Monday, October 04, 2004
African Genocide, Again
Retired Canadian General Romeo Dallaire has an interesting opinion piece in the New York Times this morning. Dallaire was the Commanding Officer of the UN contingent in Rwanda. UN bureaucracy and disinterested Western governments forced him to do nothing while the genocide happened before him. His New York Times piece is about the genocide in Darfur and the parallels to the Rwandan genocide.
He makes good points. But the unwritten point is this: the U.S. cannot save everyone. Our actions may be driven by idealism, but they need to be tempered by reality. While in the middle of the occupation of Iraq, how much blood and money can we spend on Darfur?
How much will anyone spend? For all their carping about the U.S. hyper-power, the continental Europeans depend on our action. In the mid-1990’s the continent of “never again” could not even begin to act against the Balkan genocide without U.S. leadership. They will not save the Sudanese. And while in this decade the Australians sent troops to stabilize East Timor, they cannot be expected to do everything. If the European Union is honest in their idealism it is time for them to take the lead.
He makes good points. But the unwritten point is this: the U.S. cannot save everyone. Our actions may be driven by idealism, but they need to be tempered by reality. While in the middle of the occupation of Iraq, how much blood and money can we spend on Darfur?
How much will anyone spend? For all their carping about the U.S. hyper-power, the continental Europeans depend on our action. In the mid-1990’s the continent of “never again” could not even begin to act against the Balkan genocide without U.S. leadership. They will not save the Sudanese. And while in this decade the Australians sent troops to stabilize East Timor, they cannot be expected to do everything. If the European Union is honest in their idealism it is time for them to take the lead.
