Darfur: What Should the U.S. Do? (Bill Fletcher Jr)

Here is one of the few opinion pieces to come out of Washingon, D.C., that I agree with. Let's hear more voices like it please!

Excerpt from Chicago Defender Commentary Darfur: What Should the U.S. Do? by Bill Fletcher, Jr [via Hell on Earth]

There are some things that the Bush administration can do; the only question is whether they are prepared to actually do them. The Darfur crisis must be resolved by Africans. Any suggestion of NATO troops or U.S. troops entering in and forcing a solution will simply not work. Leadership for the resolution of the crisis must come from the African Union. Admittedly, the African Union is weak, indeed, in many respects it is just getting off the ground. Precisely for that reason, its on-going efforts need to be supported. If the Bush administration wishes to help, then let them support the African Union financially and diplomatically. Provide the AU with sufficient logistical support to deploy more peacekeepers. Provide assistance for the refugees currently living in neighboring Chad, and those internally displaced within the Sudan.

I wish that I had confidence that the Bush administration could play a positive role in international affairs. All evidence points to the contrary. Thus, my conclusion tends to be that which is the first instruction to physicians: do no harm!

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Washington, DC-based writer and activist involved with labor and international issues. A former president of TransAfrica Forum, he is now a Visiting Professor in Political Science at Brooklyn College-CUNY. He can be reached at papaq54@hotmail.com.