Wear a blue hat for Darfur
Interesting campaign from Human Rights First:
Dear blogger,
We thought you might be interested in an online gallery that organizations from all around the world have put together to promote September 17, the global day for Darfur. We’re hoping you’ll encourage your readers to add their faces to the gallery of people wearing a blue beret, the internationally recognized icon of U.N. peacekeeping forces, to send a message to their governments to pressure the U.N. Security Council and the government of Sudan to deploy U.N. troops to protect the people of Darfur. Thousands of people around the globe on September 17 will join in a unified call for an end to the mass slaughter in Darfur at over 40 events being held in at least 20 countries, including a rally and concert in NYC Central Park. People are also being asked to wear a blue hat on the day. To add a photo of oneself to the gallery (one can adjust the blue beret to fit the photo) and for more details on the events in each country, please go to http://www.dayfordarfur.org. These pages are being constantly updated.
Background:
Estimates of those killed in the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, range from 180,000 to 400,000; and at least two million people have been forced to flee their homes. 7000 African Union (A.U.) forces have been trying unsuccessfully to protect the people in Darfur, an area the size of France. Last week the U.N. Security Council voted in favor of deployment of U.N. peacekeeping forces to Darfur. Unfortunately, the resolution’s wording that “invites†consent from the Sudanese government for the deployment of U.N. forces, as well as China, Russia and Qatar’s decision to abstain from voting for the resolution, send exactly the wrong message to the Sudanese government: that no one will really stop them. Subsequently the situation has deteriorated, and the Sudanese government has launched a new military campaign in Darfur; continues to reject the deployment of U.N. forces; and has threatened to eject A.U. forces by the end of September, when their current mandate ends. The time has come for pressure to be put on the Sudanese government to accept the deployment of U.N. peacekeeping forces to Darfur.
So, any clothing ideas for the Plan B plan?
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Genocide | War | Africa | Darfur
The US should never do anything unilaterally
Submitted by liza on 8 September 2006 - 9:54am.
But if the UN keeps on dragging their feet, why not call a summit of nations to discuss Darfur? This would force the UN to get involved.
Here's a thought : Bill Clinton should use his foundation to do something like that --and absolve himself of the sin of looking the other way on this region.
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"But if the UN keeps on
Submitted by mrme (not verified) on 9 September 2006 - 7:13am.
"But if the UN keeps on dragging their feet, why not call a summit of nations to discuss Darfur?"
Because there is no moral equivalency among such nations. That's why multilateralism is a fantasy. Many states, no--most states, are fine with genocide. It is ONLY the US who've ever chosen to do anyting about it. I think unilateralism looks pretty good to me right now. And looking to Bill Clinton for anything beyond a lip bite and moist eye is a lost cause. So, to get you on record: You'd rather let Africans die bloody deaths than act against China's oil interests in the region--because that's, amongst other things, what's keeping the UN out.
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question
Would you support "unilateral" US action on Darfur, seeing as how the UN has refused to take any action?