The Next Rwanda? Sudan's Neglected Nightmare

Not really related to this but have a look at the cartoon right <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/fiore/2004/04/04_201.html">here</a>.<p>---<br>"We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done." - Alan Turing

It does appear that if it is not relevant to U.S. policy how dare it be relevant to the rest of the world? Get with the U.S. program you terrorist loves. The one reason that has raised my anger with the U.S. for going to war on Afghanistan and Iraq is that they've sidelined all the other areas of the world that were already collapsing and needing our assistance. But, if the Americans want it - they'll have it and Canada's policy seems to be do unto the world as the Americans would do unto it. Disgusting.

The Americans (and we at least partly by extension) are securing (or attempting to secure) the last bits of cheap oil in the world, of which Sudan has a few months supply. Everything else that happens to that central theme is "collateral damage".

There are two fights to the Sudan conflict: one is conflicting religions, and the other is a conflict within a religion. But all revolves around oil. If there was no oil, there wouldn't be arms sales (no money to buy them,you see). No arms sales, and the butchery would have to happen the "old fashioned way", which is not to say it couldn't happen. But at least it wouldn't be goaded on by outside influences, who are only interested in the oil.

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RickW

You are absolutly right. Let's get on a plane and go help those people before they are all dead. Come on! Who's with me?!?! Aghrraahhhhh!!! <runs out of room with fists in air>

...

<looks back in from around corner> You coming?

The United Nations just voted Sudan onto the Human Rights commission, pleasing all the socialists, anti-globalists and UN lovers - now they can get back to condemning Isreal for being a democracy in the middle east of all places! how outrageous!

Where are all the righteous 'human shields'? why are they not going to the Sudan along with their friends in the 'Peace Movement' to stop the killing? - the obvious answer is that they couldn't care less about peace or human rights or justice - they want to score media points against the U.S., that's all that really matters to them - that wonderful feeling of self-righteousness.

Anon,

I certainly hope you're writing us from the Sudanese frontlines then are you?

That is a good point 4Canada, but I also wonder exactly what the point of being a human sheild is? I mean once you are dead there isn't much you can do for the living, is there? Wouldn't it be better to try to influence peace through diplomacy, through aid, not more guns? Just thinking that if we actually stopped the flow of drugs and guns, you know the real trade deals running the global system, preventing people from building lives; maybe we wouldn't need more dead bodies to create a sense of caring in the world.

I mean do people really only care when they see or hear of huge body counts, couldn't we care because people are working as slaves, or because they are homeless, starving, and have no healthcare. Isn't the quality of life also important? It is to me.

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

Flat Cath,

I think if I decided to be a human shield I would be doing it with the hope that I could stop someone from being killed with my body, not a gun, and that the person that I encountered would respect my life, (sans weapons), enough to not kill me. That's hope or stupid no matter which way I look at it. When I try to put myself in the shoes of a suicide bomber I ask myself what would my life have to be like in order for me to be able to do such a thing? The answer - my life may gain more meaning dead than alive, my voice may have more volume dead than alive, my life as a repressed individual has had no impact so maybe my death as a weapon would. These repressed individuals for me are not so hard to understand. We have to stop repression. We have to listen to people. We have to start caring about life again. Wars do not foster an atmosphere of caring or listening. For me that's just simple. (Have I gone off track here, I don't even know? It would be nice to be able to read your post as I'm replying to you to make sure I'm still talking about what you brought up.@@)

Anon,

Israel deserves to be condemned not because it is a democracy but because it is acting undemocratic, ruthless, and hateful. Israel needs to have all its weapons taken away from it and then maybe they'd be more interested in making peace with the Palestinians and the rest of the Middle East. Or maybe then it would understand how some people can become suicide bombers because they have no other means of protecting the larger goal, keeping their lands and sovereignty. I'd really like to see how Israel would behave without all that US hardware they posses.

Sure where do I join up? It's not like the Canadian Armed forces are asking for volunteers for this.

For the record, I would have volunteered to go to Bosnia/Kosovo and Rwanda if given the chance....

I did. They were not nice places.<p><p>---<br>"History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme" Mark Twain <br />
"The greatest price of not participating in politics is being governed by your inferiors." Plato

Well actually the Canadian Forces is always asking for volunteers, but you must be dedicated, you must be willing to be trained, you must put in the time and energy...no they don't just ask you to volunteer and then hand you a gun and say go get 'em or 'bring 'em on'. So if you are serious, head down to your local recruiting centre...but remember they only take the best and it isn't going to be a picnic, as Dr. Caleb will tell you.

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

There is another country that might see things differently if it weren't poking it's head out from behind a gun? People are always more humble and diplomatic when they aren't sitting on a stockpile of weapons. Alternatives come to mind, amazingly.

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?