Nicholas Kristof: Bush paralyzed on Darfur
Nicholas Kristof writes that Bush is acting totally paralyzed on Darfur. He relates that every time he suggests sending in troops, Condoleezza Rice reminds him that he can't send troops into a third Muslim country. But this is typical of the kind of simplistic thinking that has pervaded the Bush administration -- if there is a problem, send in troops or air strikes. And when that is not practical, as in the Israel/Palestine clashes, Bush gets paralyzed and does nothing.
There are plenty of things that this President could do when it comes to Darfur. But the problem is that he does not appreciate complexities -- everything is either black or white in his worldview. On the one hand, as Kristof points out, it has been 14 years since we last said "never again" in Rwanda. And if we are to back it up, we must act like it. Among plans suggested by Kristof are ideas such as sanctions, no-fly zones, pressure on China, the deployment of peacekeepers from South Sudan, and other such options.
But on the other hand, we are at the brink of our own "never again" moment -- Iraq. The main question that I have is, will the political will be there for us to act, especially after our previous military adventure, started with such good intentions, turned into nothing more than a long-term military occupation? Let me put this another way -- if we establish a reasonably effective regime of no-fly zones and peacekeepers and keep the Sudanese dictators under reasonable check, what is going to stop the neocons from coming back eight years later and asking why we just don't finish the job? Like Bush is doing right now.
Another consideration that has to be taken into account is the fact that our military has been stretched to the end of its resources thanks to Iraq and Afghanistan. And North Korea is still an issue that will not go anywhere in the near-future. The question is, where will the troops come from that will be used to enforce any UN mandates if worst comes to worst? The bombing of Yugoslavia seemingly worked like clockwork, but in reality, it could very well have turned into a foreign policy disaster for Bill Clinton; it did not thanks to a first-class general in Wes Clark. And people of his caliber don't come every day.
Obamathon
