Tuesday, May 25, 2004
This is the text of a letter I faxed to my congressmen today.
Dear [Sens. Warner and Allen, Rep. Davis]:
I am writing in regards to the situation in the Darfur province of Sudan. Undoubtedly you are aware of the crisis, in which Arab militias have been carrying out a policy of what a high-ranking United Nations official termed “ethnic cleansing” against Sudanese of African descent. To date, well over a million people have been displaced from their homes; innumerable thousands injured, tortured and raped; hundreds upon hundreds killed. Just recently, reports have come in of a massacre that left over forty men, women and children dead. These are not soldiers participating in a war – these are civilian victims of a slaughter. These are not simply statistics to shake ones head at – these are real people who led real lives, had real jobs, loved real families, and are enduring real suffering.
To date, America’s response – and, indeed, the response of the world – has been muted. Certainly the United Nations has demanded an end to the violence, and President Bush condemned it in the strongest terms. However, words without actions are not enough. The global community learned that lesson the hard way in Rwanda, when it sat quietly by as genocide took life after life. Sadly, it appears that the memory of Rwanda has dimmed, for now that which we swore would never be allowed to happen again is on the horizon: ritual genocide.
America purports to be the indispensable nation, the bastion of hope, liberty and justice. Can we hope to maintain even a sliver of moral legitimacy if we allow Darfur to become the site of more killing fields? Our international standing is at low ebb; what better way to show we are committed to the ideals we preach instead of economic gain than to delve fully into a mission where there is a clear right and a clear wrong? Certainly we do not need to go it alone: in addition to the U.N., our allies have always shown a willingness to participate in humanitarian rescue efforts, such as those in Bosnia and Kosovo.
Furthermore, from the standpoint of the war on terror America has strategic interests in restoring order to Darfur. Hotbeds of lawlessness have a frightening tendency to turn into havens for terrorists and other lowlifes, and Sudan is geographically positioned adjacent to the Middle East. In the past, Sudan has been the location for terrorist activity – Osama bin Laden himself once used the nation as a base of operations. In this interdependent world where the most innocuous land such as Afghanistan can prove to be a critical player, our eye should not slide lightly over a potential threat to America and its friends.
[Sir], you are a leader in this country, and I ask you now to embrace that role and lead the charge for increased U.S. involvement in Darfur. Diplomatically, politically, economically and (if needed) militarily, America must turn its attention to Sudan. To do any less would be a disservice to the legacy, reputation and security of this great nation.
Regards,
Elliot Haspel
