tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53257869141008412512024-03-12T19:23:35.231-07:00Analysis Over ApathyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-57144865757723645822010-04-23T11:11:00.001-07:002010-04-29T12:49:36.710-07:00Flawed Democracy? Dictatorship? Upcoming Civil War? All the Above?Seems Nikolas Kristof reads my blog--ok, ok I can dream can't I? I imagine he either read the many other blog posts like my last one or more than likely had a lot of the seems thoughts as the ones I expressed. Makes sense since I am a devoted reader to his column. Whatever the motivation for his most recent column, it seemed to be a good follow-up to the concerns I have over the US response to the recent Sudan elections and the upcoming referendum.<br /><br />I wanted to pull out three quotes from the column, but since one of them is kind of long, I recommend just reading it. Oh wait, you're here persumably for my commentary so read this before/after... thanks!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“If the result of the referendum is independence, there is going to be war — complete war,” predicts Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, one of Sudan’s most outspoken human rights advocates. He cautions that America’s willingness to turn a blind eye to election-rigging here increases the risk that Mr. Bashir will feel that he can get away with war.</span> <p style="font-style: italic;">“They’re very naïve in Washington,” Mr. Mudawi said. “They don’t understand what is going on.”</p>As I fear, despite the relatively blood-less elections Bashir will feel emboldened by his new found *cough cough* "legitimacy" (excuse me while I cough up a lung) that he'll believe he has a mandate or the power to forcibly keep Sudan together regardless of next year's referendum for southern independence. Seeing that the referendum is likely to pass overwhelmingly any such action would lead to civil war as Mudawai suggests.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Although as Kristof says, "On the other hand, a senior Sudanese government official, Ghazi Salahuddin, told me unequivocally in Khartoum, the nation’s capital, that Sudan will honor the referendum results." </span><br /><br />Perhaps American "diplomacy" is working and while the elections were not free or fair in the least, Bashir will be content to be the "legitimate" (here comes that coughing again) leader of Sudan without the oil rich south. From all the commentary out there that sounds unlikely, but I suppose let's keep our fingers crossed?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Kristof ends the article with a statement that may sound like the same old calls for action, but rings more true now: "My own hunch is that the north hasn’t entirely decided what to do, and that strong international pressure can reduce the risk of another savage war. If President Obama is ever going to find his voice on Sudan, it had better be soon."<br /><br /></span>Did we need Obama to act and appoint a special envoy a lot sooner in order to deal with ICC backlash in 2009? Yes. Have we done far too little to respond to recent violence in Darfur? Yes. But now more than ever do we need leadership by the United States along with other international actors to prevent a civil war? YES!<br /><br />The adminstration plan to simultaneously be lukewarm regarding the election's legitimacy while continuing to defacto legitimize a genocidal dictator by engaging him as a negotiating partner may be a gamble that pays off. Even if that is the case, though, holding Bashir's feet to the fire (while we hold Obama's) will be necessary to keep him from another of his notorious 180s next year.<br /><br />If the gamble doesn't work out, than alternative plans must be made to avoid civil war AND Sudan will at least for now will be stuck with Bashir and the NCP. But to end here's a bonus quote that made me vomit a little (see if you can keep down your lunch):<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span> “Even America is becoming an N.C.P. member. No one is against our will.” -President Omar al-Bashir, indicted war criminal, suspected instigator of two genocides.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-68019139586430641752010-04-20T13:54:00.000-07:002010-04-20T13:55:36.924-07:00Legitmizing the DevilI know this sentiment isn't unique, but I still have to ponder "out loud" here. Our government has made the decision to continue working with Omar al-Bashir despite many concerns from the EU, AU and the Carter Center about the voter suppression and vote rigging. Even a State Department spokesperson said, "This was not a free and fair election. It did not, broadly speaking, meet international standards."<br /><br />The key motivation seems to be that the US has decided that getting through the elections in order to maintain the CPA time line and be willing to accept an illegitimate president indicted of war crimes and quite possibly guilty of genocide continue to be a chief diplomatic partner in ending the genocides and conflicts he and his cronies are responsible for.<br /><br />With tensions as high as it is, a delay or cancellation of the South Sudan referendum would surely crush already fragile relationships between Juba and Khartoum and likely create more violence if not a return to war. So our hope is to indirectly legitimate liar, murderer and rapist as president of Sudan in the hope he honors an agreement to lose control over a significant amount of land and oil next year.<br /><br />While I sympathize with the State Deparmtent's desire to keep the CPA together in order to prevent things from getting worse and therefore not being more aggressive in refusing Bashir's illegitmate legitimization, who the hell believes we're going to be able to trust him or his NCP government next year anyway?<br /><br />Though I'm still a huge Obama supporter, for Sudan we need far more than hope to get change.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-49763002133177556562010-03-10T09:13:00.000-08:002010-03-10T09:26:07.610-08:00Hypersenstivity Meets Kindergarten Pettiness<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Apparently conservatives are making Dan Rather their latest target for claiming comments he made on Chris Matthews show as racist. While I was never a big fan of Dan Rather and I absolutely disdain Chris Matthews I just have to take a moment to break from my usual commentary on international affairs to tell conservatives to shut up on this one.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dan Rathers said </span><span style="font-family: arial;" id=":25b">President Obama ” … couldn’t sell watermelons if you gave him the state troopers to flag down the traffic.”<br /><br />OOOO he mentioned our black president in the same thought as watermelons! Guess what, Obama also likes basketball and I like money. So apparently I hate black people and I'm furthering the negative Jewish stereotype.<br /><br />While perhaps it can be (and apparently is) argued this was a poor choice of words. I don't think so, I think this was just another of Dan Rather folksy (and silly) sayings. Being post-racial or trans-racial or whatever you want to call it is being aware of your place in a multi-racial society. its embattled history and work whenever possible to create connections and opportunities that celebrate both differences and similarities. Being a post- or trans-racial society does not mean policing ourselves not to say things that have vague random similarities to racist comments.<br /><br />He didn't say Obama loves watermelons because he's black. But y'all are making stupid comments because you're petty conservative commentators. Oooo, I said it. Now shut the fuck up.<br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-30522540539561276972009-09-28T22:20:00.000-07:002009-09-28T22:21:20.621-07:00Mr. President... This Isn't WorkingI have been writing about the relationship between President Obama and the anti-genocide movement as a marriage. Perhaps this metaphor is a bit silly, but it stemmed from the honeymoon commentators use to describe the first few weeks/months of a presidency. When the administration failed to appoint a Sudan envoy before announcement of the ICC warrant back in March I announced the honeymoon over (<a href="http://leranminc.blogspot.com/2009/03/obamas-anti-genocide-honeymoon-is-over.html">"Obama's Anti-Genocide Honeymoon Is Over"</a>).<br /><br />Responding the warrant, Bashir kicked out aid groups and under even strong pressure the administration finally appointed a special envoy in a move I had hoped with would save the "marriage" (<a href="http://leranminc.blogspot.com/2009/03/obamas-anti-genocide-honeymoon-is-over.html">"Will Obama Save The Marriage?"</a>).<br /><br />Unfortunately the man who originally the movement celebrated, Special Envoy Scott Gration, did not signal a more robust pro-peace Sudan policy by the administration which would save the marriage, but rather signaled the end through confusing policies of appeasement to the ruthless dictator so strongly denounced by President Obama.<br /><br />In his <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/23/barack-obama-un-speech">speech to the United Nations General Assembly</a>, President Obama once again echoed his call for peace in Darfur (and all of Sudan) saying:<span style="font-style: italic;"> "That is why we will strengthen our support for effective peacekeeping, while energising our efforts to prevent conflicts before they take hold. We will pursue a lasting peace in Sudan through support for the people of Darfur, and the implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement, so that we secure the peace that the Sudanese people deserve."</span><br /><br />In order to achieve this peace Gration told the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/28/AR2009092802336.html">Washington Post</a>: "We've got to think about giving out cookies. Kids, countries -- they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement." Let's put aside how ridiculous it sounds to compare a country whose government has pursued genocide to solve disputes with kids and look at the absurdity of giving a genocidal government "cookies, gold stars and smiley faces."<br /><br />I could repost comments by John Prendergast, but I think the most powerful refutation of Mr. Gration comes from his boss, the President, who immediately preceding his comments regarding Sudan during last week's speech said, "For the most powerful weapon in our arsenal is the hope of human beings - the belief that the future belongs to those who build, not destroy." According to the Chief Prosectuor of the ICC, Bashir is responsible for crimes against humanity estimated to have cost the lives of 300,000 Darfuris. Additionally Bashir may be responsible for similar crimes costing 2.5 MILLION lives during the conflict with South Sudan.<br /><br />The question persisting on my mind to both the President and his Special Envoy... does this sound like a man we should be cuddling up to in hopes that out of good will to our new found friendship he'll stop massacring his own citizens? If I heard the President right, the future is NOT for the people like Omar Al-Bashir, but rather for peacemakers.<br /><br />Sadly, in the six months of Gration's time as envoy, the message has consistently been engagement, normalization and friendship to Bashir at a time that the United States has the opportunity to bring new leadership backed by the ICC warrant to reinvigorate peace talks. Bashir was put in the corner and rather than using that advantage, we decided to bail him out and are now considering frolicking together in the park.<br /><br />The marriage is over, Mr. President. I, one of your strongest supporters even until today, cannot stand by and allow my admiration of you prevent me from berating this confusing and highly disappointing stance on Darfur. The rhetoric has been incredible with the same or perhaps more force than your predecessor and certainly with more eloquence. Time for actions, we have had enough of words!<br /><br />The long awaited Sudan policy review will supposedly be unfurred this week. I urge the President to order the State Department to use this opportunity to reverse the action of General Gration. Demand his resignation and start fresh with a new envoy focusing on bringing about new peace negotiations backed by multilateral support with tough consequences for any stalling by Bashir or his government.<br /><br />Marriage is over, but time to decide whether this is amicable separation or not. Despite his rhetoric the movement turned on President Bush for this inaction. Your move Mr. President.<br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-19234868910691669442009-03-17T19:50:00.001-07:002009-03-17T20:12:51.863-07:00Will Obama Save The Marriage?<span style="font-size:85%;">When I came home this evening (from a planning meeting for a Darfur-related event: <a href="http://www.artfordarfur.org/">Art for Darfur</a>), I received the exciting news that President Obama is finally appointing a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSTRE52H0A220090318">Special Envoy for Sudan, retired Air Force General Scott Gration</a>.<br /><br />As one of many thousands who have been demanding since Janurary 20th that Obama appoint a special envoy, I am very pleased that we at least have a name. With the escalated crisis brought upon the expulsion of humanitarian aide groups by President Bashir, the envoy is needed more than ever to hopefully bring the long nightmare to an end.<br /><br />As quoted in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/world/africa/18prexy.html?ref=world">New York Times</a>, Jerry Fowler of Save Darfur Coalition said, “Why is there a disconnect? We need presidential engagement and we need it now.”<br /><br />As you saw in my last blog post, I argued that both pro-Obamas and otherwise in the anti-genocide movement should take off the gloves and put the squeeze on our officials like we had attempted to when President Bush was in office. I believe the increases outcry of Sudan activists over the last two weeks (since the ICC indictment) helped bringing about this long awaited appointment.<br /><br />The question remains though, Will Obama Save the "Marriage?" If the honeymoon is already over due to the lateness and weakness of the adminstration's response, does this appointment mark the beginning of our government salvaging itself from months of relative neglect on Sudan or is this simply a token measure in response of increasing pressure by activists?<br /><br />Regardless of the answer, I echo my previous thoughts. We must continue to mount pressure on our officials including President Obama to ensure an appropriately robust policy on Sudan that goes beyond managing the situation and toward finally sustainable solutions for peace in Darfur and all of Sudan. This includes insuring that General Gration does not suffer from the same defecits as previous envoys Rich Williamson and Andrew Natsios. Gration NEEDS to have adequate staff and the ear of the President and Secretary Clinton in order to succede in his mission.<br /><br />We must continue keeping Obama accountable so that he can keep his promises regarding Darfur. You can find a complete lists of asks for the Administration and Congress created by STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition here: <a href="http://standnow.org/campaigns/dfd1/inform/asking">http://standnow.org/campaigns/dfd1/inform/asking</a><br /><br />Let's keep up the calls, letters, op-eds and events. This news is worth celebrating, but we cannot get complacent until there is peace.<br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-23614777360927668302009-03-05T23:20:00.001-08:002009-03-05T23:21:12.090-08:00Obama's Anti-Genocide Honeymoon Is Over<span style="font-size:85%;">While anti-genocide work has been a very bi-partisan and non-partisan endeavor essentially from day one and all anti-genocide advocacy organizations are by design non-partisan, there was and continues to be overwhelming support for President Obama from anti-genocide activists nearly from early on in his campaign. As a senator, President Obama used his assignment in the Foreign Service committee to sponsor and support a number of pieces of legislation aimed at bringing the crisis in Darfur to an end. His commitment to peace in Sudan earned him a consistent A+ Darfur Score by the Genocide Intervention Network and a shared prologue to the New York Times Bestseller, Not On Our Watch with Senator Sam Brownback.<br /><br />During his time as senator into his campaign and now into his administration, Obama reinforced his anti-genocide credentials by receiving advice from and hiring many friends of the anti-genocide movement. John Prendergast, co-author of the previously mentioned book and chair of the ENOUGH Project, served as a foreign policy advisor to candidate Obama. US Ambassador to the United Nations during her confirmation and for years before has passionately spoken about her regrets over Rwanda and her determination to not repeat mistakes. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also spoke passionately regarding Darfur on the campaign trail and was a consistent champion of Darfur along with Obama in the Senate. Finally, Samantha Power, has been officially brought back into the Obama camp after resigning from his campaign for her gaffe by calling Clinton a “monster”. Power wrote American and the Problem Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, which has been utilized as a critical resource with countless insights for the current anti-genocide movement.<br /><br />I, for one, have been one of the most passionate Barack Obama supporters since his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. I felt he would one day run for president and win and that he was a truly genuine politician with an incredible worldview which I felt was in sync with mine. Despite all that, it pains me to say that I believe Obama’s honeymoon period with the anti-genocide movement is over. I’ll give two reasons:<br /><br />1. Where’s our envoy?<br /><br />Last Tuesday, February 23rd, one of the best known advocates for peace in Darfur actor George Clooney met with President Obama after returning from a trip to the Chad/Darfur border. After the meeting Clooney spoke to the press with overall positive remarks including that reassurances were made that a US Special Envoy for Sudan would be appointed soon.<br /><br />A week and a half later, neither the White House or the State Department have definitively confirmed that this promise will be kept in a timely manner. I, nor anyone in the anti-genocide movement, can deny the importance of the large scale policy reviews going on at the State Department. Additionally it is hard to argue that special envoys for the middle east, Afghanistan and elsewhere were/are of critical importance. But an ongoing genocide that has cost the lives of 400,000+ and has captured the outrage of many tens of thousands US citizens should be a priority of the administration and specifically the State Department. I am shocked that a sympathetic president who like his predecessor clearly wants to end the genocide has let his administration act so slowly to appoint someone for such a critical post.<br /><br />2. What does “exercising restraint” mean?<br /><br />The need for a US Special Envoy for Sudan was critical before the news out of the International Criminal Court this week. With the release of a warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his retaliation of revoking humanitarian organizations’ licenses, a high level diplomat with sufficient resources to push for peace in Sudan is an even more urgent need than ever before. Despite this we still have no mention of when such an envoy might be appointed or who the envoy might be.<br /><br />What troubles me more, though, is the continued weak responses coming out of the White House and State Department in light of developments such as the ones this week. The State Department responded to the ICC announcement by urging restraint from all sides. While I would hope the Sudanese Government would show restraint in their campaign of genocide, I cannot shake the question, how does a government who commits genocide really show restraint?<br /><br />The boldest action or statement yet was that a meeting at the White House with State Department officials and aid groups concerned with the humanitarian organizations being expelled from Sudan. While I commend the Administration and State for participating in the conversation, where is the action? At the very least where is the strong condemnation of the Sudanese government’s horrendous action?<br />-----<br /><br />The sticking point is that while the United States faces many unprecedented challenges and the Obama Administration has to deal with practically all of them, a few million Sudanese civilians will be neglected by their government, targeted for genocide and now will go without humanitarian aide out of a corrupt regime’s unwillingness to negotiate peace or respect justice. And our government’s response is a whisper. Not action, not even a shout, but a whisper.<br /><br />To President Obama, we expected more.<br /><br />To my anti-genocide advocates both pro-Obama and others, we should not hesitate to hold this President’s feet to the fire like we attempted to do for President Bush.<br /><br />Sympathetic thoughts and feelings will not end genocide, Obama must do more and we must demand more.<br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-78319663102017188072009-03-04T12:42:00.000-08:002009-03-04T12:45:01.293-08:00Thoughts and Actions RE: ICC Warrant for Bashir 2<span style="font-size:85%;">I wanted to finish the previous blog before starting this one. As I was thinking up what I wanted to say, a very troubling development came to my attention. As reported by <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE5235Y920090304">Reuters: </a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“Sudan revoked the licences of Oxfam and at least five other aid groups on Wednesday after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, aid officials said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The move -- which effectively freezes the agencies' work -- was the first concrete sign of repercussions against international groups after the global court indicted Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sudanese government officials have in the past threatened to take action against Darfur-based aid groups they say are passing evidence on to the global court's prosecutor -- accusations the agencies deny.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oxfam said Sudanese authorities had revoked its license to operate in north Sudan, although it had not been given a reason for the order and it was not clear whether staff would be expelled.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">"This is going to have a devastating effect on hundreds of thousand of people," said Oxfam spokesman Alun McDonald. "We work with 600,000 people in north Sudan, 400,000 of them in Darfur. It is of the utmost importance the government agrees to let us continue that work."</span><br /><br />I’m sure my outrage from these developments spilled over to my previous entry. The ICC stopped short of covering the crime of genocide in their warrant for Bashir’s arrest. After this development, I find it hard that skeptics can believe this is simply a civil war and that genocide is an exaggeration. In response to a virtually unenforceable warrant for his arrest, Bashir has put hundreds of thousands, if not a millions more lives in jeopardy for a risky gamble to save his own hide.<br /><br />The international community must NOT blink now. Bashir is betting in order to reestablish humanitarian aid, we will defer the warrant against him. In the lead up to today’s announcement many Darfuris expressed they knew the dangers of ICC action against Bashir, but still urged for justice to be served. They knew the consequences and as I started below, this case against Bashir gives us an opportunity to bring about peace AND justice in Sudan. This is a bitter pill to swallow, but it is the only one that can lead to long term peace and stability in Darfur and all of Sudan.<br /><br />What the international community SHOULD do is call this bloody bluff. We must continue pushing for justice and only support deferring the warrant for true signs of peace as articulated in Article 16 of the Rome Statute. Anything less is unacceptable. If we blink now, we will return to the status quo of genocide and displacement in Darfur.<br /><br />Stronger words and actions including condemnations of Bashir’s latest move, a renewed effort to fully deploy UNAMID and an invigorated peace process are the only ways forward and as I stated before, should be the only possible saving grace for Bashir.<br /><br />I am still hoping to replace or add onto my list of possible actions, but again I urge that we push for the following:<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >1. A strong statement from one or all President Obama, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and/or Secretary of State Clinton repeating in unequivocal terms our support of the ICC investigation, the peace process and UNAMID’s peacekeeping operation.<br /><br />2. Along with this statement or immediately following it the US must being the process of appointing a special envoy to Sudan with the appropriate support and staff necessary to manage the current situation and bring about the peace process to end the genocide.<br /><br />3. A statement by Secretary Gates or the Defense Department either publicly or to congress about the status of the Missing Assets Taskforce, a taskforce within the DOD to work with allies on finding helicopters for UNAMID. These efforts must reinvigorated as soon as possible.<br /><br />4. Congress should pass resolutions echoing the above efforts. Members of congress, especially those on the appropriate committees, should urge Secretaries Clinton and Gates to take the prescribed actions. Once an envoy is appointed, confirmation should happen as quickly as possible.<br /><br />5. Any additional sanctions that can be made on members of the National Congress Party, especially those with ICC warrants must be issued until humanitarian aid is fully restored.<br /><br />6. Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice should immediately push for additional multilateral sanctions until humanitarian aid is fully restored.<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Call your representative, senators, the White House and/or State Department immediately. You can reach all theseoffices by calling 1-800-GENOCIDE ( 800-436-6243). You can also find mailing addresses for your elected officials at www.congress.org.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-25410791871181777852009-03-04T12:13:00.001-08:002009-03-04T12:14:06.068-08:00Thoughts and Actions RE: ICC Warrant for Bashir<span style="font-size:85%;">As I writing this, developments keep breaking so if the tone shifts constantly, I apologize, but I am constantly going between outrage and concern over this situation. As many of you have read or seen this morning, the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity. My first reaction is of joy that international justice is finally being served that Bashir will be further made a pariah for the crimes he has committed against the people of Darfur. Furthermore as many experts, including the <a href="http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/mar/03/lz1e3ismail21472-justiceand-peacein-sudan/?uniontrib=">ENOUGH Project’s John Prendergast and Omer Ismail</a>, point out that justice while important on its own can also be used as leverage to force Bashir’s National Congress Party to seriously engage in peace talks to bring an end to the violence.<br /><br />Immediately, though, I feel concerned that we will again miss our opportunity to change the tide in Sudan. In July of last year, chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo announced he had submitted a request to the ICC judges for a warrant against Mr. Bashir, the international community and specifically the US issued weak statements of support for justice while the African Union spearheaded an effort to block justice exploiting article 16 of the Rome Statute expressing that the Security Council could defer an investigation for the cause of peace. While no such deferral occurred, the counter-response again was weak and slow.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7923102.stm">Sudan expert Alex de Waal told the BBC</a> the indictment is "pretty toothless" as the ICC does not have a police force. I fear that de Waal will be proven right if we continue to be slow to act as an international community. He is correct in saying that the ICC is toothless because a lack of a police force, but I would argue that we can give the ICC teeth by following its actions with strong words and actions of our own. Mr. Bashir in the past has seemed primarily concerned with two goals, bringing greater legitimacy to his regime through normalization with the United States and development through oil primarily through trade with China among other partners. Bold statements and actions by the United States would encourage other nations to follow suit and to further brand the National Congress Party government a rogue government that should be made into an international pariah.<br /><br />Now is the time to renew our commitment to peace, protection and justice in Sudan. We must push for greater efforts to ensure full deployment of the United Nations African Union hybrid peacekeeping force (UNAMID) including needed tactical helicopters. In addition we must put whatever pressure possible, economic, political and perhaps even military on the President Bashir to keep humanitarian operations in Darfur to ensure the survival of millions of Darfuris. Finally, the US needs to play a more robust role through a special envoy to reinvigorating a peace process that will eventually bring the genocide to an end and should be Mr. Bashir’s only possible saving grace.<br /><br />Therefore I suggest the following actions should be taken as soon possible: (I have not yet seen any action alerts by the US-based advocacy organizations. As soon as they are, I will either add them to the list or replace my list with theirs.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. A strong statement from one or all President Obama, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and/or Secretary of State Clinton repeating in unequivocal terms our support of the ICC investigation, the peace process and UNAMID’s peacekeeping operation.<br /><br />2. Along with this statement or immediately following it the US must being the process of appointing a special envoy to Sudan with the appropriate support and staff necessary to manage the current situation and bring about the peace process to end the genocide.<br /><br />3. A statement by Secretary Gates or the Defense Department either publicly or to congress about the status of the Missing Assets Taskforce, a taskforce within the DOD to work with allies on finding helicopters for UNAMID. These efforts must reinvigorated as soon as possible.<br /><br />4. Congress should pass resolutions echoing the above efforts. Members of congress, especially those on the appropriate committees, should urge Secretaries Clinton and Gates to take the prescribed actions. Once an envoy is appointed, confirmation should happen as quickly as possible.<br /><br />5. Any additional sanctions that can be made on members of the National Congress Party, especially those with ICC warrants must be issued until humanitarian aid is fully restored.<br /><br />6. Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice should immediately push for additional multilateral sanctions until humanitarian aid is fully restored.</span><br /><br />I hope someone more qualified steps up soon to replace or improve this list, but until I urge you to help lay the ground work and call your representative, senators, the White House and/or State Department immediately. You can reach all these offices by calling 1-800-GENOCIDE (800-436-6243). You can also find mailing addresses for your elected officials at www.congress.org.<br /><br />Our officials must be overwhelmed by our response and join in our outrage over this genocide. Please act now.<br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-19549675348512161382008-11-05T13:05:00.001-08:002008-11-05T13:05:50.523-08:00From Hope To Action<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> 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<![endif]--><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">On Friday hundreds of anti-genocide activists will be gathering at the national mall in Washington, D.C. to lobby Barack Obama’s presidential transition team. While many among this crowd supported Obama in Tuesday’s election, they all have recognized one important truth: politics happens every day. They will be lobbying his team less than 72 hours after his victory in order to turn the slogan “Yes We Can” into “Yes We Will” and “Yes We Have”.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Regardless of whom you supported and what issues are most important to you now is the time to put the election behind us and move forward together in improving the country. Supporters of Obama believe that the hope of Obama’s campaign can translate into a stronger economy, a more peaceful foreign policy and an overall healthier society. Although opponents of Obama may have different tactics, their goals are roughly the same. Our votes have been cast and whether our candidate won or lost, we can continue to fight the good fight in strengthening America.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">For thousands of activists including myself, bringing about an end to genocide is a critical goal that the new administration must commit itself to. For others it may be healthcare, the economy, college education and many other important causes of our time. Whatever it may be we have a new congress and a new president and we must make our voice heard. We must transform the hope the majority of Americans hold out for the next four years into tangible action and results.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">In his victory speech, Obama said that, ”above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.” I would echo and change this as now we must advocate letter by letter, call by call and tough debate by tough debate.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Both John McCain and Barack Obama spoke passionately about the need to end genocide in Darfur and beyond. The President-Elect cannot make this a priority alone. We must raise our voices and do the political groundwork so that his feet are held to the fire and his actions have strength. Without our persistent voices on the issues we each care about, our elected officials including our president are easily led into false direction. I agree with many in believing that Barack Obama will be able to accomplish many of his goals as president, but he needs OUR help. </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Democrat or Republican, it is time to take our message to our officials at all levels. Both those officials who we supported and those we did not. Whether you join with me to fight genocide or push for a greener world or for whatever you may be compelled to support, I urge you to unite, organize and advocate. The results are in, the election has ended and there is a lot to do. </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">In the words of President Josiah Bartlett, my favorite fictional president from The West Wing: “<span style="font-weight: bold;">break's over</span>”.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17713629749975517624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-26952372905241760382008-10-20T08:56:00.001-07:002008-10-20T09:06:59.126-07:00New OrleansSadly, new hurricanes have moved public attention finally away from New Orleans. I have just returned from a trip there doing some rebuilding work and discovered that they need not be forgotten down there in Katrina-land. Before the trip I had heard many things about that city: sin-city, a disgusting city full of messed up people that God was cleaning up, and people asking why they even return to New Orleans: why not just move to another home?<div><br /></div><div>First, I can say that the work in NOLA is far from over. I was in a small neighborhood of only about a dozen homes nestled pratically underneath an overpass. Next to an abandoned NOLA Police storage yard and a busy set of train tracks sits a row of homes, one of which is owned by a man named Troy. Because this home belonged to his great aunt at the time of Katrina, who passed away three months after the storm and bequeathed it to Troy, he is unable to get any government assistance in rebuilding. It's the kind of neighborhood that you would dump a body: in fact our first day there a news van pulled up asking for information on a body that had been found the day before down the road. Another home on his street is completely rebuilt, two others have clearly not been visisted since the storm. Who knows whether their owners perished or left and haven't returned.</div><div><br /></div><div>Troy and his neighborhood have fallen off the map (in fact Google Maps had a hard time finding his street) and fallen through the loopholes of government aid. The remaining work is for them, the forgotten.</div><div><br /></div><div>So is New Orleans a disgusting city of sin? I find that all generalizations are dangerous, as Alexander Dumas once quipped. There are many devoted and real people living there, loving culture and life and working hard to make ends meet day to day. The church in NOLA is rebuilding and growing.</div><div><br /></div><div>So why don't people just pack up and close down the city? Troy took us to his Lutheran church while we were working on his home. A beautifully rebuilt church of about 250 (it was 500 before Katrina), Troy was immediately greeted by nearly every member upon entering the Oktoberfest party. A jazz band was playing, old men were grilling bratwurst, and everyone was drinking beer and having a merry time. As he recounted to us the history of the church (over 150 years) and the history of relationships, I realized that Troy knew every person there, and every person knew him. They were a family. One tight-knit family of 250 people. The truth is that no one wants to leave home. New Orleans is not just a city, it is a family. The love that the citizens have for their city and for each other is remarkable: few cities can boast of such a thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>The work continues in NOLA, and elsewhere that disaster has struck. Disasters serve as a constant reminder that we are not in control of this world - despite our gains in strength and power and ability, we still can't stop a hurricane. But neither can a hurricane stop us.</div>John Sealehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182867321252288806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-62395957144548344672008-08-14T12:24:00.000-07:002008-08-14T12:24:00.508-07:00Deja Vu<p class="MsoNormal">This all seems so familiar. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once again, history is playing on repeat. <span style=""> </span>As Russian tanks rolled through Gori, and rumors of a column on the road to Tbilisi surface, the modus operandi of the Russian military – and indeed Vladimir Putin himself – has become quite clear. <span style=""> </span>One image keeps playing through my mind as I watch these tanks and personnel continue their advance past South Ossetia into Georgia proper.<span style=""> </span>The scene is so eerily similar in such a wide variety of ways to one of history’s most obvious lessons. Yet it appears we learned nothing from it.<span style=""> </span>Are we doomed to repeat Czechoslovakia in 1938?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Let’s step back for a moment and take a look at just how similar this all is. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Georgia, a country very much willing to be dependent on the western powers for support and aid, has been in a process of reaching out to the west for the better part of two decades.<span style=""> </span>With the election of a pro-western leader in Mr. Saakashvili, Georgia looked poised to enter into the league of western democracies and eventually the European Union and NATO. <span style=""> </span>With the Russian Bear positioned to strike, Georgia understood the value of friends in high places, even while grossly misjudging their loyalty. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">So imagine my surprise when I was reminded of the scene in 1938 when I read of Russian tanks crossing the border on their march to reclaim control over territory they very much feel is rightfully theirs. <span style=""> </span>In Hitler’s march across Central Europe, western governments were silent to the cries of help coming from Silesia and out of Prague during the Western Betrayal, and it appears that not much will be done for the Georgians beyond a few nice words and a showing of solidarity. <span style=""> </span>Is this a second Western Betrayal?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This crisis -- and it is one -- stretches much further than the small former Soviet state.<span style=""> </span>Georgia, a nation roughly the size of South Carolina, has much more significance than its size would lead one to believe.<span style=""> </span>The Russian incursion is a new kind of domino effect, one that has put many CIS countries in a state of unrest and distrust of their neighbors to the east and west.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This wariness stems from past failures and broken promises.<span style=""> </span>Those central and eastern European countries that have faced the Bear before have little doubt that it could happen again and have longed for western Europeans to come to their rescue, but it always happens too late.<span style=""> </span>As the armies of liberations swept across Europe and began their occupations, many felt this could be the beginning of a new era for the continent. But as one half came under the blanket of the Marshall Plan, the other fell beneath the weight of an Iron Curtain. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today we face this crisis again.<span style=""> </span>The same nations, which longed for a more proactive role from the west in the decades following WWII, find themselves in a similar position once again. <span style=""> </span>The threat of the Bear looms in the distance and only a robust, united western response to the events of the past week will signal to Russia that this kind of Cold War action is no longer acceptable.<span style=""> </span>We are facing a crisis of 21<sup>st</sup> century diplomacy squaring off against 20<sup>th</sup> century militarism. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Georgia is, as some have described it, a testing ground for how far the west will go to defend its friends in the former Soviet Union.<span style=""> </span>If our response to the South Ossetia crisis is any indication, we have learned nothing from 1938, and we are doomed to see another Czechoslovakia.</p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The correct action when facing a bear may be to play dead, but not with a Russian bear. </span>Will McKeenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11299502649296370380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5325786914100841251.post-59644778955014633142008-07-29T08:44:00.000-07:002008-07-29T08:49:27.336-07:00Debate for Activists - The OlympicsFor the past few weeks, the Olympics have been a touchy subject.<br /><br />From the perspective of an activist, the Olympic Games are a great time to make a statement. There's a lot of media attention, a lot of political attention, and a lot of national pride at stake. All of this means that when we speak up about what we think, or put pressure on these groups to act in a certain way, our voice is going to echo - loudly.<br /><br />However, the Olympics is about a kind of peace. One where we can put all the politics to the side and engage in friendly competition. A brief period of time every few years where our countries and our governments are something we can take pride in. With this perspective, using the Olympics as a means of activism seems horribly wrong.<br /><br />It is this issue that I want to explore in this blog post.<br /><br />My name is Karen Bernstein, and I am the Chapter Coordinator of the <a href="http://www.thehpalliance.org/">Harry Potter Alliance </a>– a group that, yes, is <a href="http://www.switchovertodarfur.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62#pledge">taking a stand on the Olympics </a>(and a lot of other things too).<br /><br />As activists, I believe we should take every opportunity we have to present our views and push for the changes we want to see . Of course, it is important to do this respectfully and lawfully, in a way that matches our personal morals. But every opportunity we have to make a statement or share an opinion, every time we are in a place where we can make our voices echo – we should shout as loud as we can.<br /><br />The Olympics are a wonderful event – and they truly do symbolize the peace that I would like to see in the world. It is a wonderful way for the Chinese people to show off their rich history and culture. But I want to make sure that symbolism, and the richness of that culture and of so many other groups, is allowed to remain and flourish, not only as symbolism and history, but in reality. In the vivacity of who we are as people and cultures. And in order for that to happen, we need to make sure that China can hear us.<br /><br />China has allowed horrible atrocities to happen in Darfur and in Burma, in Tibet and even to their own people in China. And while it is important to recognize that Chinese citizens are not responsible for these events, we need to make sure that the government of China hears what we are telling them.<br /><br />China, my name is Karen, I am a student and an activist who cares about our world, and I don't think what you're doing is right. You should not be funding atrocities such as those in Burma and Darfur. You should not start a cultural genocide in Tibet. You should not terrorize your own people.<br /><br />And China, I want to make sure you are able to hear me shout these messages. My voice will be echoing throughout the Olympic Games. Listen to me.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09516576896084597918noreply@blogger.com1