Where are the Yanks?

2 August 2004



France Sends Troops to Stop Sudan Genocide

The next time an American decides to rant about the French being gutless, unprincipled jackasses the retort just might be, "So where are your troops for Sudan?" After the UN Security Council voted to get really mad at the Khartoum government in a month if doesn't shape up (the word "sanctions" was removed to secure passage), the French flew in humanitarian aid to the victims in Darfur, while the Americans did -- nothing.

The sad part here is that the US has been hammering at the Sudanese government from its UN seat for some time now. Congress has stated that it considers the murders and rapes of the non-Muslim black African farmers in western Sudan by Arab Sudanese, known as the Janjaweed to be genocide. And the [Arab led, Muslim] Khartoum government is at very least turning a blind eye to the attacks. At worst, it is helping. The American government has got it right, except when it comes to action.

The Khartoum government has said that it will resist any invasion by foreigners. So the French troops who are going to help with the distribution of aid just might have to shoot back. The opportunity here to fix Franco-American relations, do some good for the people on the short end of the stick in Darfur and challenge a government that has historically given aid and comfort to Al-Qaeda is tailor-made. All that is lacking the action.

American action has been restricted to passing a resolution in the Security Council (13-2, with Pakistan and China voting in favor of genocide and against the people in Darfur). "This is the last thing we wanted to do," John Danforth, the American ambassador to the UN, said, "but the government has left us with no choice. It's time to start the clock ticking on the government of Sudan." He then lied by saying that removing the word "sanctions" in effect "takes no teeth out of it [the resolution]."

In thirty days, the US might force a vote on sanctions. This would be stupid. In thirty days, thousands more will be dead. And sanctions only hurt the people at the lowest end of the economic ladder -- the poor victims in Darfur will hurt more than the relatively rich in Khartoum. Moreover, sanctions have never worked to halt military action. Mr. Bush, it's time to send some troops to Darfur.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


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