Darfur is one of those clarifying moments in international affairs and public response. The same people who opposed acting against Iraq, despite Iraq's longstanding history of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and mass murder, all in addition to the WMD and terror-sponsorships, are now calling on the US to act in Sudan. As usual, Jewish groups are at the forefront of trying to stop yet another genocide.
This is one of those times when we shake the tree to see what falls. And hypocrisy abounds. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in particular should hold their heads in shame. Both anti-war in Iraq, they're calling for stronger action in Sudan, despite the fact that Saddam Hussein is widely acknowledged as having killed more than 300,000 Iraqis, Kurds, and Shi'a during his reign of terror. That's not counting the billions of dollars in environmental damage caused by torching thousands of oil wells in the first Gulf War or destroying the ecology of the marshes in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese militias are rejecting a deal with the government in Khartoum, although this deal would not end the ongoing violence in Darfur. Khartoum has no problem letting the janjaweed run wild over Darfur, and any deal should be seen as only permitting the government breathing room while it deals with Russia and China for continued backing against real action by the UN to end the violence.
Technorati: darfur, dafur, UN, sudan, chad, janjaweed, and Kofi Annan
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