More thoughts on the Darfur Action Agenda

While the advocacy campaign for Darfur clearly presents more challenges at first glance than the Bosnia campaign did, that should not be reason to abandon hope!

While George W. Bush is not complicity in the Darfur genocide in the same way Bill Clinton was complicit in Bosnia - Bush, after all, is not tying the victims' hands through an unjust and illegal arms embargo and is not pressuring the victims to surrender (when will Clinton answer for his complicity???) - he has made two statements that should commit him to further action. First, he apparently noted in the margins of a report on the Rwanda genocide, "Not on my watch." Does he want his legacy, which surely will be first and foremost determined by whatever happens in Iraq, to include yet another U.S. failure to stop a genocide? Second, his administration has actually called Darfur a genocide, thereby invoking the Genocide Convention and its commitment to prevent, stop, and punish genocides.

What is needed at this point?

1. People need to call their representatives in the US House of Representatives and demand that they publicly support and vote for H. Res. 723, which calls for the creation of a NATO bridging force in Darfur until a UN peacekeeping force can be fully deployed.

2. There must be a drumbeat of awareness-building activities on Darfur, at local and national levels. Nicholas Kristof has been virtually a one-man-show trying to create such a drumbeat, but there are signs of hope that the drumbeat can grow in volume and intensity. From Joey Cheek, the Olympic speedskater who donated his Olympic winnings to the Darfur cause, to Ann Curry's recent reporting from her trip with Kristof to the region, we're witnessing a spike in Darfur-related news coverage. The upcoming Rally to Stop Genocide on April 30 in DC is another step in the right direction, provided it leads to more coordinated activities across the country, like candlelight vigils, lobbying campaigns, and speaking tours for Darfur activists and experts.

3. We need leading members of Congress - especially Republicans - to join the drumbeat, even though during an election year there may be limited incentives - and even some disincentives - to doing so. This may require some targeted lobbying and support activities, including the preparation of briefing materials and commissioning of experts to examine specific issues, including the military requirements for stopping the genocide and the possible diplomatic solutions that might provide a lasting solution once the carnage has been halted.