From Memory to Action

Of Candidates and Conflict

2008-10-27T01:17:00.000-07:00

With the economy in a tail-spin and a dire global security situation, America's voters have plenty to consider as they vote for their next President. In the face of such immediate concerns, it's naive to think that the candidates' stance on genocide prevention and ethnic conflict will be an issue of any significance to the outcome on November 4. But it's not immaterial, either, even to those voters who don't consider themselves part of the "anti-genocide constituency." The candidates' views on Darfur and other conflict-ridden areas sheds light not only on issues of conscience, but also on the orientation of foreign policy.

Genocide and ethnic conflict is stoked by instability, which the US government has also recognized fosters terrorism. By recognizing that the same socio-political instability that leads to genocide threatens US national security generally, Presidential candidates display a nuanced understanding of foreign policy. It's a welcome sign, then, that Senators Clinton, Obama, and McCain all signed a May 2008 letter pledging their "unstinting resolve" to ensure "peace and security for the people of Sudan." Senators Obama and McCain, the eventual major-party candidates for the Presidency, also both expressed a willingness to intervene to stop genocide in their second debate.

Nevertheless, one candidate is clearly better poised to address the instability that threatens both future genocides and future threats to US national security: Barack Obama. Senator Obama's chief qualification in this regard is that he would immediately bring much higher political capital to the global stage. In a Bush-weary world, Mr. Obama would represent welcome change to European and African governments, all crucial allies in the fight against extremism in all its forms. Of course, popularity will not sustain a robust foreign policy. But throughout the campaign, Senator Obama and his advisers have repeatedly stressed the importance of the non-military ("non-kinetic") dimensions of national security, suggesting that such dimensions will assume prominence in an Obama foreign policy. The non-profit Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS), moreover, notes that Obama has recieved an "A" for his work on Darfur in the Senate, while McCain has been slapped with a "C." "Senator Barack Obama," concludes CGS, "has a firmer grip on the conditions of the Sudanese people and action desperately needed to make the end of genocide in Darfur a reality."

Whatever the election's outcome, though, the next president can take a number of steps to reduce the threats posed by socio-economic instability. The next administration should instruct the Pentagon's new Africa Command to serve as a model for military-civil cooperation in intelligence, economic development, and civil society enhancement. The possibility of a United Nations-sponsored "rapid deployment force," designed to enable UN-sanctioned humanitarian interventions, should be explored. Most of all, the next administration should take the opportunity to reintroduce itself to the world as guarantor of global stability, security, and prosperity. America's conscience, and it's long-term interest, do not permit it to be otherwise- something that the past eight years have proven at such cost.

Africom- A new take on US military involvement in Africa

2008-10-10T02:52:00.000-07:00

This past week, the US Department of Defense announced the creation of Africa Command, a new Unified Combatant Command with responsibility for US military forces operating across Africa. The creation of Africom, as it is known, is significant for two reasons. It is the first time that America has created a military command for Africa- previously, operations on the continent had been directed by the European Command in Germany. Africa-watchers can take some heart from this development that Africa will fall more routinely on the radars of senior US defense and security officials. Even more significantly, Africom appears to represent a new direction for civil-military partnerships. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was quoted by The New York Times as saying that Africom will focus on supporting State Department and US Agency for International Development efforts, including by involving military personnel in community health and development activities.

Some, including Kenneth Bacon, President of Refugees International, have criticized the military's move into areas traditionally dominated by civilian agencies and non-governmental organizations. But like it or not, the military has the money and the political clout to do things that such instititions only dream of. Civil-military partnerships have great potential for ameliorating the conditions that lead to ethnic violence, as well as for stopping conflicts once they begin. A robust civil-military presence could do much to enhance stability in some of Africa's weak states, thereby decreasing the potential for unrest to occur.

But it will take an adept commander to turn this potential into reality. Army General William Ward, who has been named to head Africom, should begin by enhancing support to the African Union mission in Darfur. Conscience dictates that the world's most recent genocide be the first and chief beneficiary of the US military's enhanced interest in Africa. Beyond that, the European Union mission in Congo, as well as fragile national forces in Africa's North-central and Horn regions, are sorely in need of US military logistics, communications, and intelligence support.

With the creation of Africom, the Pentagon has taken a laudable if overdue step towards recognizing that poverty, underdevelopment and instability threatens US security. The next step is to make Africom an active and effective agent of stability throughout the continent. Now to you, General Ward. We're anxious to see what you do with your new command.

The new muscle of international justice

2008-08-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

While newspapers around the world have been recording images of Russia's resurgent military might, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has been flexing new muscle of a very different, multilateral kind. In May, former Congolese strongman Jean-Pierre Bemba was arrested on ICC charges of crimes against humanity. Last month, the Court for the first time indicated a sitting head of state, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. And most recently, Radovan Karadzic, the infamous genocidaire of the Balkan Wars, was turned over to the ICTY to stand charges.

Not since the days of Nuremberg have so many of the world's most prolific murderer-tyrants been called to justice by the international community. It heralds a promising trend, not least because the United States, ever suspicious of international justice, has not stood in the way: it elected not to block Bashir's indictment before the Security Council. Moreover, the recent show of force by international judicial institutions sends a powerful signal that murderous regimes can no longer hide nor escape judgment for their crimes.

If it lasts, that is. Bashir remains ensconced in power, and the kind of theatrics that deprived Slobodan Milosevic's victims of justice may yet derail the trials of Bemba and Karadzic. To prevent that, the world's governments, America's in particular, need to encourage the pursuit of justice. The world's international courts are to be congratulated for their new-found resolve. We can only hope that its governments will follow suit.

Bashir: Indicted, for Better or Worse

2008-07-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced its first indictment of a sitting head of state. Fittingly, its object was Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, whose government has overseen a persistent campaign of genocide and persecution in the country's western Darfur region. While Darfur advocates around the world will no doubt welcome what many see as well-deserved punishment, there is cause for concern that Bashir's indictment will slow an already faltering peace process. The Sudanese government has pledged to retaliate for the indictment, and Western aid workers and officials may well be the first casualties. While they are unlikely to be physically harmed, Khartoum has proved to be both willing and able to disrupting international aid efforts to Sudan's conflict-ridden western and southern regions.

More importantly, however, the participation of the Sudanese government is crucial to formulating a lasting peace in Sudan. President Bashir richly deserves to be judged for crimes against humanity, as the ICC indictment charges. But the indictment is nonetheless a serious affront to the Sudanese government, and delicate diplomacy will be necessary to ensure that it does not stall progress on future peace agreements. We can only hope that peace and justice, so often complimentary, are not in this case antagonists.

NewTactics.org

2007-10-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Check this out! It's from New Tactics, an online human rights community that I absolutely love! I really recommend it as a forum for learning new ways to fight for human rights.

New Tactics, an online human rights community and project of the Center for Victims of Torture, will be launching an online tactical discussion on the topic of "The Power of Place: How Sites of Conscience Inspire Civic Engagement" on October 24th. We would welcome your personal or organizational participation and perspective in this discussion with people from all over the globe.

The New Tactics in Human Rights project is excited to announce our new
community-based website.

Join New Tactics, a community committed to Human Rights.
At www.newtactics.org you will be able to:

* Connect with human rights advocates from around the world
* Meet and interact with activists, educators, students, and
other practitioners
* Share ideas and seek feedback
* Join on-going discussions or start new ones
* Collaborate with colleagues
* Find new resources and all your favorite New Tactics materials
and tools

Join today and participate in: The Power of Place: How Sites of Conscience
Inspire Civic Engagement featuring practitioners from the International
Coalition of Historical Sites of Conscience including Sarwar Ali, Trustee
from Liberation War Museum in Bangladesh; and Ereshnee Naidu, Director of
Programs for Africa and Asia at the International Coalition office in New
York and former Project Manager for Memorialization at the Centre for the
Study of Violence and Reconciliation in South Africa. Save the dates,
October 24 to 30.

Join Now! Visit http://www.newtactics.org/user/register

New Tactics website is a project of the Center for Victims of Torture (Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN).

The Devil Came on Horseback

2007-10-18T04:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw the new film The Devil Came on Horseback, a documentary chronicling Brian Steidle's work as a photographer in Darfur in 2004-2005. This was the best documentary about Darfur that I have seen; it was the most cohesive, probably because it had a central focus, but through his photography it brought together testimonies of refugees, the work of other Darfur activists, and emphasized the inhumanity and impunity of the Janjaweed. The Devil Came on Horseback is the most difficult film I've seen in a long time; it was not just the grusome, gut-wrenching photos of violence, rape, and destruction that made the film difficult. There was something so raw and so human in Brian Steidle's story that it made it impossible to turn away even from the most horrifying pictures of children who had been burned alive. I plan on recommending The Devil Came on Horseback to everyone I know because once you see it, you'll take action.

Here are some links about the film:
-Interview with Annie Sundberg, one of the directors
-Movie Review (New York Times)
-"The Reluctant Hero of Darfur, the Movie" (New York Times)
-Official website

I'd love to know what others think of the film, so if you've seen it, post a comment on this blog.

Barack: NYC hears about Darfur

2007-09-27T18:35:00.001-07:00

So, I just went to the Barack Obama rally in New York City. A huge mass of people of all shapes and sizes gathered in Washington Square park, and while Obama talked about changing America's education system and providing health care for every American, he also talked about our serious need to reform foreign policy. In particular, he mentioned focusing our energy on areas of need around the world in which the United States could have a hopeful impact. He said, "we need to end the genocide in Darfur."

He might have been surprised by the huge roar of support that rang out from the crowd, but he shouldn't be too shocked: students at NYU have been putting Darfur on the top of their activism agendas, and Washington Square park was represented with student activists from around the city tonight.

It's encouraging to see that presidential hopefuls are discussing this issue on the campaign trail: a sign that it is a widening concern that has gained enough momentum to affect presidential campaigns.

Mali's Magic Weed

2007-09-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Normally we think of weeds as those pesky, unwanted plants stealing the nutrients from our carefully tended vegetables or roses. But what if a weed could help stop global warming and alleviate poverty?

This magic weed is called jatropha. It grows around the world, in Latin America, Asia, Africa. Farmers in Mali, West Africa have discovered that cultivating this weed may prove profitable. Why? It is used as biofuel. Already, jatropha is used in Mali to power generators for electricity. Oil companies like BP have begun investing millions into growing it.

Jatropha grows in a variety of climates, and does well in Mali's dry, Saharan farmland. It can grow beside food crops and its yield is much higher than that of other biofuel crops, like corn. Additionally, it helps prevent erosion and does not endanger other habitats the way a crop like palm oil, which takes land away from the rainforest, does.

But, will jatropha prove to be such a lucrative crop that farmers sacrifice land on which they currently grow food crops in its favor, thus leading to food shortages in Mali? And will it actually increase poverty by concentrating power in the hands of a few growers?

Read the New York Times article, "Mali's Farmers Discover a Weed's Potential Power."

Arab to Arab Violence Increases Sharply

2007-09-02T21:41:00.001-07:00

Today's New York Times took note of a sharp increase in violence in Darfur, saying "Darfur’s violence has often been characterized as government-backed Arab tribes slaughtering non-Arab tribes, but there is a new Arab-versus-Arab dimension that seems to be a sign of the evolving complexity of the crisis. What started out four years ago in western Sudan as a rebellion and brutal counterinsurgency has cracked wide open into a fluid, chaotic, confusing free-for-all with dozens of armed groups."

Above are maps indicating the areas most affected by the spreading violence.

It's Great In Theory

2007-08-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

The rebel troops in Darfur have finally agreed to meet with Sudanese government officials. This is mostly probably due to the actual threat of UN and AU troops being allowed into the area. But will this end the problem? It's not like militias are known to keep their word. While I believe that it is about time troops were allowed in, it might only rectify the problem for a short time. We should not lose our focus on this issue because it is far from over. We need to keep an eye on Darfur for years to come. It is a very real possibility that the killing could start again once the UN and AU troops have pulled out. This is not the time to lose momentum. So, let's not.

Getting Comfy With Genocide

2007-08-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Read this immediately.

Ron Rosenbaum writes that we should be asking substantive questions of our presidential candidates:

"What would you do if you saw another Rwanda developing? In other words, a genocide that has little to do with previous U.S. intervention and is not our fault in any direct way, but one we could prevent - at a cost: U.S. troops, U.S. lives. President Clinton has apologized for his failure to intervene in Rwanda. Do you agree that the United States should commit itself to preventing genocide anywhere it threatens to occur?"

My follow-up question: when asking questions like the one above, are we simplifying genocide prevention by only investigating military options? What about long term policy? Or despite the post-genocide blame and restrospective declarations, are we ignoring the fact that U.S. military action is necessary to stop genocide?

House vote a victory for Liberian refugees

2007-07-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

Last night House members in Washington passed bill H.R. 3123, allowing Liberian refugees to stay in the US until September 30, 2008. They would have lost their refugee status on October 1 of this year without this legislation. One of the bill's supporters was my own representative Keith Ellison (D-MN). Other supporters include Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and its sponsor Patrick Kennedy (D-RI). The Senate will vote on similar legislation this week and we can expect Minnesota Republican Senator Norm Coleman to vote in favor of it.

According to Minnesota Public Radio, about 3,600 Liberian refugees live in the US, mostly in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Providence, Rhode Island, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Liberia was created in the 19th century by freed slaves from the US. Liberians have been living in the US for the past two decades because of a civil war. In 2005, democratic elections were held but the Liberian economy, Keith Ellison points out, is not yet ready for an influx of refugees and the country is not yet entirely stable.

Liberian activist Charles Dennis says that while the Liberian refugees ultimately want permanent residency in the US, the one-year extension is a victory. "The way things are going with immigration and post-9/11, you have to take what you can get. If it comes in chunks, that's wonderful. Just to buy some time to show that we are not illegal immigrants but part and parcel of the US historically. We do not deserve better treatment than someone who just came across the border."

*I am trying to return to blogging about West Africa, my chosen region for this blog. This seemed like a good place to start since I live in the Twin Cities and have worked with Liberian activists before.

Holding our breath, yet again

2007-07-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

A unanimous vote today in the United Nations Security Council authorized Resolution 1769, calling for 26,000 troops and police to be sent to Darfur in a joint UN-AU mission. The resolution calls for finalized state force contributions in the next 30 days, asserts that the Mission headquarters are to be set up by October of this year, and claims that the Mission will take over command from AU peacekeeping forces in Darfur on December 31, 2007.

While the resolution invokes chapter 7 of the UN charter on the use of force (meaning peacekeepers can use force to protect themselves from harm and civilians who are under attack), it does not allow force to be used for "seizing and destroying" weapons.

Three years after Congress declared genocide and almost one year since the passage of Resolution 1706, a resolution calling for UN forces that the international community allowed the Sudanese government to repeatedly reject, some activists welcome the renewed rhetoric coming from the UN. The rest of us are having a difficult time overcoming events (or lack thereof) in the last year which lead us to invest little faith that these 30 day/October/December deadlines will be implemented. So, for those who were ready to kick back and praise the efforts of those who got Resolution 1769 passed, I hope we can all realize that this is just the beginning.

This time, we're going to have to be loud enough for world leaders to implement the resolution. This is no time to rest, trust, and talk. This is a time to demand proof. Hold leaders accountable for actions, not resolutions. Measure results on the ground, rather than just on paper.

It's go-time. If we don't get something done now, we run the risk of teaching future generations that big rhetoric followed by empty promises is acceptable.

2007-07-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

Lately I've begun to notice a lot of articles coming out of the communist, anarchist and otherwise radical communities attacking the Save Darfur Movement.

An admission before I go on: as an activist who has worked to end the all-too-real Darfur Genocide for about 4 years, it is both painful and shocking to suddenly see my peers and fellow activists claiming that I have, unbeknownst to me, been part of a government conspiracy to commit corrupt and unjust acts. I have great respect for the radical community; I have worked alongside them on issues of global justice, and I hope to continue to do so.

So I must disclose, for the sake of full journalistic disclosure, that this feels like a betrayal--not by any individual, but by radical ideals that I had a lot of hope and faith invested in.

Yet the more I've seen this conspiracy theory in zines, newsletters and blogs, the more I've realized that I need to write my thoughts--and, most importantly, the facts-- in plain English, and in the public (blogo)sphere, as an act of faith that my peers have the ability to discern propaganda from principle on both sides of this new, emerging debate, and determine the truth on Darfur for themselves.

So here it goes.

To paraphrase, the articles I've read claim that the crisis in Darfur is a lot more complex and a lot less black-and-white than the Western media portrays, in its typically anti-Arab propaganda. The radical media says the Darfur Conflict is not necessarily a genocide; it is a complex clash between diverse groups who do not need to be "saved" at all.

Furthermore,radicals point out (correctly) that the largest Darfur advocacy group, the Save Darfur Coalition, is not donating directly to Darfur, and that it has on its board of directors former diplomats, who have worked for the US government--which has proven many times that their interest in gaining control of an oil-rich Arab state comes before their respect for human rights. Radicals believe the Save Darfur Coalition is advocating military intervention for the corrupt purpose of gaining Arab oil and overthrowing another Islamic regime. Most notably, they believe the movement to "save" Darfur is actually a government conspiracy to justify another act of US military intervention in an Arab-Islamic state. They use the fact that President Bush has even shown unprecedented support for the Darfur movement to drive the point home: If Bush supports the Save Darfur Movement, how could it possibly be anything more than a scheme to steal oil, money, and power from the Arab world?

That’s basically the argument I’ve read a lot these past few weeks.
Here is my response, as one Darfur activist, who can’t claim to speak for the entire movement, but has a lot to say.

(After clicking the link, scroll a bit.)

"Jihad on Horseback"

2007-07-20T13:51:00.001-07:00

I stumbled across a documentary about Darfur called Jihad on Horseback. It is by a filmmaker named Nabil Kassem, who works for Al Arabiya, and was meant to be released on Arab television but never made it that far. It is only about 40 minutes long but captures the suffering of civilians, mostly women, whose lives have been devastated by the conflict. The film also contains interviews with Janjaweed leaders, including Mousa Hilal, and African leaders from Darfur, which I think is valuable for understanding the conflict. The film is from 2004 so some of the information may have changed but I thought it was useful and shocking regardless. Below is the description of the film.

"Two years ago, Al Arabiya producer Nabil Kassem was asked to put together a documentary film on Darfur. What he witnessed there, and recorded in this film, were scenes of unspeakable brutality and untold suffering, scenes he thought would surely wake up an Arab public all too willing to let Darfur pass by. But 'Jihad n Horseback' never made it across the airwaves."

Click here to watch the documentary.

Click here to go to the blog Mideast Youth--Thinking Ahead, where I found the film.

Water- a new wellspring of hope for Darfur

2007-07-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

Many analysts have long said that resource competition helps to fuel the violence in Darfur. Competition for scarce resources, especially water, is held by many to be responsible for much of the animosity between Arab nomads and black African farmers in the region. The recent announcement that a huge underground lake, as large as America's Lake Erie, has been discovered is therefore cause for rejoicing. Although claims that the discovery will end the violence are almost certainly exaggerated, it is a huge source of hope. Driving wells to tap this new water resource is certain to improve the region's development prospects, and hence provide a stable basis for peace. Nonetheless, it's clear that international efforts will be crucial to achieving any kind of lasting security.

One other notable aspect of this story is the role of science in resolving complex global issues- the underground lake was discovered by a team at Boston University using remote sensing (satellite) technology. This brings to mind the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's partnership with Google to use GoogleEarth to highlight attacks against villages in Darfur. The applications of science and technology to help solve problems like Darfur are barely exploited, and we should all keep our minds open to new roles for them to play.

2007-07-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

Stop Genocide Now, a grassroots organization focusing on awareness and education, has been sending citizen-reporters to Darfur for some time now to document the effects of the violence there. Check out their daily videos from refugee camps in the region around Darfur. Links provided to advoacy websites.

Flight Revisited

2007-07-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

On July 9, I blogged about an editorial by Julie Flint that was published last week in the New
York Times. The editorial said that enforcing a no-fly zone over Darfur would endanger humanitarian operations in Darfur. Flint also wrote that the Sudanese government was not bombing the region often, although they had in the past. Since I posted that article, however, I have done some more research and found that yes, Khartoum is still bombing civilians, according to an article from Reuters. The article, published July 13, says that while bombing did cease from February to April this year, it has resumed, especially in West and North Darfur.

Three's a Crowd?

2007-07-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Dr. Gerard Prunier tells Jerry Fowler that, while conflict rages in Darfur, an ineffective North-South peace agreeement looms. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement between Sudan's North and Sudan in 2005 calls for an election in 2011, at which time Southerners made vote whether or not to secede from the country. Meanwhile, a provisional Southern government is working to create an effective structure for its government and army, but suffers from a lack of resources.

Prunier, who has just returned from a recent trip to South Sudan, believes that an overwhelming majority of Southerners plan to vote for secession in 2011.

Meanwhile, international attention is focused on Darfur as its own entity rather than in the context of its country. While we push to protect the people of Darfur, Southern Sudan is operating under what many deem an ineffective peace agreement, with insufficient resources, in preparation for war.

Diplomats and government officials should be prepared for the anticipated messiness of 2011. Should activists make room in the equation for Darfur and Southern Sudan in the coming years?

Further thoughts on flying

2007-07-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

Until recently I have generally thought that establishing a no-fly zone over Darfur would help stop the violence. I was still under the impression that the government of Sudan was supporting the Janjaweed from the air. The New York Times published an op-ed by Julie Flint on July 6, a Darfur expert, entitled "In Sudan, Help Comes From Above." In the article she argues that enforcing a no-fly zone over Darfur is illogical and even inhumane considering that humanitarian aid is delivered to Darfur via airplane. She writes:

A no-fly zone would do little or nothing to address the reality that the greatest threat to civilians in Darfur today comes on the ground--not the air.

The article also serves to remind us that we must pay attention to presidential candidates' Darfur policies. Specifically, Flint cites Senator Clinton as an advocate for a no-fly zone over Darfur but I know I will be researching all candidates' Darfur policies before the coming election.

$50 to Move Back Enough?

2007-07-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Burundi refugees living in Tanzania who wish to move back to the country will be compensated with 50K Burundi francs to do so, so says the UN Commission for Refugees, effective July 10, according to an article published yesterday on Relief Web.

Having not read the article carefully the first time through I was rather skeptical: how bad must situations be for the UN to offer such a large sum (though only worth 50 USD) to get people to return to a country which they fled. On second reading I was relieved to see the stipulation that the money was for those who choose to return voluntarily (as opposed to a measure that might persuade them to return against their better judgment) and to aid them in getting back on their feet.

Not knowing how much 50K Burundi francs would buy I can only hope that it is a substantial amount and not a (nearly) empty gesture. A new life back in their former home is bound to be complicated by "difficult social and economic conditions" and while any sum would certainly be a help I think it only fair to say that they deserve more than just pocket change.

America, Land of the...Genocidaires?

2007-07-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

STAND, the student anti-genocide coalition, recently sent an email about the pending Genocide Accountability Act, which you can read about here. In partership with organizations like the Wiesenthal Center, the Department of Justice has zealously hunted down and expelled persons resident in the United States who were known to have been perpetrators of the Holocaust. The same has not been true for Rwanda and Bosnia. This Act aims to erase this discrepency.

I think it's an interesting issue, and I encourage you to check out the bill's proposed content and reflect on what stance the United State should take on this issue.

The Six Elements of Effective Peacekeeping

2007-07-04T12:04:00.001-07:00

ENOUGH's policy team recently came out with six prerequisites of an effective peacekeeping force for Darfur.

1. A strong mandate to protect civilians.
2. Management of the mission by the United Nations.
3. A sufficient level of troops and police drawn from around the world.
4. Mobile resources and equipment needed for quick response across Darfur's challenging terrain.
5. A strong emphasis on civilian and humanitarian needs.
6. Sufficient funding from the international community.

Perhaps the most important thing here is that there is nothing particularly innovative or suprising here- and yet proposals for peackeeping forces in Darfur and elsewhere lack many or most of these elements. Peacekeeping forces are one of the most important- and under-resourced- instruments of the international community. If given the troops, capacity, and funds to be effective, these forces can play a big role in establishing basic security and assisting in humanitarian and capacity-building efforts.

So: read ENOUGH's full report here and sign a petition here

Making friend with officials from Sudan....

2007-06-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today I sat in a slightly warm conference room at the United Nations to hear a seminar on desertification and the threats it presents. Now, normally I am not one to seek out confrontation...but as I'm thinking about making a comment to the panel, I see a man enter the room, in a rather nice suit, and looking around he quickly sat down at the seat for the representative from Sudan. Well, I couldn't help it. I asked a question about the topic at hand, but made sure to mention "the ongoing government sponsored genocide in Darfur."

As the panel went to address my question and the others that had been asked...this man I had seen walk in quickly raised his hand and interrupted the panel, and made a brief statement saying that "the conflict in Darfur has not been called a genocide by this [the United Nations] body, so any such language should not be used."

Aside from pure outrage at this comment, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Not only did I get to call Darfur a genocide within the sacred walls of the United Nations, but I also make this guy from the mission of the Sudan angry enough to reply to my humble little comment. It is often frustrating being a witness to the action, or rather lack of action at the UN, but it is quite fun to make friends with new people.

Words of Wisdom

2007-06-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

In the preface to Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival, Paul Rusesabagina writes:

"'Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.' Yes, the refugees of Darfur need food and shelter, but more than that they need schools to teach their children; they need the means to rebuild their lives and their homes.

"To the international community, I offer this message: It is the duty and obligation of adults to teach the children to heal. The international community would be wise to help provide jobs and education for the adults and children of Darfur. It must assist in enabling the refugees of Darfur to return home and rebuild their lives, their communities, their society. Children of genocide, left to be orphans, uneducated, and jobless, will grow to be adults who will repeat the atrocities they have witnessed."

It's a simple message, and yet it forces us to consider the complexities and long-term effects of genocide. Education. Empowering youth to overcome trauma, heal communities, and build a better world.

Easier said than done. Thoughts?

NOT a boycott

2007-06-26T09:29:00.001-07:00

As Jill Savitt and her team work to bring the Olympic dream to Darfur, they must also combat the assumption that their campaign calls for a boycott of the Olympics. It does not.

The press has latched onto the catchy idea of "Genocide Olympics" - but the challenge is that accusing China of hosting Genocide Olympics gives the country no way out. Savitt wants to set China up for success, appeal in a positive light for China to do its part to host peaceful Games. This means extending its leverage until positive results are seen on the ground in Darfur.

Jerry Fowler speaks with Jill here.

Darfour à Paris: "La communauté internationale ne peut pas continuer à rester sans rien faire"

2007-06-26T02:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I know I've been WAY behind on blogging for quite some time now. My studies here in Paris have been rather demanding, both in and out of the classroom, absorbing what I can of the culture in such a big city. However, it's refreshing (though of course at the same time disheartening that the situation still merits worldwide attention) to hear of news about Darfur even here, where I had no idea what kind of attention the crisis was getting.

Yesterday, in Paris, a conference was held on the subject of Darfur and France's role in bringing the conflict to an end. In attendance, of course, was the new French president, M. Sarkozy, and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice as well. An article (in French for those able to read it) is posted on the website of Le Monde; of course, a translation can be found (though in garbled English, at best) of the article using online translation machines such as BabelFish.

Hope all's well!

Time to Press for Tougher Sanctions

2007-06-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

As Elizabeth noted in her post below, Sudan has once again backtracked on its pledge to permit a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. For the full story, see the article "Meeting on Darfur Ends with Little Visible Progress" in Monday's New York Times.

This intransigence, by now all too familiar, indicates it's time to press for full global sanctions against the energy corporations and oil infrastructure that finances the Sudanese regime's brutality. Click here to sign a petition and join SaveDarfur's campaign to encourage Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to press for tough sanctions at Monday's strategy meeting with China and France.

Be Responsible for History

2007-06-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has read my post of a few weeks ago on my visit to Auschwitz knows that I came away less than pleased with how the place has been preserved and is treated today. Well, there’s another aspect of it that bothers me, too.

Historians and the people who design and maintain museums have a sacred responsibility to convey the past in the objective light of truth. Unfortunately, as we all know, history is as malleable and as valuable as gold to those who would abuse it. Auschwitz is a prime example.

Throughout the communist period, authourities all over Eastern Europe misrepresented the Holocaust by playing down its Jewish aspect, as much as that was possible. It would be nice to think that perhaps they did this out of a misguided attempt to equally include the non-Jewish victims of Nazi oppression, but we know it was really the result of anti-Semitism.

Today, Auschwitz looks more like a shrine to Polish nationalism and martyrdom than a monument to Jewish suffering. Several buildings are devoted to exhibits of Polish suffering and heroism. The other displays devoted to Jews identify them by their nationalities first and foremost. A single building tells of the overall Jewish experience.

I’d like to think that this is because of a desire to portray the martyred Jews as members of a larger Polish (and European) community rather than the worthless and persecuted minority that the Nazis defined them as. I know differently, however. This is a prime example of what happens when national governments have control over how history is passed on to future generations in state museums.

There was so much more to the Holocaust than the terrible sufferings of Polish political prisoners at Auschwitz. It could be argued that the torture and killing of such prisoners was the original purpose of Auschwitz, but when so few people go down the road and see the cemetery of nearly a million Jews at Birkenau and little mention is made of them, history is misrepresented.

Post a comment on how you think we can remedy problems like this.

"Watershed moment for human rights"

2007-06-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

For the first time, an international criminal court convicted war criminals for the conscription of child soldiers. The ruling took place in Sierra Leone, where former military leaders were charged for 11 war crimes. The AP quotes David Crane, who is the founding prosecutor of the Sierra Leone Special Court:

He called the ruling a watershed moment for human rights. "This particular judgment sets the cornerstone forever -- those who recruit children into an armed force are criminally liable," Crane said.

During 10 years of war, high numbers of child soldiers were recruited in Sierra Leone and neighboring Liberia. According to the AP:

In Liberia, Taylor's men are accused of organizing the so-called Small Boys Unit, which conscripted youngsters, armed them with machine guns and baptized them with names like Babykiller.

While the Court's conviction marks a bright spot for human rights advocates, child soldiers continue to suffer in places like Northern Uganda. Setting precedents through punishment is essential, but it is now the international community's responsibility to build a future for these child soldiers and prevent future atrocities such as the crimes in Sierra Leone from happening again.

Games of diplomacy

2007-06-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

Much to the chagrin of activists....the Sudanese government has yet again denied the alleged acceptance of UN command over a hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur.

For more analysis, see this entry.

An Axis of Peace for Darfur

2007-06-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

The ENOUGH project, founded by some distinguished veterans of the Darfur advoacy community, has come out with a new report entitled An Axis of Peace for Darfur. This thoughtful policy document outlines the different reasons that China, France, and the United States- the countries with the most leverage in Darfur- have an interest in ending the violence there. Check it out for a fresh perspective on the diplomatic campaign for Darfur, as well as some action items.

Sacrificing Darfur to fight terror?

2007-06-18T23:24:00.000-07:00

The Jordan Times published an article titled "As Darfur bleeds, Sudan helps US fight terror." Isn't it ironic that a country can "fight terror" yet perpetrate it at the same time? The basic premise of the article is that the United States needs Sudan to help track Al Qaeda in East Africa and that is why the Bush administration has been soft on Darfur. Colin Thomas-Jensen, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, says that the US is conflicted over reacting to Darfur and using intelligence from Sudan. "The overriding strategic objective of the US in the Horn of Africa is fighting terrorism and so these two issues are now clashing."

The article goes on to talk about Osama bin Laden's role in US policy toward Sudan. He lived in Sudan in the mid-1990s and Sudan divulges information on Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups to the US. "To placate its critics, Sudan has suggested that Darfur rebels are of the same ilk as Al Qaeda and is seeking to maximise the benefits from its decision to expel Ben Laden and align itself with Washington." The article ends with a quote from Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of Al Quds Al Arabi newspaper in London:

If there's a foreign intervention and if there's a Sudanese party who doesn't like this foreign intervention, this will open a space for Al Qaeda to come and fill. So they are waiting for these forces to come, exactly the way they were waiting for the American forces to go to Iraq, to fight them.

With this possibility in mind, what do we do? Have we been mistaken about what is needed in Darfur or are we right on track? Is the possibility of terrorist activity in Darfur a real threat? And how valuable is Sudan's intelligence? And how can we justify allowing genocide to continue in order to fight terrorism?

What investments?

2007-06-18T19:46:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, I had the priveledge of meeting and talking with the executive director of the genocide intervention network, Mark Hannis. His stories were inspiring and his ideas innovative.

One thing we discussed was how to make Darfur a campaign issue in 2008. Because I live in a swing state and famously contested county (Palm Beach County was the county of chads and butterfly ballots in 2000), candidates usually pop in pretty often during election season. So Mark reccommended local activists try to bring the issue up with candidates at public appearances as much as possible.

It just so happened I was meeting my favorite candidate, Dennis Kucinich on Saturday night at a political event. With Mark's advice on my mind, I boldly approached little Dennis during cocktail hour (blabbering out "I really, really love you" as my personal introduction) and then asked why he hadn't yet divested his personal investments from Sudan. (I know this from GINET's Darfur 2008 election project, askthecandidates.org)

He looked at me and blinked. "WHAT investments? I barely own my own home," he said, his elfin face obscured by righteousness. And suddenly it all came back to me; I saw, in memory, the websites that noted Kucinich was the poorest candidate, the son of factory workers, the one with only a few thousand dollars to his name.

So I laughed it off, and walked away, feeling sheepish.

One World, One Dream: Keeping China in the Spotlight

2007-06-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

China's slogan for the 2008 Olympics sits awkwardly with its support of many brutal regimes, including that of Sudan. Mia Farrow and others have expolited this dark secret to enormous effect with the Olympic Dream for Darfur campaign, as referenced by Elizabeth Milligan in her entry below. China has responded with its toughest stance yet towards the Sudanese government's violence.

Their efforts prove that international public opinion- our opinion- matters to China. Now Congress has gotten into the act. Senate Resolution 203 was introducted on May 16, but has languished in committee for over a month. The resolution calls on China to "use its unique influence and economic leverage to stop genocide and violence in Darfur, Sudan." As a resolution, it does not have force of law, but would send a powerful public signal to the Chinese government that the American people care, and so does their government. It is not anti-China, but simply calls on Beijing to do the right thing. There is no reason not to pass this resolution.

Click here to learn about the bill, and then ask your representatives (especially if they're on the Foreign Relations Committee) to get S.Res. 203 out of committee and start doing good!

Also check out the House version, H.Res. 422

Navigating Nuances

2007-06-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

Last week, Julie Flint wrote:

"The people who will "save" Darfur are the Darfurians. And they may do it under our noses -- slowly, painfully and without our assistance, whatever we eventually choose to do." Flint suggests that activists are ineffective with a shallow understanding of the contextual situation of Darfur, Sudan, and the region."

Does that absolve us from the responsibility to protect - or try to protect? Are the merits of academia lost by taking action? Or is action ineffective when it lacks the scholarly background of an expert?

STAND responds here.

Shaming China

2007-06-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

This morning, actress/activist Mia Farrow, Sudan expert Professor Eric Reeves, and Director Jill Savitt officially launched the Olympic Dream for Darfur campaign, meant to garner international support for a movement to shame China into using its leverage to end the genocide in Darfur.

Check it out.

Sudan accepts peacekeepers

2007-06-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yes! Sudan has finally accepted a hybrid African Union (AU)-United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force in Darfur. The BBC article said that the AU will manage everyday operations and the UN will provide between 17,000 and 19,000 soldiers, mostly from African and Asian countries. Unfortunately, the deployment will probably not be until next year. Nevertheless, I am thrilled to hear that Sudan is caving in to international pressure. I think we can look at this as a milestone but not a stopping point. We must still focus on humanitarian aid and continue with the divestment movement.

Check This Out

2007-06-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth let me know that Peter Balakian did an interview with the Committee on Conscience's Jerry Fowler about "The Burning Tigris" (see my post below) for the podcast series Voices on Genocide Prevention.

Check the interview out here.

What I’m Reading VI

2007-06-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

It’s remarkable to look back as reactions to past genocides and see how little has changed today. In his book “The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response,” Peter Balakian reveals one of the first international human rights movements that took place a century ago in response to the Armenian Genocide.

The “Save Armenia” movement of a century ago looks a lot like the “Save Darfur” movement of today. Back then, letter writing campaigns targeted politicians. Many people called for military intervention. Brave journalists went on the ground to show the world the face of genocide. Massive fundraising and humanitarian aid programs were launched to feed and clothe the survivors of genocide. And also like today, political squabbling and “national interests” kept the powerful nations of the world from helping the victims.

If you have any interest in either the Armenian Genocide (for which this book is a good introductory history) or the history of human rights activism in the United States, then I urge you to read “The Burning Tigris.”

The Amusement Park of Evil

2007-06-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was in Poland touring different Holocaust sites. The trip took me to the death camps Treblinka, Auschwitz I, and Birkenau. At two of these places, I was greeted by the quiet solemnity that I expected but at Auschwitz I was a bit disturbed by what I saw.

Auschwitz is the archetypal image that most people have of the Holocaust and so is the most visited of all the camps. To most people, Auschwitz is the Holocaust. That’s why I was disappointed to see the “amusement park of evil” atmosphere that it has. Groups of very young schoolchildren run all over the place and clamber over the displays. Groups on bus tours of Poland stop briefly to have a look at a gas chamber and then head off to their next stop (perhaps a vodka tasting?). The death camp is just another point on an itinerary. Tourists (adults!) stroll around and casually pose for smiling pictures as though they were in a park.

I realize that these are people who might otherwise not learn about the Holocaust or genocide, and so any exposure is good. On the other hand, the place they were so casually and disinterestedly taking in is one of the largest cemeteries and sites of mass murder in the world. It should be treated as such, but is not. Clearly, a balance has to be found between mass education and respectful memorialization.

The question is, where is that balance? Is any measure justified in the name of educating the otherwise ignorant masses? Or, should more measures be taken to guard the dignity of places like Auschwitz, even at the expense of education?

Please comment and post your thoughts.

Policy experts can help students finish their homework

2007-05-31T10:58:00.000-07:00

Student activists are busy. Student activists who want to be effective don't have time to do their homework or pass classes. Just ask our parents, the friends we never see, or look for the computer attached to our hips.

The student movement, however, is finding an increasing amount of support from policy experts. In spring 2006, STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition merged with the Genocide Intervention Network, and now students, with the guidance of policy experts and resources in Washington, D.C., can focus on implementation, bringing a more unified policy ask to the grassroots student contituency.

Today, ENOUGH: the project to abolish genocide + mass atrocities, with GI-NET and STAND, hosted its first activist conference call featuring ENOUGH Policy Advisor Colin Thomas-Jensen, Advocacy Director Cory Smith, and GI-NET Membership Associate Colin Christensen. Moderated by Lisa Rogoff, the call provided information for student activists about the current situation on the ground in Darfur, an advocacy update, and guidance for activist campaigning.

These calls can support students, who must balance school with Darfur activism and policy research.

The ENOUGH website will soon post a summary and record of the call. Why are these calls such an important tool? This is information we, the public, are deprived of, with the exception of the occasional blurb from the press. It's the information students and activists are seeking in their quest to decide how best to turn action into effective, educated action.

Can/should streamlined information help to focus and unify the Darfur movement?

Divided movement or the ingredients of a peace deal?

2007-05-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, May 30, activist John Prendergast and academic Alex de Waal came together at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to debate the question of: What To Do About Darfur?

While many expected sparks to fly between two differing viewpoints, only one question seemed to remain unanswered: to what extent must we use military action to impose cost on the Sudanese government and thus end the genocide in Darfur?

For Martha's evaluation and notes, see Lives in the Balance. The transcript of the debate will soon be posted on the Committee on Conscience analysis page.

Real action from President Bush

2007-05-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, President Bush announced that he is taking action to stop the genocide in Darfur. He announced three steps the US will take to curb the violence.

1.) The Department of Treasury will tighten and enforce all existing economic sanctions against Sudan.
2.) The US will place sanctions on individuals playing key roles in the genocide. The sanctions will restrict their ability to do business with US citizens or companies.
3.) Secretary of State Rice will meet with the leaders of the United Kingdom and other US allies to discuss a new UN Security Council Resolution featuring sanctions on the Sudanese government and individuals perpetrating the genocide or obstructing the peace process.

Previously, Bush has condemned the atrocities in Darfur and spoken of America's responsibility to protect but has not yet taken tangible action to end the genocide. I think we have to give this a try and, in the meantime, keep divesting.

Finally Fidelity...Now Who?

2007-05-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, Fidelity finally decided to divest out of dealings with Sudan. I must extend to them my applause as it is a great first step for the major investment company. Hopefully, other major companies will take a page out of Fidelity's book and divest more from companies who have their hands in Darfur. Now that we have gotten Fidelity to divest, who should we focus our attention on now? It has recently come to my attention that the University of Chicago is refusing to divest out of PetroChina, citing "the protection of academic freedom". Aside from pressuring the US government itself, perhaps we should focus on universities. The University of Chicago is an elite university, and what sort of example does that set for the rest of the academic world if they don't divest? Universities hold just as many dealings as big companies do, so let's raise our voices to them. Many students are involved in the Darfur issue and urging their university to take their dealings out of any company that funds the genocidal government of Sudan is certainly something many students would rally behind. So, in conclusion, be a conscience citizen or student and urge your local university to divest.

Potential Progress

2007-05-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is that President Bush may be taking solid action to impose new sanctions against Sudan in the next few days and that he is directing Condoleezza Rice to draft a resolution asking the UN to adopt the same actions.

According to Bloomberg,

"Bush also will identify three individuals targeted for sanctions, the first time the U.S. has done so unilaterally, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters last night. He said two of three are senior Sudanese government officials linked to the area's militia forces, known as the Janjaweed, and the third is a top rebel leader.

The announcement of the penalties is a follow up to a warning Bush gave last month in a speech at the United State Holocaust Museum in Washington. He said at the time that the world has a ``moral obligation'' to halt the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of western Sudan."

Minesota divested. Have you?

2007-05-25T07:11:00.001-07:00

On May 23, Minnesota, where I go to school, became the thirteenth state to divest, or "un-invest," from Sudan so I think it is time for an update on the targeted divestment movement. Recently, Fidelity Investments cut some, though not all, of its ties to PetroChina, due to advocacy from Fidelity Out of Sudan! activists. PetroChina is one of the Chinese oil companies targeted for divestment from the Sudan Divestment Task Force. Some of the 2008 presidential candidates--Rudy Giuliani, Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Sam Brownback, specifically--have also taken steps to divest their personal investments from Sudan.

Divestment can be a daunting subject at first, so I want to clarify something important. The question I hear most often is, "Won't divestment hurt the Sudanese?" The answer is no. People think of South Africa when they think of divestment. Blanket divestment was used to fight apartheid, and ultimately ended it, but did impoverish ordinary South Africans. Targeted divestment only removes money from companies that are directly funding the genocide without having a corporate governance policy against it and that do not help Sudanese civilians. It will not hurt the states or other institutions that divest and it will not hurt the Sudanese civilians. Furthermore, the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act (S. 831), a bill in the Senate, will protect states and institutions that divest from Sudan once it passes.

As Sandy Pappas, a Minnesota state senator, said, "This is not just a symbolic gesture. Targeted divestment from Sudan is the most effective tool we have to stop the first genocide of the 21st Century."

To find out if your state has divested or has divestment legislation pending, click here.
To find out how you can become involved, click here.
Visit DarfurScores to find out if your Senators support S. 831. If they do not, write them a letter explaining that you think they should vote for/co-sponsor the legislation.

Big News From Burundi - "To Set Up War Crimes Court"

2007-05-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

The article is so short that it pretty much speaks for itself. Sorry I've been rather lax with my blogging but the end of the year was crazy with exams and being Assistant Stage Manager of a show, plus I'm getting ready to go to France for a month of study in less than a week.

Self-Defense in the Ghettos of Today?

2007-05-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Two days ago was the sixty-fourth anniversary of the end of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Led by Mordechai Anielewicz, a small group of Jews armed themselves and resisted the deportation to Treblinka of the ghetto’s remaining Jews. They were surprisingly successful against overwhelming odds and held out for almost a full month of fighting before their inevitable defeat.

In just a few days, I will walk the streets of Warsaw and visit what is left of the ghetto. I will pay my respects to Anielewicz’s memorial and the Ghetto Heroes Memorial. Anielewicz’s last letter before his death ended thus:

The dream of my life has risen to become fact. Self-defense in the ghetto will have been a reality. Jewish armed resistance and revenge are facts. I have been a witness to the magnificent, heroic fighting of Jewish men in battle.

This is one of the most inspiring incidents of the Holocaust, when a few Jews learned of their fate and decided to die with honour by striking back at their exterminators when nobody else in the world would save them. They died as fighters rather than victims.

It makes me wonder if self-defense could be a reality for today’s victims in Darfur. World governments and the UN constantly call for peace between the rebels in Darfur and their Janjaweed and Government enemies. The rebels must not be asked to lay down their arms until others come to defend their people in the IDP camps that have become today’s ghettos. The world should end its moral ambiguity, take sides and aid the rebels if they aren’t willing to fight for them.

If we could go back in time and help the Jews of Warsaw in their fight against Nazi Germany, wouldn’t we? Is today really any different?

Please post your comments and thoughts on the possibility of enabling self-defense for the victims of genocide.

is protest dead?

2007-05-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago some friends and i quickly organized a protest and boycott-- not in response to the ocean-qway human rights violations we're usually protesting-- but because of a bread-and-butter scandal affecting our university that's gotten lots of coverage in our local press.

the day before, most of the people we handed fliers to in the breezeway were familiar with the issue.

this was a welcome change from darfur activism. it felt empowering to be part of a movement that had palpable potential to cause change. and this change could, for once, be immediate. no UN resolutions necessary.

but then...no one came to the protest, aside from the core organizers and our friends. There were more press than people, their cameras' clicks sometimes louder than our improvised chants. In stead of participating, my fellow students at my commuter school gawked at us in the hallway, framing cell phone photos, and edging by us to slip coins into the vending machines we told them them to boycott.

needless to say, this poorly attended press-spectacle was a bit of an embarassment fo me, one of its organizers. i replayed the past few days in my head looking for mistakes, but could find none: we had publicized efficiently and thoroughly; we had sent mass e-mails and made masses of photocopies; we had garnered the attention of every press outlet in the area.

and yet somehow our protest had alienated the people we had hoped most to inspire: the students of our school.

this led me to question the very nature of protests in general. Do they alienate people who aren't activists, people not used to yelling at causes?

the rebellious romantic in me mourns this. sure phonecalls can be effective but they aren't as adrenaline-rush-inspiring as picketing and marching and sitting-in. In my mind, if activism were a big university, protesting would be its football-- the thing everyone celebrates and cheers at and contests.

(no offense to any sports fans here,) but, like football, is protesting just a big fun spectacle or does it actually get stuff done? And the even more unnerving question i keep asking myself is if we are just alienating potential activists by being so..."in your face" about causes? or would we be defiling the nature and legacy of activism if we got out of everyone's face?

in short, is protest dead?

Encouraging the media to face up to genocide

2007-05-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

We learn from Jerry Fowler's November 2006 interview with Ann Curry:

"Ann also highlights the importance of public response, noting that the more emails and feedback a story receives and the more the public cares about a story such as Darfur, the more likely the outlet is to continue covering the region."

Tonight, ABC News released two Darfur news stories: "Darfur: Trying to Save the Capital" and "How You Can Help Save Darfur."

So, click on the Comments and Suggestions page at ABCnews.com and let ABC news know you appreciate Darfur coverage. The human rights community must not let genocide go unnoticed, and our ability to spread the word rests largely on the media.

The failures of international organizations: the case of Zimbabwe

2007-05-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

This week Zimbabwe, the country with the world's largest inflation rate, was elected to lead the Commission on Sustainable Economic Development (CSD) at the United Nations. This represents the failure of the international community on a number of levels.

First, giving a leadership position at the United Nations to a dictatorial, repressive, floundering government only gives international legitimacy to that government, and says the world doesn't care if governments harm their own people - they're still fit to help lead the rest of the world on an incredibly important issue.

Second, the CSD is the body charged with ensuring global "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs," according to its own mission statement. When Zimbabwe currently "has the world's fastest shrinking economy outside a war zone... inflation is running at 2,200 percent...and the nation, once a regional breadbasket, faces acute shortages of food, hard currency, gasoline and most basic goods" (IHT) promoting Zimbabwe to head a sustainable development institution just makes no sense. It says that the international community doesn't really care about sustainable development, it just wants to pour a bunch of money into an office and some programs to pretend it does.

Why did this happen?
"It seems developing countries voted for Zimbabwe in a direct show of defiance against developed ones... Many observers believe the result was an overwhelming snub to the US and the EU by developing nations, especially those in South America, who respected both the African block's decision and their refusal to be pushed around by former colonial masters."

When countries like Zimbabwe are elected to chair the CSD, and Sudan sat on the old Human Rights Commission despite the North-South civil war and Darfur, how can we expect the UN to act effectively to protect people around the world?

Distorting Darfur

2007-05-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here's an anonymous letter from the New York Times Magazine's column "The Ethicist":

My brother, an eighth grader in a school where I am a junior, gave a speech about the genocide in Darfur to his English class. His teacher and classmates chose him to present it to the entire grade. School administrators would not let him speak unless he removed a sentence containing the word "rape," finding it inappropriate for 13-year-olds. Is this censorship, or does the school have a valid point?

Randy Cohen, The Ethicist, responds that it is right for schools to think about what content is appropriate for students to hear but argues that "A discussion of the ghastly events in Darfur must mention rape, lest the audience be significantly misinformed." I agree. Kids younger than eighth grade are exposed to misogyny and violence on television.

As my father says, we cannot sanitize the human experience. The tragedy of Darfur is that thousands of women and girls, many even younger than eighth grade, have been raped. To eliminate the word "rape" from a speech about Darfur does not deny that rape has been and is occurring there, but is does distort the truth. To distort what is happening in Darfur insults the memory and dignity of the victims of Darfur. As activists, my fellow board member Elizabeth Milligan wrote in an earlier post, we have the responsibility to educate others about Darfur in order to combat misinformation. Telling the truth about Darfur is our moral obligation.

What I’m Reading V - Darfur Investigation

2007-05-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

The genocide in Darfur is old enough that books are starting to be published about it. The best one that I’ve seen so far is “Genocide in Darfur: Investigating the Atrocities in the Sudan,” (2006) edited by Samuel Totten and Eric Markusen. By far the largest and most scholarly volume published on the subject to date, the contributors are a who’s who of big names in the genocide prevention community. Even the COC’s own Jerry Fowler lends a chapter.

Totten and Markusen include a bit of historical information on Sudan and the crisis in Darfur, but they committed most of the book to the history and process of the Darfur Atrocities Documentation Team that interviewed refugees in Chad and whose information gathered led Colin Powell to make the historic accusation of genocide against Sudan in September 2004.

A lot of space is given to analyzing why the United Nations and other groups have not made similar findings, as well as what the significance of the US findings are. This book is absolutely required reading for anyone who wants to understand the genocide in Darfur, how it was discovered, the world’s reaction to it, and its implications for future genocides.

Transcending realism with hope

2007-05-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

Holocaust expert speaks on relationship between politics and genocide - News

See the above article about Jerry Fowler in the Oregon Daily Emerald, or just contemplate his quote:

"We may never have a world without genocide, but that doesn't absolve us of the responsibility as witnesses to speak out and have the hope and the imagination that lives could be saved because of what we do."

STAND high school students have such a vision. They'll be taking part in a media advocacy event called "Picture a World Without Genocide." To learn more, click on www.standnow.org/picture_a_world.

Tanzania's Unannounced Expulsion of Refugees

2007-05-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

Going on a year now the government of Tanzania has expelled persons of Rwandan and Burundian descent according to an article from Reuters news service. The article reports that in the process upwards of 15,000 people (a vast majority of whom are from Rwanda) have been forced to leave. What is most shocking about this is not that those being expelled are refugees (though that would certainly be shocking enough) but that even some who have lived in Tanzania all their lives, having been born to parents from Rwanda or Burundi, are also being targeted.

Thanks to Human Rights Watch the president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete (pictured), has heard word that the world will not stand idly by and watch this flagrant abuse of the mandates governing the protection of refugees. Since it is not party to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees but since it is a member-state of the United Nations I am not sure what legal implications would apply here but what Tanzania is doing is certainly unsettling.

Article 1 (full-text of the Convention to be found here) requires that, "The Contracting States... apply the provisions of this Convention to refugees without discrimination as to race, religion or country of origin." That's strike one. As for subsequent strikes, look to Article 32, which states that refugees cannot be expelled unless it's for reasons of national security, one must have been given "due process" before being expelled, and that one must be given sufficient opportunity to seek refuge in another state.

As I said I don't know what the legal ramifications would be in this case since Tanzania is not party to the Convention. However, according to the article Allison des Forges of HRW seems to think that what Tanzania is doing is "in serious violation of international law." At the very least I think that what Tanzania is doing is morally reprehensible and it should be made to think twice about removing the welcome mat for these people who have gone through so much.

Keeping the Heat on this Summer

2007-05-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

For most of us, the school year is winding down or already over and summer’s starting. For me, graduation time is here and I’m done with university. Just because summer vacation is here doesn’t mean that it’s time to take a break from advocacy. There are still a few people around campus and everyone counts, so make sure to get the message about Darfur to them.

Better yet, this is a great opportunity to make yourself a better advocate. Let your summer reading enrich your knowledge of Darfur and genocide in general. Learn new techniques for spreading the word and networking with other advocates.

Keep the pressure on Sudan, the companies that invest there, and your own government representatives.

Remember, genocidaires don’t take a break and mass atrocities aren’t seasonal. The people committing them shouldn’t get the summer off from opposition just because we do.

2 new books on Darfur

2007-05-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

For academic reasons and personal interest I have recently finished reading two new books on Darfur. One focuses on what happened on the ground, the other on US citizen responses. They are both incredibly important additions to our understanding of the Darfur crisis.

The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace is the story of Captain Steidle's year as an observer with the African Union Mission in Darfur. The book is an earnest account of attacks Steidle witnessed and investigated, and the photographs section is particularly powerful. It's a must-read to understand what life on the ground for Darfuri civilians was like during some of the worst of the genocide in 2004.

Sample quote:
"It is one thing to attack people in their village; it is another thing entirely to attack an IDP camp. THese people had already been driven out of their homes violently and had established a camp of last resort - and act of desperation as they sought to meet their basic needs and find safety. But even that was to be denied them by the GOS and the Janjaweed militias. I was convinced: This was systematic ethnic cleansing. This was genocide." (p. 79)

Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast is a book that does two things - it chronicles the work of activists and advocates to start what is now a true citizens movement for Darfur, and it lays out ways that individuals can help end genocide. The book is also peppered with the thoughts and commentary of the authors, which provides an often amusing insight into what makes two of Darfur's greatest champions tick. (For more of my thoughts on the book see here). Also, portions of the proceeds go to the new camapaign ENOUGH).

Sample quote:
"We can use the Six Strategies for Effective Change: Raise Awareness, Raise Funds, Write a Letter, Call for Divestment Join an Organization, and Lobby the Government. With these tools, we can build the network, increase pressure on the United States and other governments to act quickly and appropriately, and ensure that the political costs for inaction will always be too great." (p. 223)

Photo: student board members Sara Weisman and Martha Heinemann Bixby with Not on Our Watch co-author Don Cheadle

Water water nowhere

2007-04-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

This semester I took geology in order to get my physical science requirement out of the way. I'm not a fan of any science class, and looking at rocks is about as dull as it gets, but the class has made me look at the world in an entirely different way. I've always loved nature but I had never before realized how intertwined humans are with their environment. I know that you've heard before, in an earlier post by me and one by my fellow blogger Ana Halper, that the genocide in Darfur is rooted in a conflict over resources. One of the most important resources is water, for the simple reason that it keeps us alive. Water is hard to come by in Darfur. The Sahara desert is expanding, thanks to global warming, and causing prolonged droughts in Darfur, as well as in West Africa and the Horn of Africa. Water scarcity is also one of the many hardships facing the displaced people and refugees in Darfur and Chad. But we can help them. The American Refugees Committee (ARC), a humanitarian aid organization based in Minneapolis, has a program to build water pumps in Darfur. Next semester, when the University of Minnesota chapter of STAND begins to focus on fundraising, we'll send the money we raise to the ARC to help them build water pumps. By doing this we will help the people of Darfur, but this is an action that should be taken in other places as well. Providing easier access to water is one way we can alleviate conflict today and prevent it in the future.

On Our Toes

2007-04-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sudan's green light for only part of the peacekeeping force is too little, too late, and is aimed only at defusing international pressure and heading off sanctions. Governments should keep the focus on the full international force, which could really help to protect civilians in Darfur.
--Peter Takirambudde, Africa director at Human Rights Watch

Just a few weeks ago we celebrated Sudan’s decision to allow part of the international peacekeeping force to operate within its borders. We also have heard that China has made diplomatic efforts to influence the Sudanese government on behalf of the people of Darfur.

However, our history with the Bashir government should keep us on our toes. The international community’s relationship with Sudan has followed a three steps back, one step forward model.

Bashir makes a lukewarm promise, then reneges on his promise, and we beg him to reconsider, and meanwhile people die.

We need to stay vigilant, and continue to advocate for a full international peacekeeping force. As the global days for Darfur continue, let’s keep our activist minds sharp on behalf of our Darfurian brothers and sisters!

Displace Me

2007-04-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Water and saltines will be collected upon entry and redistributed. Because you have to depend on foreign aid for food in displacement camp.

Tonight, in 14 cities throughout the US, more than 65,000 people will travel to displace themselves.

A few college guys traveled to Uganda in 2003, finding children in the midst of war who commute nightly for a safe night's sleep. They walk for hours and sleep in unimaginably horrible conditions. Child soldiers are recruited by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). In response, three men not much older than me started the Invisible Children campaign. Their goal? To help Ugandan children. More on this in a future blog - because the campaign is genius.

So Americans will displace themselves for a night, sending a message to the US and Ugandan governments that peace talks must be resumed, the war must end, and children and civilians must be protected.

Sign up for displacement camp at a city near you.

Rally for Darfur this Sunday!

2007-04-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

If you're in the DC area (or a reasonable train/bus/driving distance) show up at Lafayette Park this Sunday to rally for Darfur!

Global Days for Darfur Rally at the White House
Sunday, April 29th 2:00-4:00pm
Lafayette Park
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC

There are also events going on across the country - and the world. Find an event near you!

It's time we show President Bush that if he wants a positive human rights legacy he must do more for Darfur - now! What should he do? Some thoughts are here and here.

(image from Hillel.org)

What I’m Reading IV

2007-04-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

A single event can characterize an entire era: think of D-Day in the Second World War, or Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream…” speech during the American civil rights movement. The same goes for how a single massacre can represent a whole genocide.

Just as Auschwitz instantly leaps to mind for most people thinking of the Holocaust, the Srebrenica massacre was the culmination of the Bosnian War in many ways. One of the best books that I’ve run across about Europe’s largest post-WWII massacre is “Srebrenica: Record of a War Crime” by Jan Willem Honig and Norbert Both.

Honig and Both outline the events which resulted in the deaths of 7 000 unarmed Bosnian Muslim men in mid-July 1995 at the hand of Serb “soldiers.” Although it was written just a year after the massacre and so lacks much of the hindsight of more recent publications, “Srebrenica” is still an excellent resource that glaringly highlights both the ineptitude of the United Nations for providing global security and the weaknesses of the obsolete concept of peacekeeping that allow countless innocents to be butchered before the eyes of the world.

The Happy Faces of Genocide

2007-04-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Father David Bohnsack, a Comboni missionary who spent more than 10 years in Darfur, spoke about his experience in Sudan at Lake Forest College in Chicago. He shared photographs taken of smiling people, kids playing games and climbing trees, people dancing.
I can relate to these photos. I'm just like these kids.

Father David reminded us that, in spite of genocide, Darfuris are strong, and they still find ways to dance and smile.

Human nature leads us to look at the top photo of the dying girl and think "that child has been condemned to death. She has no chance. (and thank God MY child doesn't look like that)." But tell an American the smiling girl below might be raped and shot by the Janjaweed, and see how they react differently.

So how do we convey the urgency and ugliness of the conflict while still preserving the dignity of Darfuris?

(by the way: I don't have the answer. It's why I'm asking. So you should share your comments)

2007-04-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

I just spent the two days at Campus Camp Wellstone, an awesome student activist training camp that teaches the grassroots organizing strategies of Paul Wellstone (the coolest senator ever) and I am pumped to start using what I learned! The camp is geared toward political activists tackling a range of issues from Electoral College reform to the Obama campaign to fair trade to Darfur and focuses on running an effective campaign and effective community organizing. We spent a lot of time talking about the message of a campaign. The message is essentially what we want our audience to know. How do we build an effective message? How do we convey it to our voters or audience? I told one of the trainers afterward that I had found what we had learned helpful, but I still wasn't sure how to apply it to my work with STAND. I said that I do not think that "End genocide" or "Save Darfur" are good messages--although they are useful slogans for conveying our larger, long-term goal--because they are too vague and, let's face it, ending genocide sounds pretty unattainable.
"Well, what is it that you want students to get out of your message?" he asked.
"I guess we want them to see that yes, this is a huge issue, and very complex, but they really can make a difference," I answered, thinking out loud.
"Exactly," he said. "Action is your message. Tell them that by writing this letter or signing this postcard, they can have a tangible impact on ending the genocide."
The message that students can have an impact on state government and foreign policy is central to increasing the level of student advocacy to save Darfur, which Elizabeth blogged about a few weeks ago.

So, how am I going to use this newly-created message? On Thursday, the University of Minnesota STAND will table, but we'll do it differently than we've ever done before. We'll stand in front of the table instead of just sitting behind it, so we better actively engage in our unsuspecting advocates, and tell them they can make a difference, they can end genocide, by writing to their representatives in the Minnesota legislature, who need a little encouragement before they vote to divest Sudan.

Imagine

2007-04-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Imagine this-violence happening in our own country. This violence is huge-it happened at a place of education, something our country stands for and provides for its citizens. What happened at Virginia Tech is outrageous, emotional, scary, unbelievable. What happens in Darfur, what happens in North Korea, what happens in Chechnya, what happens in Congo-it's all terrible. But what is more terrifying to me is the lack of faith in a peaceful world. I held a peace program at my school last semester, and not a lot of people came, which is usual but I heard from some people that they did not attend because they do not believe in peace. WELL of course, peace doesn't seem reasonable when it is viewed as idealistic. What we need, and take this as a personal challenge, is a little faith in a peaceful world. That faith will lead to advocacy, action, and hopefully and eventually, SUPPORT for the global society that we live in today.

Are you frustrated? Because I am!

2007-04-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading an article in The New York Times about how the Sudenese government has been painting its own planes to look like UN and African Union planes, thus breaching U.N. Security Council resolutions. At last I thought someone will take action! How could the UN sit by and do nothing after this gross disregard for international law? Instead the UN is in essense saying "Silly Bashir, UN planes are for the UN. Next time use your own."

This evening I looked at the online New York Times and saw how President Bush had made a speech today at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum about the genocide in Darfur. Yes! He finally refered to Plan B. Yes! He threatened Sudan with real sanctions. BUT HE TOOK NO REAL ACTION!

President Bush bowed to pressure from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to give the UN more time for political discourse. This happened even after the facts revealed about the Sudanese use of "fake" UN planes. Thankfully, President Bush spoke strongly. But giving Bashir "a short while" has been said before. How many "short whiles" will it take for someone to stand firm and demand results?

The time for action is now. Within the next few weeks, we'll see how far Ki-moon's negotions will go. The United States needs to take action.

What I’m Reading III

2007-04-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

It seems to be about all that I manage to write about lately, but here’s my latest book recommendation. Maybe I should spend a bit less time reading and more time blogging…

Genocide prevention types are always fascinated by survivor testimonies and without a doubt their stories are the most important resource for understanding the impact of genocide on its victims. Projects such as the film “Shoah” and the survivor testimony archive The Shoah Project are priceless sources for the stories of people who lived through hell.

The perspective of genocide perpetrators does not get nearly as much attention, though. Maybe people find it distasteful to give a voice to the criminals of all criminals, but they are actually priceless sources of information for understanding why and how people come to commit genocide. French authour Jean Hatzfeld gives us just such a resource in “Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak.” (A follow-up to his book “Into the Quick of Life: The Rwandan Genocide - The Survivors Speak”)

The most shocking thing about Hatzfeld’s book is the sympathy that one feels reading what the small group of interviewees (now prisoners in Rwanda’s Rilima penitentiary) has to say about how the genocide affected their lives, though the book by no means absolves them for what they did or casts them as victims. Be careful to keep their crimes in mind the whole time you read this book. Aside from that, the book gives a glimpse into the minds and blurred motivations of some otherwise ordinary men who became enthusiastic monsters for a time. Their lessons are not restricted to Rwanda, but are universal.

Breaking Good News

2007-04-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

On an otherwise tragic day we have a small bright spot of good news from the BBC:

More than 3,000 United Nations troops will be allowed into Darfur, according to Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol. The apparent change of heart comes after months of international pressure, but there is no UN confirmation so far.

This is particularly important because the violence continues:

"This is the greatest concentration of human suffering in the world and an outrage that affronts the world's moral values," Penny Lawrence, Oxfam's international director said after a tour of Darfur...

For more info and analysis see Coalition for Darfur or my blog, Lives in the Balance.

Remember

2007-04-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

Today is Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day.

It is also the first day of the start of the week-long, Congressionally-declared Days of Remembrance (April 15-22). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum offers resources for hosting your own remembrance ceremony, which includes information on the current genocide in Darfur. For those in the DC area there will also be a Days of Remembrance Names Reading Ceremony on Wednesday, April 19th.

Remembrance and future action must be inextricably linked. Advocates for Darfur of all backgrounds must take a moment this week to remember the victims of the most lethal and systematic of genocides, the Holocaust. And as we remember the Martyrs and Heroes of the Holocaust we must be sure that no remembrance is complete when we allow genocide to continue without protest.

Why "genocide" is like peanut butter

2007-04-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Suffice it to say, I'm a little brain-dead this week. What with rehearsal 4 hours a night almost every night and homework and exams fast approaching I'm definitely feeling the end-of-semester-crunch. Given that and since there's not much news coming out of Burundi I was at a little bit of a loss as to what to write about this week.

Of course, like every college student I have survival food in my room for those late night, oh-my-God-will-I-ever-finish-this-paper kind of moments; and the cornerstone to college survival (besides Ramen noodles): PEANUT BUTTER, a jar of which is right beside my laptop so it's extra-handy.

So, I thought, "Huh, peanut butter is kind of like 'genocide'(the word, not the act)." Genocide is a word you hear from activists a lot to describe the situation in Darfur but something you rarely hear from politicians and supranational actors. Why is this? The answer: fear, or, more politely, apprehension. You see, "genocide" is a very politicized word, much like many other things this day and age. For "genocide" carries with it certain responsibilities, like the responsibility to act to prevent genocide. Luckily, the conflict in Darfur has been labelled a genocide by certain institutions including the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the Committee on Conscience of the USHMM, and the US Congress. However, the UN has resisted calling it genocide and so has the AU.

As I mentioned a few posts back I don't care what you call the situation in Darfur so long as you agree that what is going on there is going from bad to worse and that the international community has the obligation to do something about it.

So, why is "genocide" like peanut butter? Because it's a word that sometimes gets stuck in your mouth. For student activists likes us "genocide" is like peanut butter in that in that it's often in our mouths at least once a week. For politicians, on the other hand, "genocide" is like peanut butter in that, for them, it gets stuck to the roof of their mouths and just stays there.

Stand up and educate!

2007-04-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

Activists are beginning to look beyond Darfur and realize that education may be our most powerful mechanism for developing permanent genocide prevention. The Genocide Education Task Force, a STAND initiative, calls for state legislation to mandate genocide education. Props to STAND for recognizing that education is the key. Now it's time to get more educators on board at the grassroots level - this is where students come in.

I wholeheartedly support genocide education. Something makes me nervous, however. Meet the worksheet.

Here's what some teachers might to do teach genocide.
Question 1: Who were the main actors in the genocide?
Question 2: Darfur is a ________ of Sudan. (Are you confused at what to insert in the blank? Yes, these worksheets are vague and confusing. I'm not giving you the answer).
Question 3: _______ civilians have been killed.
Question 4: _______ have been displaced.
Question 5: Another genocide in Africa happened ten years earlier in the country of:______

Are you bored yet? I am. Perhaps the greatest success in the Darfur student movement is the passion with which students approach genocide prevention. I don't want busy teachers sucking the relevance out of genocide with dry worksheets in order to fulfill state mandated curriculum requirements. I want these teachers to care.

A student at Lake Forest College started a group called Students Educating Students. The idea is this: students use their unique experiences to provide authentic education for other students about issues that are important to them.

It's time for students to take education into their own hands at the grassroots level. It's time for educators to create lessons on genocide that motivate passion, action, and academic integrity.

Irony Abounds

2007-04-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I sat in the packed Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium in the United Nations for a screening of the film "Beyond the Gates." The day already started off with a very disappointing clear absence of the Genocide Memorial exhibit. If you haven't heard of the film, it was formerly called "Shooting Dogs" and I can not tell you how powerful it was. Perhaps it was a sense of collective sadness within the auditorium, but several times, I was just overwhelmed with emotion. Tears flowed as I watched a movie INSIDE the United Nations, about the FAILURE of the United Nations to save lives.
I couldn't help but think how many times we have said "Never Again" and how every day that nothing is done, more lives are lost in Darfur. One of the reoccurring themes mentioned in the film is the United Nations mandate not to intervene in Rwanda. Again, we are faced with these political language that all comes down to one meaning: we won't do anything. The one thing that continues to give me hope is the people around me, people like my fellow members of the student board who believe wholeheartedly in promoting change, and not giving up.

Things Fall Apart

2007-04-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

Jerry Fowler of the Committee on Conscience interviewed Ken Bacon of Refugees International on the Voices on Genocide Prevention podcast this week. Violence in Darfur is increasing and humanitarian organizations access to the region is decreasing and Sudan still refuses to approve a hybrid African Union/United Nations peacekeeping force.

This news is sad and discouraging. We have worked so hard for the past three years that it sometimes feels as if we have accomplished nothing and that the situation in Darfur is twisting out of control. We can at least be encouraged by Bacon's observation that President Omar al-Bashir is angry about the Save Darfur movement.

Music and Awareness-A Good Mix

2007-04-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am really excited to share this with you as I just found out about this: a compilation cd that brings well known artists together for awareness of the genocide in Darfur.

Check it out at:

http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070312/0225316.html

Google Earth + USHMM =

2007-04-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Crisis in Darfur, a new and innovative project launched yesterday. It's really worth exploring for yourself and kind of hard to explain with words, but the launch has gained a lot of attention, both in the blog-o-sphere and conventional media.

As Jerry at VOGP said, "Check it out."

The UN's commemorations

2007-04-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, April 9th, marked the 13th anniversary of the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide. The UN marked this in two notable, and ignoble, ways.

Secretary General Ban Ki Moon issued a statement calling for "a global partnership against genocide," declaring that the position of UN Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide will now be a full-time position, and the UN Advisory Committee on Genocide Prevention will be "boosted". As Jerry Fowler at Voices on Genocide Prevention noted, there was "No reference to preventing genocide in any particular place, of course, and especially no reference to the whatchamacallit in Darfur," and the upgrading of the Special Adviser position was "his one example of fulfilling the stated imperative to do 'more, much more'".

The UN also had planned an exhibit commemorating the Rwandan genocide. It's been stalled, though, because Turkey objected to being blamed for the "murder" of "1 million Armenians". Rightly so, I believe - the exhibit should say what actually happened, that the murders occured in the Ottoman Empire. This stalling all points to some dangerous habits in the UN - Turkey objects to anything that says that 1 million Armenians were killed (even if the name of their modern-day country isn't mentioned) and the UN staff and member countries focus more time and energy remembering their past failures than they do stopping current and future ones.

For more of my analysis check out my 2 most recent posts at www.livesinthebalance.com. Hat tip to Exploring International Law for the NY Times/Reuters article on the Exhibit.

China for change?

2007-04-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

The BBC reported today that China is beginning to change its tune in regard to Darfur. China buys over 60% of its oil from Sudan, is working on building roads and bridges there, and sells military equipment to Sudan. The BBC article, though vague in describing China's actions, reported that China did begin to pressure President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan to end the violence in Darfur and encouraged him to allow a hybrid peacekeeping force of United Nations and African Union soldiers into Darfur to protect civilians. Bashir has refused to let such a force into Sudan. Because of China's important economic relations with Sudan, China could possibly use that as leverage to encourage the government in Khartoum to put an end to the Darfur genocide. China could also continue to ignore the violence in Darfur in order to maintain its alliance with Sudan.

The article left me feeling hopeful until I read the following quote from one BBC correspondent, saying, "Thanks to its close ties with Beijing, Khartoum no longer has to worry about what the Western world has to say about the conflict in Darfur."

North Korea

2007-04-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I met Suzanne Scholte, the Chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, and I learned about the travesties that occur in North Korea which are so rarely discussed in the United States. Over two million people have died in the past ten years, mainly from a famine as the government withholds food to the majority of its population. Kim Jong Il completely isolates the country, citizens cannot travel (even from town to town), nor can they communicate with people from other countries, and the only media they have access to is propaganda made by the government. Kim Jong Il also instituted political prison camps, families are defined as friendly to the government, wavering, or hostile. Hostile families are rounded up and shipped away to the camps. Anyone who dares complain about the government is sent away immediately. The government also controls food and material goods, those who are loyal have access to these goods, while the majority face horrific conditions. Forty-two percent of children in North Korea suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Meanwhile, those North Koreans who escape into China (roughly 300,000 reside there today) continue to suffer enormously. China refuses to recognize these North Koreans as refugees and instead views them as economic migrants. Chinese citizens are fined or arrested for helping North Koreans. Humanitarian aid workers from the United States and other nations who attempt to assist North Koreans are oftentimes arrested and imprisoned by Chinese officials. Seventy to ninety percent of North Korean women who cross into China are trafficked.

I was horrified by the situation in North Korea, the response of China, and how few people are speaking out against the atrocities. Suzanne Scholte mentioned the difficulty of mobilizing Americans about North Korea. There are virtually no pictures of what is occurring there. No one can visit, unlike Darfur where Americans have been to refugee camps and can return with pictures and stories to reach the American public. This situation demonstrates the power of isolating a country so thoroughly that raising awareness in America is exponentially more difficult. North Koreans are struggling for survival and we must raise awareness, pressure the Chinese government, and attempt to make a difference.

Coming to the Table

2007-04-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

It was reported yesterday that talks would begin anew between the government of Burundi and the nation's last Hutu rebel movement under the supervision of South African officials. FNL, the Forces for National Liberation, seeks to have addressed new issues of importance after having just quit "a joint ceasefire monitoring team." President Pierre Nkurunziza has shown good faith in that he will seek to honor the requests of the FNL to be an integral part of Burundi's army, per the allowances of the constitution, as reported in the article.

News that the two parties are willing to return to the table for talks is certainly good news. However, each side must be willing to give and take, as the author notes.

What I’m Reading II

2007-04-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize to everyone for not writing in so long, but I’ve been a little short on both time and ideas lately. To continue on with the theme of my last post though, I’d like to make another book recommendation. (For anyone wondering what the answer to the title of my last pick - “Will Genocide Ever End?” is, it basically boils down to ‘yes - with a lot of hard work.’)

The book I’m onto now is one I picked up at the Holocaust Museum’s shop during the Advanced Leadership Summit last month. “Darfur: A Short History of a Long War” by Julie Flint and Alex De Waal is a little book packed with lots of information. Published in 2005, the book obviously lacks recent developments in the Darfur Genocide and war but makes up for it by being a great resource for the political history of Sudan and Darfur specifically, the origins of the Janjaweed, and the history of racial discrimination that led the rebels to rise up against the Khartoum government in 2003.

Although it’s a little daunting at first thanks to the wall-to-wall dates and hard-to-remember Arabic names, “Darfur” is definitely worth the effort and should be required reading for anyone who wants to know anything about Darfur.

Scholarship as Advocacy and Activism

2007-04-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

We don't usually think of the Ivory Tower as a catalyst for change. One rarely hopes to effect action through doctoral theses and journal articles. But a session at last month's Genocide Prevention Advanced Leadership Summit at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum got me thinking. Entitled "Scholarship as Activism," and led by Scott Strauss, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the session emphasized the easily overlooked role academics play in genocide and human rights advocacy. It is safe to say, for example, that Professor Strauss's 2005 article on Darfur in the journal Foreign Affairs reaches far more policymakers than my blog entries. Furthermore, the big take-away from the session was that human rights and genocide studies will remain "fuzzy subjects" only so long as talented, dedicated people ignore them. So my thought for the day/week is this: academic work can never replace phone-ins or rallies, letter-writing or meeting with Congressmen. But getting a Ph.D. and writing in journals doesn't mean you can't make a big difference in advancing the genocide prevention and human rights agenda among policymakers, intellectuals, and the public at large. A few programs in this area, if anyone's interested (they're on my Bookmarked list):

Yale University Genocide Studies Center
University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
Harvard University Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

A modern Exodus?

2007-04-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles has a heart-wrenching story of a Darfuri couple, Ahmed and Fatima, searching for safety in Israel. There are a number of Darfuris seeking asylum there (most currently in prision), but this story, coming out in the middle of Passover, is particularly poignant and raises important questions of responsibility to shelter victims of genocide.

Saddest part:
Even as he sits in an Israeli prison, Ahmed's fate and the fate of his fellow refugees could still be determined by Egypt. Both the government of Israel and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would prefer to see the deportation of the refugees in Israel back to Egypt, if they were guaranteed not be to be deported back to Sudan.

Given Egypt's record with Sudanese refugees (the Mustafa Mahmoud Park incident of 30 Dec. 2005 in which at least 27 innocent refugees were killed, many more beaten) it is really upsetting that both Israel and UNHCR would rather have Ahmed and Fatima on their own there than safely in Israel. There are obvious security concerns - Sudan is officially an enemy state of Israel - but Ahmed and Fatima are also enemies of their own government! They have been victimized and tortured by the Government of Sudan, and deserve a safe place to rebuild their lives.

Fleeing for safety to Darfur

2007-04-02T03:43:00.000-07:00

A New York Times article today featured the "neglected nation" of Central African Republic. The story is nothing new: no food, and fighting is driving people to flee across the border to Chad and even into Darfur.

John Holmes, the newly appointed United Nations under secretary general for humanitarian affairs, just returned from a trip to the region, including a visit to the CAR. He says the problems CAR faces are more urgent than the international community acknowledges, warning that the crisis "is bigger than we are aware of."

Yet Tony Lanza, UN humanitarian chief in the CAR, makes a distinction between that country and its large, complex neighbors. The difference between Chad/Sudan and the CAR? The international community is welcome in the CAR, Lanza says.

Meanwhile, CAR receives significantly less funding. Trendy activism and the use of the "g" word isn't going to provide regional stability. We should extend our attention span and commit to genocide prevention wherever we have the opportunity rather than anti-genocide rhetoric. If Lanza is correct in saying the international community has the power to make a difference in CAR, why aren't we directing our efforts where we can effectively implement - or try to implement - security?

"no more blood for oil"

2007-04-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

This article from today's New York Times got me thinking. It reported that the world's poorest nations-- closest to the equator-- would bear the brunt of climate change, even though the world's richest nations have caused it.

Before I go into more depth, here's Gore's cutesy primer on global warming, in case you're still a bit lost on the basics of climate change, (as I think many of us are).

The NYT went into a bit more depth than Suzy. But although it discussed the inevitability of starvation and drought in the developing world, the article did not mention that in the driest regions of Africa, climate change would also cause brutal wars over dwindling water-- one of which is already taking place in Darfur. The genocide is partly a conflict over water, one that heated up as the Sahara moved farther south. The truth is that the Darfur genocide might not be taking place if not for global warming. About two weeks ago, my fellow blogger, Hannah Baldwin provided a concise and moving overview of this issue.

This connection is crucial. Yet both Africa activists and environmentalists overlook it. In reality, the immediate effects of global warming are less like the doomsday scenarios in The Day After Tomorrow, and more like the crises already taking place across the continent of Africa. Yet even those chanting "no more blood for oil" don't always know about the blood being spilled in Darfur.

But in today's political climate, that could easily change. In the minds of voters, Al Gore and Democratic victory in the Mid-terms have already turned global warming into the non-partisan, non-controversial reality it's always been. Although the NYT is famously liberal, it's noteworthy that today's article included no "fair and balanced" quotes from oil company "scientists", and no rhetoric from the Bush administration-- perhaps because even Bush is starting to believe.

As a nation, we have begun to move forward from accepting global warming as truth, to coping with its consequences. As we work to smooth our own transition into a warmer world, we must not do what we usually do about genocide: cope instead of prevent, as we forgot about Africa.

Since Dave Gethings interns with the UN, and is planning their conference on Global Warming, I'm very interested in what he knows and feels about this issue. Maybe if we're lucky, he'll make a post in response. :)

Generose

2007-03-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in the auditorium at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where a woman named Lisa Shannon stood before me. She had just returned from a trip to Congo, delivering money and supplies to the women that lived there. Her next slide came up. From this point on, I felt like I was alone. Just me and the picture.

This picture was not happy, not sad, but telling. It was of a woman that was not showing any emotion on her face. Instead, her face, her eyes-O those eyes-showed that she had had a life. Generose was a nurse, her husband a schoolmaster, and they had five children. One day, the whole family was at home, and a neighbor child was over playing with the kids. The interahmwe, a rebel group in Congo, approached the house, demanding from Generose all of her money. She quickly rounded up the $120 that was their life savings. The interahmwe took it, stating that they also wanted a contribution from the schoolmaster. She explained that they had no more, and they began to harass her. Her husband tried to stop them, and was immediately slaughtered. Generose, though distraught, asked what they wanted her to do-she had nothing left to give. They asked her to place her leg on a nearby chair. In front of the children, they chopped that leg off and divided it into six pieces. After searing this leg in the fire, they required that the children eat it. When Generose's 8-year-old daughter refused, she was also murdered. The rest of the children then ate Generose's leg. Generose awoke in a hospital.

Her eyes were just like anyone's eyes-full of love, full of pain, full of a life.

CHALLENGE: do not forget the people of Congo.

New York Out of Darfur!

2007-03-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Do you live in New York?

Do you know that New York State's money is tangled up in oil companies that are pouring money into Omar Al-Bashir's pockets, funding a genocide?

TODAY, New York is considering legislation to participate in targeted divestment, which will remove our public funds from indirectly supporting genocide.

Senator Joe Robach and Assemblyman Darryl Towns have written targeted divestment legislation that will take back New York State's dollars from companies that fund the genocide in Darfur.

However, this bill has not been introduced because the New York State Comptroller has not released a "Fiscal Note" which is needed to allow the legislation to go to a vote.

You can help today by calling New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli:

1. Dial (518) 474-4044
2. Say: I care about the genocide in Darfur, and I urge you to release the "Fiscal Note" and allow the legislation to be introduced by Senator Robach and Assemblyman Towns. This action will be vital in helping us stop the genocide

Like Elizabeth said, its time for advocacy beyond activism!
Don't just feel good, DO good!

Activism is out. Advocacy is in.

2007-03-26T20:05:00.001-07:00

The message has been received enthusiastically: your voice can and will make a difference. The movement has grown loud and large in an effort to end the genocide in Darfur. Meanwhile, as we develop a culture of activism, the genocide continues, arguably worse than it was a few years ago.

Darfur experts circulate conferences, giving their 1-2-3 point speech about what needs to be done in Darfur, and taking questions from the audience about UN reform and the vagueness of the term "genocide." The debate about terminology and philosophy, while relevant, is useless in terms of action. Instead, ask:

What is our end goal?
By what means do we plan to get there?
How will our activism help us to achieve our end goal?

Overwhelming the American public with repetitive, depressing information is not effective. Four years later, arm bracelets aren’t enough. Activists will only achieve their end goal through scrupulous research and focused, coordinated efforts. A large movement is exciting; a refined, powerful movement can bring results.

Is it Genocide or Isn't it? Let's Just Call the Whole Thing Off

2007-03-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

First off, I apologize for not having blogged last week. Things were rather busy for me, especially once Thursday came around. This past weekend the Board participated in the Genocide Prevention Advanced Leadership Summit at the USHMM and I can tell you that after getting to know those on the Board and working with them I count myself extremely fortunate to be amongst their ranks. The work we are all a part of (not just the Board) is so important and spending time with the Summit participants I think reminded us all of that.

While at the conference one subject that kept resurfacing was what counts as genocide and whether or not the current crisis in Darfur should be considered a genocide. For my part I'm convinced on the issue per my interpretation of the Convention. In fact, I could care less what you call the current crisis in Darfur, so long as you agree that the situation is dire and something should be done about it. If the stories of women being gang raped daily do not strike a chord with you; if this picture of a little girl hit by a bullet does not make your stomach twinge in anger; if you are not swayed by hearing about those who barely escape their villages as government Antonov aircraft attack; if it does not bother you that some 2.5 million are internally displaced in Darfur; if after all this you are not moved to tears, or better yet, to action, then I don't know what to say. After all, what use is there in crying over spilt blood (or milk for that matter) if you don't do anything about it. The people of Darfur have no need of your sympathy lest it compel you to action on their behalf.

As for "Never Again," it's catchy, I suppose, but therein lies its problem. Whenever we've uttered those words the implication is that it has already happened again. "Never again" is rendered useless by those who say it and invest no energy into it. Those on whose behalf it is said depend on those of us who have the power to stop genocide when we see threats of it today to breathe life into these too often used words. Sure, it's nice to have it on a t-shirt or on your laptop or clipped to your bag. However, it must not remain simply a slogan but MUST become a credo. Perhaps there's a curse on "never again." All I know is that ever since we've uttered it after the Holocaust, after Bosnia, and after Rwanda it's been too late. There is some value in the phrase, however; the power lies in the charge the phrase entrusts to humanity and is a hope for the future.

Glimpses of Genocide

2007-03-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

An article ran in the New York Times on Thursday, March 22. It was called "Ann Curry's Ambition: To Witness the Suffering." While the article focused on Ann Curry herself and her motivation for reporting from Darfur and various other conflict-torn places, it also highlighted the importance of the media and its role in increasing advocacy.

[Jim] Bell [the "Today" show's executive producer] said he was encouraged that the networks research showed viewers did not appear to be changing the channel during Ms. Curry's Darfur reports, some of them graphic interviews with people who had been badly scarred or lost whole families.

"I would be hard-pressed to say, let's do that again," he said, if viewers were tuning out.

On a more personal note: In January there was a reading of the play In Darfur by Winter Miller at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, where I attend school. The Minneapolis newspaper, the Star Tribune, ran an editorial about the play and ticket sales zoomed from about 200 to 600.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find a clip of Ann Curry's reporting to embed into the blog but they are available at her website.

What I’m Reading

2007-03-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

So Martha had the idea a few weeks ago that we should start posting on “what the Student Board is reading.” I thought it was a great idea and so I’d like to say a few words and recommend a book that I picked up recently. It’s called “Will Genocide Ever End?” (Rittner et al, editors) and is a compilation of short essays by a lot of people in the field of genocide studies and prevention. People such as Helen Fein, Richard L. Rubenstein, Ervin Staub, and John Heidenrich write on a variety of topics addressing what genocide is, why it happens, and how it can be stopped.

This book might be a little advanced for someone new to the world of genocide studies, in which case I would recommend reading Samantha Powers’ great book “A Problem From Hell,” which is a great intro. After Powers’ book, though, “Will Genocide Ever End?” should be the next step, particularly for people interested in stopping, and not just studying, genocide.

Slavery Continues Still Today

2007-03-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Francis Bok was captured at the age of seven from his village in Southern Sudan. He worked as a slave for ten years, attempting to escape two times before finally succeeding on the third time. At the age of nineteen he came to America and sat in a classroom for his first time. He now works for the American Anti-Slavery Group,and he has testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, met with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and wrote an autobiography Escape From Slavery. He dedicates his life to help those who have been unable to escape, as over 8000 people are still living as slaves in Sudan. Following the peace agreement between the North and the South, there was hope that the abductions and enslavement of children would cease, yet the practice continues unabated. Most abductions take place in southern Sudan and they are brought to the North as documented in an article in the BBC. While the genocide rages on in Darfur, the western part of Sudan, the Southern half still struggles with the enslavement of thousands of their children. Although 200 years have passed since Britain banned the Atlantic slave trade, slavery is still a reality. Yet, so few people are aware that these practices continue today. Awareness must be raised about this issue and change must be implemented. Slavery and genocide are two of the most horrific and evil crimes that can possibly be committed and they should be responded to with international indignation and more importantly, with action.

90 years later

2007-03-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

There are new bills before the US House and Senate calling for the United States to officially recognize the Armenian massacres of 1915-1917 years ago as "genocide". These bills seem to have a number of reprocussions, both positive and negative.

The US administration wants to block the bills, because of Turkey's role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is an incredibly disturbing undercurrent.
From the Turkish Daily News: Although President George W. Bush's administration, which has strongly condemned Dink's assassination, would like to see Turkey repeal the Turkish Penal Code's (TCK) controversial Article 301 and set up good relations with Armenia, it also shares Ankara's worries over the resolution's reference to the Armenian genocide. Therefore, the administration is seeking to persuade the panel's senators to drop that reference, diplomats said. As a result, Sen Lugar...raised an objection to the resolution's language when the measure came to the Tuesday vote...The measure, if passed by the panel, will move to the Senate floor.

This administration’s reluctance to condemn or work to stop genocide is incredibly upsetting. Their moves on this matter only serve to underscore their lack of action on Darfur, and call into question whether they really want to do anything to stop genocide at all.

Of course, it all seems so very simple: there was a genocide against the Armenians, so the world should say that there was. But, if by passing a resolution on something that happened 90 years ago - no matter how horrendous - the US inadvertently worsens the situation in Iraq or Afghanistan, then principles mean nothing and Congress should do whatever will save the most lives now. I’m not convinced, however, that simply abandoning this resolution will save the most lives. There’s a genocide happening in Darfur, and the government is getting away with it because it has convinced most of the international community that by calling it genocide and responding to it as genocide they would make the situation worse. That’s patently untrue, and one of the ways to show them that is by taking time now to right 90 year old wrongs.

For more of my analysis and other news reports on this issue, check out my blog at www.livesinthebalance.com.

Leaving (on a jet plane)

2007-03-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

That's what the initial wave of survivors of the Gatumba massacre did when they boarded planes bound for the United States today , as news24.com reports. All of this is due to the work of the UNHCR (the UN's High Commission for Refugees) and the US government. This first group includes some 35 refugees but, in total, 500 could benefit from claiming refugee status in the United States. The UNHCR wants to make sure that once these refugees make it to the States they all have a chance for a productive life. This is why, pre-departure, all took part in "basic Enlgish training." Further, efforts have been coordinated in cities where refugees are headed in terms of acclamation to daily life. Over the course of the next few weeks, until April's end, up to 100 will fly to the US each week until all are safely on US soil.

I find this news incredibly exciting and a very definite step in the right direction. Having been subject to a horrible tragedy in which upwards of 150 died the least that can be done for those who survived is to help make a better life possible. In the United States I hope that the refugees will be able to have more than just their basic needs met. I hope that they will be able to benefit from an environment in which their safety is assured and not under constant doubt. I hope, too, that they will become inspired by living in a democracy and one day be able to return to their homes. You see, this will not be the first move for these people, as those in Gatumba were already refugees from DRC at the time of the massacre. DRC is certainly not without its problems; nor is Burundi, for that matter. However, where deep damage and hurt have been done there is also room for immense healing and rebuilding. For those refugees making their way to the United States as spring approaches and the earth is renewed I hope that their faith will be renewed and that they will one day be able to return home, if they so choose, to bring that same hope back to their fellow citizens.

Empty Benchmarks

2007-03-17T08:01:00.001-07:00

As the call for the US government to proceed to Plan B increases, critics are asking why, more than two months past the deadline, the Bush Administration is so reluctant.

In November 2006, the Sudanese signed an agreement in Addis Ababa. Despite months of rejecting UN troops, President Bashir accepted a UN-AU hybrid force under joint UN-AU command and UN financial/logistical support. The US government stated that failure to implement the Addis Ababa agreement by January 1 would call for a "Plan B," of which details were not disclosed.

So why, mid-March, has Special Envoy Andrew Natsios only begun to speculate that President Bush may make a decision to move ahead with stronger sanctions? Natsios, who met with President Bashir in December, requested a moratorium on visas as well as the facilitation of a UN-AU force. Bashir gave a two year extension on visas and indicated that he would, in fact, allow for Phase I of the peacekeeping forces. Therefore, Natsios suggests, President Bashir met his obligations. Until last week, when Bashir signed a letter condemning Phase I, the US had no justification for moving to Plan B.

It seems to me, then, that the US is setting its standards too low. Are we really going to allow a genocide to continue because President Bashir technically met our requests? Unless the people are protected and a political process is implemented, our actions haven't done much good. It's time for the US to set meaningful requirements with the end goal of stopping the genocide rather than just appearing to take action.

Environmental Genocide

2007-03-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

People like to know how they can personally help end the Darfur Genocide. Usually I tell them write to their representatives, sign some petition, watch this film or attend that lecture. Sometimes people ask how they, personally, could possibly be responsible for the atrocities happening in Darfur and why should they care. I tell them that we cannot sit silently by and allow violence to continue against innocent people. After reading an article called "The Real Roots of Darfur" in the April issue of The Atlantic*, I have something different to tell them.

Darfur began not so much an ethnic conflict as a conflict over land rights. In the 1980s, drought dried up the small amount of fertile land in the region. Prior to this environmental degradation, the Arabs (who were semi-nomadic herders) and the Africans (who were sedentary farmers) lived together peacefully. As the farmers began cutting off the herders' access to land, in efforts to protect their own land, tension grew between the two groups. As tension intensified between herders and farmers, it led to racial conflict. During the 1990s, the Africans in Darfur became more and more marginalized because the government in Khartoum supported the Arabs in fighting in the region. Now, I will tell people to not only write to their representatives and sign my petition, but also to cut down on carbon emissions wherever possible by walking or taking the bus, buying locally grown food that does not have to be transported long distances, and using florescent light bulbs. On second thought, I'll tell them to e-mail their representatives, save the paper.

The article in The Atlantic ends with a chilling quote from Michael Byers, a political scientist:
This changes us from the position of Good Samaritans--disinterested,
uninvolved people who may feel a moral obligation--to a position where
we, unconsciously and without malice, created the conditions that led to
this crisis. We cannot stand by and look at it as a situation of discretionary
involvement. We are already involved.
Darfur will serve as a warning of the devastation that global warming can lead to. In order to prevent the next genocide and to successfully rebuild Darfur, we need to reduce the amount of waste and pollution we produce. Every individual can be a part of that.

*I was unable to link this blog to the article because the article is only available online to subscribers. The Atlantic, however, is available in bookstores and libraries.

Justice in Rwanda after Genocide

2007-03-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Check out this article, where the Rwandan government is pondering whether or not to take their troops they have supplied to the African Union for Darfur relief:

http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-03-14-voa50.cfm?rss=politics

When reading and afterwards, I challenge you to think about the repercussions and explore a little reader response-how do you feel about this notion? What if this had happened when Rwanda was facing genocide? Do troops in Darfur put Rwanda in danger and insecurity in their journey of rebuilding a country?

Another Call to Action

2007-03-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today the United Nations issued another report on the genocide being committed in the Sudan. It also specifically called on the international community to take a more proactive role. The Sudanese government is responsible for many of the atrocities currently taking place, and their failure to act is just one of the many crimes of which they are guilty. CNN reported that "Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, last month linked Sudan's government to atrocities in Darfur, naming a junior minister as a war crimes suspect who helped recruit, arm and bankroll the janjaweed."
A call to action has been made by nearly every major international organization. How long will it be before these words become concrete actions that save lives? The Sudanese government must be held responsible for the genocide which it is guilty of. The United Nations was created as an international body of peace, cooperation, and protection. Dozens of states have recognized the authority of the UN and it is time that reports be turned into action.

International Law and Genocide

2007-03-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Writing on a very salient topic The International Herald Tribune reports on a very salient topic this week: the extent to which International Law has the power to prevent and punish genocide. Making reference to the original document on the issue, The Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of the Crime of Genocide of 1948, the article notes that it has been nearly 60 years since it was introduced and yet many genocides have happened since; why?

Essentially, the argument follows that with all of the rhetoric on how to prevent genocide since the enactment of the Convention and the establishment of the ICC that would follow, though much later in 2002, it is a wonder why genocide has been allowed to recur. Having read it my sense was that the author felt that the actions taken in the name of these institutions have not done enough either to punish or prevent genocide, calling them frustratingly inadequate.

I would have to say that I agree with the author. Until more weight is put behind decisions handed down by the court and until swift and appropriate measures can be taken when it becomes apparent that genocide is starting anew the criminals of the world who have the power to enact genocidal campaigns will not take seriously the threats of justice being done upon them issued by the Hague. A big sticking point, at least in my mind, is the fact that the United States is a signatory but has not ratified the Rome Statute (the document that established the Court). If the most powerful democracy does not accord that much respect to such an important institution when genocide prevention is concerned why should anyone else take it seriously?

More of the World's Worst

2007-03-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

My first post on this blog was about Parade Magazine's list of the World's Worst Dictators. Although this report carries a bit more diplomatic weight, today I'm going to talk about what CNN calls the State Department's list of World's Worst Abuses. The report is formally called Country Reports on Human Rights Abuses, 2006 and the genocide in Darfur tops the list. For my analysis of Sudan and the report, check out my blog. Here I want to talk about the report's discussion of Chechnya.

Russia's abuses in Chechnya are highlighted in the report's introduction:
Russia experienced continuing centralization of power in the executive branch, including amendments to election laws and new legislation for political parties that grants the government broad powers to regulate, investigate, limit, and even close down parties...these trends resulted in the further erosion of government accountability. In Chechnya and other areas of the North Caucasus, serious human rights violations continued, including unlawful killings and abuses of civilians by both federal and Chechen Republic security forces. Rebel fighters committed terrorist bombings and politically motivated disappearances in the region. In a growing number of cases, the European Court of Human Rights held Russia responsible for these abuses.

That's not the only mention of Russia in the report. It comes up again in a discussion of governments that are resistant to political and social change:
...Freedom of expression and media independence declined due to government pressure and restrictions. In October unknown persons murdered human rights defender Anna Politkovskaya, a prominent journalist known for her critical writing on human rights abuses in Chechnya. The government used its controlling ownership of all national television and radio stations, as well as of the majority of influential regional ones, to restrict access to information deemed sensitive.

It's good that the State Department is giving attention to the human rights abuses in Chechnya - an area that has been neglected in the mainstream press. Hopefully the increased international scrutiny will help prevent the ethnic tensions there from boiling over into something even worse.