Elizabeth Rubin's article in the TIME magazine, published online on July 24 2008 is worth a read.
It describes Luis Moreno- Ocampo's [prosecutor of the international criminal courts] frustration at what he sees as the United Nations and the West being out of touch with what has been going on in Dafur, which counts 300,000 as dead and 2.5 million people as displaced.
The article describes how initial encouragement to charge Omar Hassan al-Bashir the Sudanese leader with genocide gave way to lukewarmness, and then when he [Luis Moreno- Ocampo] pressed on, accusations that he will be "responsible for a bloodbath" in Dafur.
It was interesting, his answer: "Today the people of Dafur are being killed. Today they are being destroyed and have no hope".
"Diplomatic obstruction and political accommodation" over a period of nearly three years allowed the Sudanese Leader free reign to protect perpetrators of acts of genocide, continue to terrorise the people of Dafur, as well as withhold much needed aid.
It seems that in today's complicated world of international diplomacy, the oft claimed 'big picture' view fails to take into consideration the suffering in real time, of the man, woman and child in much need of protection.
A diplomacy that is less about 'black or white' and more about 'different shades of gray' is in danger of encouraging conditions like those in Dafur..
... conditions that sadly are never in the best interests of the very people meant to be protected.
It describes Luis Moreno- Ocampo's [prosecutor of the international criminal courts] frustration at what he sees as the United Nations and the West being out of touch with what has been going on in Dafur, which counts 300,000 as dead and 2.5 million people as displaced.
The article describes how initial encouragement to charge Omar Hassan al-Bashir the Sudanese leader with genocide gave way to lukewarmness, and then when he [Luis Moreno- Ocampo] pressed on, accusations that he will be "responsible for a bloodbath" in Dafur.
It was interesting, his answer: "Today the people of Dafur are being killed. Today they are being destroyed and have no hope".
"Diplomatic obstruction and political accommodation" over a period of nearly three years allowed the Sudanese Leader free reign to protect perpetrators of acts of genocide, continue to terrorise the people of Dafur, as well as withhold much needed aid.
It seems that in today's complicated world of international diplomacy, the oft claimed 'big picture' view fails to take into consideration the suffering in real time, of the man, woman and child in much need of protection.
A diplomacy that is less about 'black or white' and more about 'different shades of gray' is in danger of encouraging conditions like those in Dafur..
... conditions that sadly are never in the best interests of the very people meant to be protected.
1 comment:
....I wonder how many children going through the public education that you recieved in Nigeria will grow to understand international politics like you do...and be able to comment reasonable like you do?
....without that...who will advocate for peace in their generation?
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