The United States should become increasingly involved in the Darfur crisis

1
The United States should become increasingly
involved in the Darfur crisis

• Philip Suh
• CIS1055 Sec 621

2
A. Background of the Conflict
3
1) How did the conflict start?

• The conflict began early in 2003 after a rebel
  group began attacking government targets, saying
  the Darfur region was being neglected by Khartoum
  (capital of Sudan).
• Darfur inhabitants have faced many years of
  conflict over land and grazing rights between the
  mostly nomadic Arabs. The rebels said that the
  government was oppressing black Africans in favor
  of Arabs.

4
2) What is the government doing?

• It admits mobilizing "self-defense militias"
  following rebel attacks but denies any links to
  the Janjaweed, accused of trying to "cleanse"
  black Africans from the territory.
• Refugees from Darfur say that following air raids
  by government aircraft, the Janjaweed ride into
  villages on horses and camels, slaughtering men,
  raping women and stealing whatever they can find.
  
• Sudan's government denies being in control of the
  Janjaweed and President Omar al-Bashir has called
  them "thieves and gangsters".

5
3) What has happened to Darfur's civilians?

• Millions have fled their destroyed villages, with
  many heading for camps near Darfur's main towns.
  But there is not enough food, water or medicine.
• Some 200,000 have also sought safety in
  neighboring Chad, but many of these camps remain
  vulnerable to attacks.
• Many aid agencies are working in Darfur but they
  are unable to get access to vast areas because of
  the fighting.
• The latest research published in September 2006
  in the journal Science puts the numbers of deaths
  at "no fewer than 200,000".

6
4) Is anyone trying to stop the fighting?

• About 7,000 African Union troops are deployed in
  Darfur on a very limited mandate.
• Experts say the soldiers are too few, and the AU
  says it does not have the money to fund the
  operation for much longer.
• The new, larger joint UN-AU force should be in
  place by early 2008

7
B. Arguments For/Against Increasing International
Involvement
8
1) For Save Lives and Increase International
Reputation

• a. Save Lives
• Campaign by the Sudanese government against
  Darfuri civilians has already claimed as many as
  400,000 lives and 2.3 million have been
  displaced.
• Approximately 1 million more Darfuris still live
  in their villages, under the constant threat of
  being attacked. (nytimes.com)

9
1) For Save Lives and Increase International
Reputation cont.

• b. Increase International Reputation
• U.S. popularity has plunged across much of the
  world due to the popular opinion that United
  States acts as a tyrant over other nations and
  doing too little to help poor countries.
• Additionally, Growing numbers of Muslims see the
  anti-terror campaign as a way for the United
  States to bully its Islamic foes.
• This growing anti-Americanism will make it
  increasingly difficult for leaders of democratic
  nations to support controversial U.S.
  initiatives. It also threatens the stability of
  governments that back and exercise U.S. policies.
• Key findings of the report released by the Pew
  Research Center for the People and the Press, a
  widely respected public opinion outfit.
  (people-press.org)

10
2) Against Countries act in their own interests
when they get involved with foreign affairs.

• a. China and Russian Arming of the Sudanese
  Government
• Amnesty International has recently published a
  report that has accused China and Russia of
  arming the Sudanese government.
• In the report, photos of Russian Mi-24s
  (helicopter gunships) and Chinese Fantan (fighter
  jets) have been seen in Sudanese government
  property. (nytimes.com)

11
2) Against Countries act in their own interests
when they get involved with foreign affairs.
Cont.

• b. America, Belgium and Frances involvement in
  the Rwandan Genocide of 1998
• Where nearly 800,000 minority Tutsis were killed
  by the Hutu majority
• America The Clinton administration signed a
  decree limiting U.S. involvement in U.N.
  peacekeeping and pressured the U.N. to limit its
  own role -- perhaps fearing it might reflect
  poorly on themselves
• US failed to deliver upon their promise to send
  fifty armored personnel carriers to aid
  intervention instead placing a price of fifteen
  million dollars for our vehicles
• Belgium and the U.N. Hutus killed 10 Belgian
  soldiers. Because of this Belgium withdrew its
  troops, who had been keeping 2,000 Tutsi refugees
  safe from Hutus. The refugees are immediately
  slaughtered.
• France In mid-June, the French government billed
  a military expedition into Rwanda as a
  "humanitarian" mission and carried it out under
  the U.N. flag. When France enters the country
  they protected their genocidal Hutu allies from
  the Tutsi RPF, and even supported them in the
  slaughter Opération Turquoise was eventually
  credited with rescuing at least ten thousand
  Tutsis in western Rwanda, but thousands more
  continued to be killed in the French-occupied
  zone.

12
C. The Right Choice Intervention
13
C. The Right Choice Intervention

• As mentioned before
• Tens of thousands of civilians have been murdered
  and thousands of women raped.
• About 2 million civilians have been driven from
  their homes, their villages torched and pillaged.
  
• Thousands die each month from the effects of
  inadequate food, water, health care, and shelter.

14
C. The Right Choice Intervention

• These atrocities are real and are happening now
  in the western region of Sudan know as Darfur
  where the war between Sudanese government and
  rebel groups has transformed the landscape into
  one of the most brutal and horrifying places in
  the world today.
• This is a major atrocity that should not be
  tolerated in the world we live in today.
• As one of the main leaders of the world, we
  Americans have a duty to our fellow man to
  alleviate them from their current plight.
• We have the resources and we have the power, all
  that is left now is the will. Americans must come
  together to bring change in Darfur.

15
C. The Right Choice Intervention

• At the minimum, by increasing support of
  humanitarian efforts in Darfur America will be
  able to provide safety for thousands of people.
• The humanitarian situation in Darfur is critical
  workers and operations are constantly being
  harassed by both government and fragmented rebel
  movements.
• According to saveddarfur.com, Vehicles are being
  hijacked and robbed, aid workers are assaulted
  and intimidated while carrying out their work and
  offices are broken into and looted.
• Officials say that if the current fragile
  humanitarian efforts to the flow of humanitarian
  aid were to collapse, it could lead to death
  rates as high as 100,000 per month.

16
C. The Right Choice Intervention

• If we wanted to save Darfur to the fullest
  capabilities, an armed peace keeping force should
  be sent to Darfur in order to protect innocent
  civilians.
• United States The United States Congress, the
  United States House of Representatives, President
  Bush, and two U.S. Secretaries of State have all
  labeled the current situation in Darfur as
  genocide. This is the first time in history that
  a conflict has been labeled genocide while it was
  ongoing.
• If the U.S. views Darfur as a true genocide, why
  have we been so inactive? Do we wish to repeat
  the events of the Rwandan Genocide in 1998 that
  led to the genocide of 800,000 people?

17
C. The Right Choice Intervention

• Should Americans take action to increase
  humanitarian aid in Darfur, or to send an armed
  peace keeping force in to protect civilians we
  will be able to give the gift of peace and safety
  to our fellow man.
• No longer will civilians be killed and raped,
  driven from their homes, or die from the effects
  of inadequate food, water, health care, and
  shelter. We will be able to save thousands of
  lives, should we choose to act now.
• Americas reputation will be brought up by the
  peace we have provided to thousands. In contrast
  to the uncaring and bully-like image we hold in
  the world today.

18
C. The Right Choice Intervention

• It is time to act now, the atrocities of Darfur
  should have been eliminated a long time ago, but
  still continue today.
• Get involved within the world as intelligent
  college students and save lives.
• We have the power to help these people, lets get
  it done.

19
Bibliography

• US House calls Darfur 'genocide News. 3 October
  2007. lt http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3918765.
  stmgt
• Darfur Conflict. Wikipedia. October 4, 2007.
  lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflictgt
• Educate Yourself! DarfurGenocide.org. October
  31, 2007. lthttp//www.darfurgenocide.org/learn.php
  Genocidegt
• Genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Darfurscores.org.
  October 31, 2007. lthttp//www.darfurscores.org/dar
  furgt
• QA Sudan's Darfur conflict. BBC News. October
  3, 2007. lthttp//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/349673
  1.stmgt
• September Briefing Paper The Genocide in
  Darfur. Save Darfur. October 4, 2007.
  lthttp//www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/policypapers/s
  eptember_briefing_paper_the_genocide_in_darfur/gt
• U.N. Report Darfur not genocide. Cnn.com.
  October 31, 2007. lthttp//edition.cnn.com/2005/WOR
  LD/africa/01/31/sudan.report/index.htmlgt
• Sudan massacres are not genocide, says EU
  Guardian.co.uk. October 31, 2007.
  lthttp//www.guardian.co.uk/sudan/story/0,14658,127
  9835,00.htmlgt
• China Invests Heavily In Sudan's Oil Industry.
  Washington Post. December 23, 2004.
  lthttp//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21
  143-2004Dec22.htmlgt
• China and Darfur - The Genocide Olympics?
  washingtonpost.com. December 14, 2006.
  lthttp//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti
  cle/2006/12/13/AR2006121302008.htmlgt
• Report Accuses China and Russia Of Arming
  Sudan. The New York Times. May 9, 2007.
  lthttp//query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res9A
  06E7DC1731F93AA35756C0A9619C8B63gt
• Death Rates in Darfur Rising, WHO Says.
  Washingtonpost.com. May 9, 2007.
  lthttp//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21
  435-2004Sep14.htmlgt
• Darfur Death Estimates Inaccurate. Darfur
  Death Estimates Inaccurate. coalitionfordarfur.bl
  ogspot.com. December 12, 2006 lthttp//coalitionfor
  darfur.blogspot.com/2006/12/darfur-death-estimates
  -inaccurate.htmgt