The Dark Stain of Darfur -- Paul Martin

This week we have seen a surrealistic adventure in political realpolitik. The key player was the disaffected Liberal, David Kilgour. Kilgour laid down the guantlet: Either Martin comes up with a reasonable plan to stop the carnage and rape in Darfur, or he can kiss goodbye to Kilgour's non-confidence support. The clambering of all parties to assure him that they were behind his resolve to stop the genocide was almost comical. Kilgour wants Canada to commit no less than 500 troops to combat the rampaging Janjaweed militia, who have killed around 300,000 black Sudanese in the last two years. He is probably right in saying that any less than that number would be practically meaningless. After all, you are talking about an area the size of France and a combatant that is supported by the regular Sudanese airforce.

Here is how Paul Martin picked up Kilgour's guantlet. PM promised to send in "up to 100 troops", who would be unarmed "support" members for the African Union troops. These are the same AU troops that have been accused of human rights abuses, when sent to Sierra Leone and the Congo. Martin knows their record, but to be diplomatic, refuses to publically acknowledge it. He has succumbed to the same mindless blather as his counterparts in the UN. It is typical pol-speak. Just as the UN thug states pay lip service to the idea of bringing peace to the innumerable African hotspots, so Martin has committed himself to an airy-fairy plan of action, which will do nothing to suppress the violence.

Kilgour thinks another year's delay in real action would cost another 50,000 deaths. Martin did commit to throwing money at the problem--$170 million in total, over two years. This is the same man who has tried to bribe the Canadian voters (and the NDP) with about $20 billion in promises. However, I suspect Kilgour is not impressed. He knows, as does any thinking person, that it will take boots on the ground, along with lots of firepower, to stop the Janjaweed. People who rape, burn and kill with impunity do not respond readily to diplomatic chit-chat. You have to kill a goodly number of them to get their attention. The Sudanese government has murdered millions of their black brethern in southern Sudan for years, but has been undeterred by world-wide condemnation.

The Arab league has actually supported this bloodthirsty regime and the despots of black Africa are loathe to interfere in another member's repression--think what that would lead to. Why their own daily crimes against humanity would be the lead-off everyday in the General Assembly. No, it is better to stay on point and reflexivly condemn Israel for its villainous subjugation of the Palestinians.

When Martin goes down to defeat there is the perfect position for him as Secretary-General of the United Nations. There he could dither and obfuscate to his heart's content. So long as he kept increasing the delegates' salaries and threw great cocktail parties, he would be boffo. As an extra perk, he could lambaste the Americans without fear of retaliation at election time. He could even hire Carolyn Parrish as his press secretary.

© Bud Talkinghorn

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