This blog compiles and comments on the latest news and opinions on issues of genocide, ethnic conflict, ‘acts of barbarity,’ and other international issues of interest.
Lives in the Balance
The “saving” Africa backlash
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Last fall, shortly after I returned from Nigeria, I was accosted by a perky blond college student whose blue eyes seemed to match the "African" beads around her wrists.
"Save Darfur!" she shouted from behind a table covered with pamphlets urging students to TAKE ACTION NOW! STOP GENOCIDE IN DARFUR!
My aversion to college kids jumping onto fashionable
China and Darfur
Thursday, June 21, 2007
The China-Darfur connection has been the source of much discussion in the press and the blogosphere in recent months. A round-up of some of the best articles:
Beijing has "a vested interest in the continuation of a low level of insecurity. It keeps the other major investors out," charges the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) in a report. The report argues that China welcomes the
Failed States
Monday, June 18, 2007
What makes a failed state?
A state that is failing has several attributes. One of the most common is the loss of physical control of its territory or a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. Other attributes of state failure include the erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions, an inability to provide
Africa, War and International Law
Thursday, June 14, 2007
There are two new, interesting articles out about Africa, military intervention and the evolving international legal norm known as the “Responsibility to Protect”.
The first article is from Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times, the first from his most recent trip to Africa with the “win a trip with Nick Kristof” contest. As usual, Kristof personalizes the issue, telling the story of a
Sudan & The CIA
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Los Angeles Times has an important article on the CIA and counter-intelligence cooperation with Sudan. As I noted a while back, a number of Senators have been questioning the Administration’s two-faced stance on Sudan. Hopefully this article will encourage more elected representatives to do the same.
Sudan has secretly worked with the CIA to spy on the insurgency in Iraq, an example of
Alex de Waal’s Darfur blog
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
I just received an e-mail saying that Alex de Waal has started up a blog called Making Sense of Darfur. I spend way to much time in the blog-o-sphere as it is... but I’m really looking forward to reading de Waal’s regular comments on his perceptions of current events in and activism on Darfur.
I’m particularly looking forward to de Waal’s blog because his book with Julie Flint, Darfur: A
Genocide & The Democratic Debate
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Sunday’s Democratic debate discussed genocide in interesting ways.
First up was the possibility of genocide in Iraq (or, how avoiding a question helps prevent genocide):
BLITZER: Governor Richardson, I want Governor Richardson to weigh in because I know you have been very concerned about what is happening with the genocide in Darfur.
What if some of the critics, some of the supporters of this
Love it: Plan B for Darfur
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Given my recent posts about Bush’s new sanctions and the threat of military force in Darfur this article by former presidential speech-writer and advisor Michael Gerson is quite interesting:
A Big Enough Stick for Sudan
...
Immediately after Sept. 11, 2001, the regime in Khartoum, which once sheltered Osama bin Laden, was suddenly cooperative -- fearful of being visited by the fate of
Genocide Denial 101
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank has a disturbingly absurd piece about the Sudanese Ambassador to Washington, “Denying Genocide in Darfur - And Americans Their Coca- Cola”. Apparently the Ambassador held a news conference yesterday to address Bush’s new sanctions and proceeded to declare that the population of Darfur is immortal...
The Iraq war gave us Baghdad Bob, the Iraqi information
What to do about Darfur?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
This morning I attended the policy discussion “What to do about Darfur” at the Holocaust Museum. The ‘discussion’ between Alex de Waal and John Prendergast lasted over 2 hours and was quite informative - especially as regards the perceived obstacles to peace in Darfur.
Since the full audio and transcript will be posted at Voices on Genocide Prevention tomorrow I’ll focus on the main common
