The War at Home
In for a penny, in for a pound. If I'm going to talk politics, then let's be thorough. The Sudanese government the other day, accepted "help" from the UN for the Darfur peacekeeping force deployed by the African Union. This despite previous rejections of a UN force. It seems that there will now be a hybrid AU-UN force where the UN will "not be in command". The cynicism of this move is both amazing and aggravating. The Sudan government, emboldened by a US mired in Iraq and newfound oil wealth, is basically allowing the creation and insertion of an anemic force in Darfur. The end result will be the perfect excuse for the continuing bloodshed, which will of course necessitate a response from the government, since the external force will be unable to deal with it. It is yet another example of the failure of the theory international intervention, and is hastening the end of the UN as a viable mechanism for solving issues, either international or intranational.
UPDATE 11/18/06 5:08pm PST
As anticipated government forces and armed militias are currently attacking a town in northern Darfur. It's a crying shame...
Comments
I'm not sure the UN ever was a viable mechanism for solving international issues. Maybe during the cold war era it was effective. At this point, I wouldn't be opposed to getting rid of the UN entirely.
Posted by: Houchens | November 22, 2006 4:38 PM
Easy to say, but not so easy in practice. The UN does do a lot of good work for education, children's health, etc.
Posted by: Lo Fat Mo | November 25, 2006 12:09 PM