Much press and attention has fortunately been bestowed upon the forsaken region of
Darfur, Western Sudan. The humanitarian situation in this region, which in actuality, extends over about half of the country, is grave; there is mass loss of life, mass suffering, mass exodus, all of the chillingly telltale signs of genocide. There are currently two crisis in Sudan, both as a result of oil and religion; the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum wants the oil found in the south and west, areas dominated by the Black Christians. The central government's lifeline is this oil; they will not allow control over these areas to waver an inch, and thus bombard any regions and villages that they consider to be a threat to their dominance with air to ground missiles, in addition to the
janjaweed Arab militias that roam and plunder at will in Black African villages. (There is a historical antecedent to this strife-when the British colonial government pulled out, almost overnight, they created in a
vacuum one enormous country out of what should have been at least two, "uniting" an Arab north with a black south into one unstable and volatile federation). There is very much the US could be doing in this region of the world, even in our over extended current state; there is logistics coordination, intelligence coordination, back room stuff that our military can perform masterfully in, without any risk of another "
Blackhawk Down," erupting (the main
psychological stopping point for another US military adventure in the Horn of Africa remains in the images of US
servicemen's charred bodies being dragged through the mud strewn streets of Mogadishu in 1993). There is also the measure of political pressure; the movement created in the U.S., a broad coalition of evangelists, student activists, human rights watchers, soccer moms, and George
Clooney fans, has spoken; the White House has listened, to some extent; it is not impossible for them to ignore, much to their chagrin, and much in the method that they were proceeding before awareness was brought to the masses. This is a good example in the people leading the way; rarely, are politicians the ground breakers in any large scale movement, we need to cautiously remember.
The basic point; we could be doing MORE. There is awareness; Bush has called the situation genocide. But where is the real, true effort to stop this genocide? I believe it could be more dangerous to label something and then walk away; complete indifference (such as in Rwanda in 1994) at least can be excused as just that, indifference; but when you speak out against something, as the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, and then continue to let masses starve and be killed by roaming bands of militiamen, indifference can no longer be cited. Action needs to be taken, an action that is multifaceted, well-funded, aggressively diplomatic, using both public and back channel means to achieve the only acceptable and reasonable end. In addition, it is the result of a well-informed and proactive public leading the way. We are vastly overextended in Iraq and Afghanistan; our diplomacy is greatly weakened in as this administration blunders and limps its way to the finish line; but our voice, our actions, and our leadership still means something to the rest of the world. We can choose to lead in
sabre rattling in Iran, or we can choose to lead in a massive humanitarian intervention to save the lives of millions in danger. Acting in other's interest, this action to sustain life that has no voice could turn back the scales of world opinion.
Concluding the previous point, let me cite Dr. Sachs, in his infinite wisdom. Concluded by pictures that appeared in the
NYTimes yesterday; this newspaper has done a masterful job in bringing awareness to this issue. They are doing the job they SHOULD be doing as the mass media in an open society, and that so many others are completely negligent in doing; bringing issues of world importance, of human importance, to those who would otherwise be unaware.
"Great social transformations-the end of slavery, the women's and civil rights movements, the end of colonial rule, the birth of environmentalism-all began with public awareness and engagement. Our political leaders followed rather than led. It was scientists, engineers, churchgoers, and young people who truly led the way." (Time Magazine)
