policy to these nations comes in various forms, be it militarily or economic.  Iran is but perhaps the most central example to many who follow the headlines.  But the issues that arise from Chinese policies in places like Tibet and Darfur, and which do not see the banner headlines everyday, are worthy of the reaction that has been seen over the Olympic Games to be held this summer in China.

The ability of leveraging China to move in a more humane direction is one of the benefits of having diplomatic relations with the most populous nation in the world.  We should not, and must not abdicate our role on the world stage.  There is an old saying that “the road to the East runs through the West.”    If the United States uses the clout we now have on the world stage, and in conjunction with our European allies, we can set again a tone and series of expectations about Chinese foreign policy.   There are rules that govern civilized nations, and the world community.

We have the ability to do this, since our primacy on the world stage is not in doubt today.  But with China growing in economic and military power, that chance will not be forever ours to take.  By banding together with leaders such as Prime Minister Brown, and French President Szarkozy we have an opportunity to make a statement about what we think is most important in the world.  As China rises as a world power it does so at a time when open and democratic nations rule the world.  To not coerce China to play by the international rules will set up a world struggle that we will soon regret. 

We have an opportunity with the Olympic Games.  The protestors have opened the door.  Will the United States be willing to lead the world through the door?

Technorati Tags: Tibet, Darfur, China, ForeignPolicy, International, OlympicGames, RichardNixon

 

Green Bay Packer’s Brett Favre Is No Ira Newble!

Many in Wisconsin have spoken laudatory words over the past couple of weeks about Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre.  He played football, he quit, and he will move on with his life.  The footprint he leaves behind is in the world of sports.  That may be enough for people like Brett Favre.  But there are some in the world of sports who understand the larger and more important role they can have by affecting change.   As I noted here on May 29, 2007, Ira Newble is such a man.  He knows the sports arena is not where the true measure of a man is taken. 

I wrote in part at that time that Ira Newble was working to end the genocide in Darfur, and asking sports figures to sign on to his efforts.

Newble is casting a wide net, reaching out to the 400-plus NBA players as well as athletes in the NFL and in Major League Baseball.  (I bet every penny I have that Brett Favre will not sign it!) He’s also hoping for the support of his childhood hero, Muhammad Ali. It’s a lot of work, but he’s in for the long haul.

“This is bigger than sports, bigger than basketball,” Newble said. “This is about human beings, and how they are dying at an alarming rate because we are standing by and doing nothing.”

As I write in March of 2008 I still have no knowledge that Brett Favre even knows where Darfur is located, let alone offered to assist Ira Newble in a most important cause.  If I have somehow missed Favre’s interests in Darfur, I would welcome the news.  I would even do a post on it here!

This week there was a large story in the New York Times showcasing the work that Ira Newble does, even when other sports stars are more concerned with their contracts and paychecks.

For his part, Newble followed up on his letter-writing advocacy by taking what he called a “life-changing trip” last summer with the actress and Darfur advocate Mia Farrow to refugee camps in Chad near the border of Sudan. Tracy McGrady followed two months later.

But no matter how much they are prodded, the most leveraged of sports stars will continue to be the most careful because, as Newble said, “They have their contracts, their deals.” That brings us back to the Kobe Bryant public service announcement, the first of a series gradually being released and placed for broadcast by Aid Still Required, and also featuring McGrady, Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Baron Davis, among others.

The group is the brainchild of Hunter and Andrea Payne, who advised Newble before he undertook his personal letter-writing initiative.

Hunter Payne, a singer-songwriter, said that his group targeted practical, grass-roots strategies to assist Darfur — for instance, the reforestation of an area ravaged by drought, and the building and distribution of solar stoves so camp refugees will not have to search for firewood while risking atrocities at the hands of the Janjaweed and other armed militias.

“I’m not saying I disagree with the groups that have been going after China,” Payne said in a telephone interview. “But I believe that a broad-based approach works better for us. And in this case, it allows the athletes to be involved with less commercial risk.”

Fine, too, by Newble’s thinking.

“Hunter set up a more relaxed approach so the players could feel comfortable,” he said. “I’m all for it. People will probably listen more when it’s Kobe Bryant.”

In the meantime, Newble is preparing to play more basketball as a multipositional playoff defensive stopper, looking for a new N.B.A. home, not worried about a backlash for having spoken out in a manner that some might have interpreted as unhelpful to the league’s global blueprint for success.

“I love the game,” Newble said. “But I never thought I was in it just to dribble the ball up and down the court.”

I wish the same could be said for a former quarterback who threw a football on Sundays.

In other words one should use the microphone when given the chance.

Technorati Tags: BrettFavre, IraNewble, Darfur, NewYorkTimes, GreenBayPackers

Barack Obama On Darfur

This is the issue that moves me, and resonates with me.  When the winner of the Wisconsin presidential primary, Barack Obama, mentioned Darfur in his speech from Texas, I was pleased.  This IS the issue that separates those who have a moral center, and those who only talk about one.  I speak of not only politicians, but the public at large.  This is the issue that one day young people will ask “what did you do to stop the horror of Darfur?”  Most will have to admit they did nothing while genocide took place.  History will not treat many kindly, and for good reason.

 

Technorati Tags: Darfur, BarackObama, Africa, Election08, Democrats

Hillary Clinton Responds To My Darfur Comment In Madison; Rally Underscores What Is Right With America

There was something very energizing about the huge and thunderous rally held on the eve of the Wisconsin presidential primary Monday in the heart of downtown Madison.   Perhaps it was because of the women who surrounded me that were thrilled with the idea that the first woman might possibly make history by being elected President.   Kathleen and Kerri were enthused about this election season, having never been affected by a candidate like Hillary Clinton before.  They had never been to a political rally and were text messaging friends with pictures they were taking.  It was a pleasure to watch and hear their enthusiasm.

Perhaps the energy of the evening was due to the young faces of college students who seemed ready to make a difference by working and voting for a new leader.  Tony was “fighting mad” over the shredding of the Constitution these past seven years, and was going to make sure his many friends voted on Tuesday.    He paused and then said, “And in the fall too.”

Maybe it was just that a good old-fashioned Democratic stump speech with lots of spirit and verve felt good on a cold winter night in Wisconsin.  But as I walked back home I knew there was something else.  It is that in spite of everything that is wrong with our national policies we still live in a hell of a great country.    The fact that we hold election rallies such as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama did here in Madison with none of the madness that strikes places like Pakistan is not taken for granted with me.  The freedoms we enjoy, such as conducting robust and healthy debates in our nation about the major issues that divide us, is nothing short of remarkable.   And we should never forget it. 

Following the speech Hillary Clinton greeted voters around the ‘rope line’, and while others were asking her to autograph things, I shook her hand and said “Don’t forget the people in Darfur.”  She then turned her head and looked into my eyes and said, “I will not forget them.”  Then she took her hand and pointed with one finger to make a point, and stressed it again, adding that she has spoken out for the need of a no-fly zone in that region. 

I must say that I was heartened by her look, her eyes were solid and serious, and I felt she almost was relieved that someone mentioned something other than a request for yet another signature.  I know the people of Darfur have been left without a voice in this election season, and knew all week if I had the chance to mention it to the candidates I certainly would.  I feel passionate about this issue.  The people of Darfur deserve someone in the Oval Office that will not forsake them. (Again.)

Technorati Tags: HillaryClinton, Darfur, Madison, Wisconsin, WisconsinPrimary

Bullshit President Bush! My Reaction To His Rhetoric On Darfur

I simply am aghast at the comments made today by President Bush in an interview to the BBC.  It amazes me how he says things without ever realizing how tortured and twisted his ‘logic’ is, or how horrible his policies have been around the globe.

Not for the first time do I write about Darfur.  There is genocide ravaging this region of Sudan, and the world community has been slow in taking steps that truly will combat the core reasons for the carnage.  But after reading President Bush’s comments today I can honestly say I have never been more angry over the lack of a reasonable and justified response from the United States to that issue than I am now.

First, let me post the question and response.

Frei: I’ll get on to that in a minute. But, I mean, genocide is just a loaded - it’s such an important word. And you have committed troops - American troops around the world in other cases throughout… Afghanistan. Why not in this case?

Mr Bush: Well, that’s a good question. I mean, we’re committing equipment, you know? Training, help, movement. I think a lot of the folks who are concerned about America into another Muslim country. Some of the relief groups here just didn’t think the strategy would be as effective as it was. I mean, actually, believe it or not, listen to people’s opinions. And chose to make this decision. It’s a decision that I’m now living with. And it’s a decision that requires us to continue to rally the conscience of the world and get people to focus on the issue. You know, you’re right. I mean, we sent marines into Liberia, for example, to help stabilise the country there. And Liberia’s on my itinerary where I’ll meet with the first woman, you know, elected president in Africa - history. And - but, I just made the decision I made.

Bush’s rationale is partly due to his thinking that perhaps we should not send troops to yet another Muslin country.  Well if we had not sent troops into a needless war in Iraq that was promoted on false and misleading arguments from his own White House, we still might have some credibility left in the world to combat real problems such as Darfur.  It is exactly because of the reckless war that President Bush created in a Muslim nation that now is his argument for not going into Darfur to assist in ending genocide!

How did the BBC reporter not reach out and slap President Bush across the face?

Then later in the interview this exchange took place as reported by the BBC.

Asked by Matt Frei if he felt he had got the credit he deserved for investment in Africa,  Mr Bush replied: “I’m not one of these guys that really gives a darn about opinion. What I really care about is are we saving lives?”

No Mr. President, you do not care about saving lives or you would save the sanctimonious line of crap and actually do something to fight for the ones you labeled earlier in the interview as being the victims of genocide.   You said in the interview that “I think a lot of the folks who are concerned about America into another Muslim country”  as if to say opinion matters now in Darfur, but we all know public opinion counted for nothing in regards to your policy goals when the topic was Iraq.  You seem to act regardless of public opinion so why not now?   And in this case everyone knows that Darfur is a real crisis, not a fabricated one for political purposes.  Your double-speak about public opinion is utter bullshit. 

The total disregard that Bush has for the opinions of others is exactly the reason we have our asses getting kicked in Iraq.  The whole world marched and pleaded not to invade Iraq but oil interests won the day in the White House. He selectively listened to only those who were advocating an invasion policy of Iraq.   Now there is a true moral and humane reason to intervene in the genocide in Darfur, and there is no desire to fit our foreign policy to the misery that everyone knows is taking place but seems unable to stop.

Really, how did the BBC reporter not slap President Bush across the face?

Technorati Tags: BBC, Darfur, PresidentBush, Africa, ForeignPolicy, IraqWar

Deaths In Congo Low On Priority List For Presidential Candidates

There are many reasons that people look inward as a nation.  We got our ass kicked in Iraq, and face a recession at home.  Yes, there are tight times to come and naturally many will become more skeptical of any more international ‘meddling’.  But we must not limit our duty and potential as a player on the world stage to do good and great things.  Acting with timidity in our foreign policy as a result of the consequences of what President Bush has done to our nation would be wrong.  If we allow that to happen then he has indeed played a very destructive role in our history. 

The idea of making our foreign policy more reflective of human needs around the globe was one that I spoke of a great deal during the 2004 American presidential election.  At that time I used Darfur as the international focal point where the Democratic nominee could have demonstrated how U.S. policy could not only impact a region, but change world views and perceptions about America’s past failures on the world stage. 

I had hoped that John Kerry, the Democratic nominee, would have used Darfur to showcase how American foreign policy could intervene for good, as opposed to the dreadful war President Bush had started in Iraq.  As we now enter the 2008 election both Darfur and the Iraq War are continuing.  Clearly the current administration in Washington is unable or unwilling to stop the carnage in either region.  But even more outrageous is the lack of forethought and initiative from any of the presidential contenders this year to talk about the plight that grips large areas of Africa. 

Darfur is still a miserable place with death and carnage a daily way of life.  We had the chance to demonstrate with forceful resolve that the President of Sudan needed to act in accordance with international demands.  Instead the Sudanese leader, al-Bashir is no more concerned with the desires of ending the reasons for the bloodshed now then he was four years ago.  He has tinkered on the edges of policy, and given some lip service for an end to the bloodshed and rapes, but the larger themes for a workable policy go unmet.

The horror in Congo is yet another example of the complete failure by the largest superpower in the world to effect changes.  It is as if we no longer harbor any noble ideas about what role America should play on the world stage.   The effects of the war that gripped Congo are ones that will require even more money and brainpower from the world to insure stability.  But the topic is not on the agenda for the presidential candidates who have spent hundreds of millions of dollars for only a small number of delegates to date.  Should we be angry or sad?   What does it take to become a topic in an election year?

The news this week from Congo that the candidates avoided was only the latest such presentation of a very long and deadly tale.  The New York Times wrote it, in part, this way.

…45,000 people continue to die every month, about the same pace as in 2004, when the international push to rebuild the country had scarcely begun. Almost all the deaths come from hunger and disease, signs that the country is still grappling with the aftermath of a war that gutted its infrastructure, forced millions to flee and flattened its economy.

In all, more than 5.4 million people have died in Congo since the war began in 1998, according to the most recent survey’s estimate, the latest in a series completed by the International Rescue Committee, an American aid organization. Nearly half of the dead were children younger than 5 years old.

“The Congo is still enduring a crisis of huge proportions,” Dr. Brennan said. “Protracted elevations of mortality more than four years after the end of the war demonstrates that recovery from this kind of crisis is itself a protracted process. The international engagement has to be sustained and committed for years to come.”

Less than half a percentage point of the deaths were caused by violence, illustrating how the aftermath of war can be more deadly than combat itself. Much of the emergency aid is focused on the eastern part of the country, where militia battles with Congolese troops have chased nearly half a million people from their homes in the last year. A peace agreement to end that conflict was reached Monday.

But the increased mortality in areas outside of the volatile east is particularly worrying because it points to longer-term problems that endure long after the bullets have stopped flying.

Technorati Tags: NewYorkTimes, Darfur, Congo, Election08, PresidentBush, ForeignPolicy, JohnKerry

This Topic Gets No Concern From Presidential Contenders

And it is tragic.  Now more than 450,000 dead and counting.

Technorati Tags: Darfur, Sudan, Africa, Election08

France And Britain Correct About Need For Sudan Sanctions

I know this post is lost on most people.  After all it is football season.

But for those who do care about the plight of real people dealing with life and death issues, the thoughts of the European powers might be of interest.  The focal point is again in the bloody and troubled region of Darfur.  The main problem continues to be the government of Sudan led by President al-Bashir. 

The United Nations found the votes this summer to pass a Security Council resolution to take the necessary action to protect civilians and aid workers. The President of Sudan finally agreed to allow a large peacekeeping force into Sudan and the Darfur region to stem the loss of more than 200,000 lives.   (Sudan of course denies the death toll, and says only 9,000 have been killed.) Another 2.5 million villagers are homeless.  And let me be blunt, most of my fellow countrymen do not give a damn about any of these figures. 

But the European governments, as demonstrated by France and Britain, understand the need to be wary of al-Bashir, as he does not keep his word.  If Sudan fails to maintain a cease-fire in its western region of Darfur, or make progress on reaching a political settlement, the world community must press aggressively forward with sanctions.  Today news was made that rebel leaders would hold peace negotiations with the government of Sudan next month.  While those are heartening words, the past actions of Khartoum does not make me think the bloodshed is anytime soon going to end.

As the New York Times reported today those who allow the bloodshed are in control  in Khartoum.

The bloodletting in Darfur began four years ago when ethnic African fighters took up arms against the Arab-dominated central government, accusing Khartoum of hoarding resources and neglecting their area. Khartoum retaliated by unleashing militias in an ethnic cleansing campaign that has ended up costing more than 200,000 lives and leaving 2.5 million villagers homeless.

The world needs to stay on top of this matter even if most people in America do not care.

Technorati Tags: Sudan, Darfur, UnitedNations, France, Britain,
Technorati Tags: NewYorkTimes

The Darfur Crisis Expands

Early this week Chad announced a state of emergency in large areas of their country, as the crisis in Darfur spreads.  The problem is that Sudanese troops are crossing the border into Chad and bringing the chaos and bloodshed with them.  To combat this new and growing problem, the United Nations is considering placing troops along the border with Sudan and neighboring Chad and Central African Republic.

Too little.  Too late.

An absolute bloodbath has been taking place in the Darfur region that has forced refugees to flee and armed militants to follow.  The fact that over 200,000 have been murdered, and countless others raped and brutalized while the major powers have sat around saying how horrible it all is, makes me sick.  A fact-finding mission from the UN is set to investigate next week the conditions on the ground at the border.  Exactly how much more investigation does it take to understand genocide is taking place as the result of the Sudanese government?  And that the powder keg is now moving into neighboring countries?

The fact that the Sudanese Army has given arms to rebels in Central African Republic, and they have now taken control of small villages and are demanding power sharing with that government should be just about all the ‘research’ the UN might require for action.

Action is something that the United States, Europe, and the UN have not been very good at.  Be mindful that the 7,000 African Union Force already in Darfur are in serious need of more men and more power.  A U.N. Security Council Resolution calls for U.N. peacekeepers to take over for the Union soldiers.  But Sudan has stymied efforts by the UN to do what must be done to put the chaos back into the bottle.  For Sudan to be giving orders to any country in the world is rich!

I wish that the United States were more forceful and direct with this enormous problem.  To talk about it is not enough.  It never has been enough for those of us who understand that history will judge us harshly for doing nothing when so much wrong was being committed.  We know Iraq is a horrible place today in large part because we have non-stop video to show us the carnage.  I tell you the carnage is just as real, and just as sad, in the Darfur region.  The question is do you care enough to demand our nation act to stop the genocide and madness in the Darfur region?
Technorati Tags: Darfur, Sudan, Chad, CentralAfricanRepublic, UN

Darfur And George Bush

I will wait to see if President Bush rises to the moment in history when he speaks to the United Nations and demands world action in Darfur.  There are few places in our world more dreadful and forsaken than Darfur, which is filled with mournful cries of children and dazed looks of frightened and fearful adults.  The Darfur region requires immediate world assistance.

Last week the Sudanese government called on the African Union to pull its peacekeepers out of Sudan if those forces continued to support a U.N. takeover of the mission.  The African Union forces are too few in number and are not allowed to take any action that is required at the time violence and bloodshed develops from the thugs and murderers that have government support.

There is only one way to proceed and that is for a massive U.N. force to be deployed in Darfur, giving the forces the authority which is required to make the camps safe for the civilians.  More than 215,000 civilians are seeking refuge in neighboring Chad and are continually threatened my militias in the very camps meant to give them some sense of safety.  Janjawid attacks are now also displacing Chadians by the tens of thousands.

President Bush has used Iraq’s refusal to abide by U.N. resolutions as a reason to go to war.  In Darfur there is United Nations Resolution 1706 that demands in October the Sudanese government allow U.N. troops to protect Darfur.  Up to now the Sudanese have been most reluctant to bend to the needs of Darfur and the demands of the world.  If the President does not demand these troops be sent, and then actually follow up his words with actions, the world can again rightfully say the United States has lost its moral foundation and brighter vision for the world. 

I will be watching and waiting.