Darfur

I am currently reading A Problem From Hell, a book about America's response to genocide during the 20th century. So far I have read the parts where the author covers the Armenian, the Jewish, the Cambodian, and Iraqi Kurd genocides. The book also covers Rwanda and Bosnia. From what I have read so far, I highly recommend it!

It is interesting to see to what extent we are repeating our history. We have done little other than talk in the many months that we have been aware of the genocide in Darfur. We did concluded that a genocide is currently taking place, but there has been little follow-up in the month since Secretary Powell used that word. In the past we did not acknowledge the occurrence of genocide until after the genocide is over. We also recently pledged to help fund the African Union force that, while currently present in Darfur, has been unable to do very much. Unfortunately our pledges under Bush have not had much follow through, especially in Africa.

The US still has the chance to intervene in Darfur in time to save lives. It is important to acknowledge that we are doing better than we have previously (although that is a ridiculously low standard to meet) but we have not done enough for a country whose foreign policy goal is to spread freedom. democracyarsenal.org has some thoughts about the role that NATO might play in Darfur.

We applaud NATO's commitment to the ongoing crisis in Darfur but we also believe that this successful military alliance, strengthened by the warrant of Security Council legitimacy, could do much more to bring a halt to Darfur's horrific humanitarian crisis. The ever-popular mantra 'never again'’ has to mean more than expressing political sentiment and issuing lukewarm resolutions that fail to stop the violence. It is not too late for meaningful action.

This is tough stuff, to be sure. Last week the U.S. and European countries agreed to provide critical assistance -- including $300 million to fund a larger AU force, air transport, armored personnel carriers, troop transport trucks, and training. These are very positive steps, but much more is needed. For example, the money pledged still falls nearly $150 million short of what the AU says it needs.

With the U.S. military over-extended as it is, we would need to rely mostly on the Europeans for further support, especially troops -- although, significantly, as Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick explained last week, the U.S. has already agreed to airlift the Rwandan contingent of the AU force, help build communications facilities and assist with training. But I believe greater American leadership could be decisive. Zoellick has made Sudan one of his highest priorities -- he has already been to Darfur once, and is going there again this week.