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Skeptic Ian Williams questions an earlier president.

When Hypocrisy Can Kill

by Ian Williams 

Ian Williams is a journalist and U.N. Correspondent for The Nation and a weekly columnist for www.MaximsNews.com   Order his new book from Amazon.com, Deserter: George Bush's War on Military Families, Veterans, and His Past.   See his Bio.  See his columns listed below.   IanWilliams@MaximsNews.com 

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           UNITED NATIONS -- 7 October 2004 / www.MaximsNews.com /  At first, the Security Council reaction to Dafur seemed like a lightening speed reflex compared with the long-drawn out agonies of Cambodia, Bosnia or Rwanda.

But while a month ago, you could argue that the Security Council was maintaining steady pressure on Sudan, now, in the face of the continuing atrocities, the Council seems to be spinning its wheels in the sand.

While the Sudanese have obviously learnt from Slobodan Milosevic just how much to give to bleed off the pressure for action that had been building up in the Security Council, this week it was the U.S. came to their rescue.

Sadly, Tuesday’s American veto of the resolution on the Israeli incursion into Gaza, which has already killed 70 Palestinians, makes it even less likely than before that there will be a Council majority for strong action against Khartoum.

As Algerian Ambassador Abdullah Baali said after the vote,  the  Security Council – by which he meant the United States, is  “once again sending the wrong message to the world. It is confirmed that when it comes to Israel, the Security Council is unable to take action, let alone under Chapter VII. It is sending the impression that it is effective only when it deals with Arab countries."

Coming in the wake of Iraq, American initiatives over Sudan are, no matter how well meaning, tainted by the understandable perception across the Arab and Muslim world that Washington has double standards.

Even so, with all their faults and domestic motivations, with all their admittedly unjustified self-righteousness, the Americans are right in some respects.

It was serious Security Council pressure on Sudan that brought about what progress has already been made in mitigating the tragedy in Darfur.

However, inept and expedient American diplomacy is a hindrance to getting stronger U.N. action.

For example, in other circumstances, the U.S. determination to call events in Darfur “genocide” could seem like a welcome firm stand.

Indeed resolution 1564, is the belated first time that the Genocide Convention of 1948 has actually been invoked by the Security Council.

The Genocide Convention does allow for, indeed mandates, international action regardless of state sovereignty and in contrast, the doctrine of “humanitarian intervention” was already controversial even before Bush, and Blair began retrospectively abusing it to justify the attack on Iraq so simply killing lots of people is a tougher sell for legal action

But while it may seem like a quick diplomatic fix, with the added benefits of being domestically popular as the election approaches, it could backfire.

While there is no doubt that massive crimes against humanity are being perpetrated in Sudan, and that tens of thousands of men, women and children are being slaughtered, it is far from clear that the precise charge of genocide is justified – and it may indeed prove counterproductive.

Killing the last ten members of a tribe in the Rain Forest is indeed genocide under the Convention. But killing millions of your political opponents is not, so long as you do not pick your victims on the basis of race or creed.

However, in American political terms, sadly, “genocide” can mean “killing people who have a lobby supporting them in Washington – and especially doing it on TV.”

Washington’s tendency to see the world through a series of reflexes to domestic lobbies does indeed lend support to the accusations of hypocrisy and inconsistency that continually hobble its diplomatic efforts.

So, in addition to the more impartial human rights organizations who are calling for action, there are groups ranging from evangelical Christians to pro-Israeli lobbyists, who are always happy to hit at an Arab state, especially one they see as persecuting Christians and opposing Israel.

Sudan has been a favorite cause with many of these, who seem to conflate the Darfur war, which is actually pretty much between Muslims, with the conflict between the Christian rebels and Khartoum in the South.

The support of these groups tends, once again, to give Sudan the excuse to allege bias. .

One cannot begrudge those who are otherwise about to die in Darfur finding a protector in the most powerful state in the world. just because they make a convenient political cudgel for people in Washington, or because Sudan can rope in the Arab League by pointing to American actions in Palestine and Iraq.

Luckily for the Darfurians, in this case they already have the Europeans and the African Union on their side, free from the taint of joining Washington’s Crusade against Muslims, otherwise, the prospect of U.N. action would be a forlorn, instead of faint hope.

However, while in no way condoning the mass murder, many of the Europeans do not share the U.S. determination that it is genocide happening in Sudan.

Genocide” is an unnecessary legal hypothesis. There is a perfectly good instrument available.

The Security Council could order the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute what are clearly crimes against humanity – but the U.S. is irrationally treating the body as if it were a Fundamentalist Shariah Court.

It would be nice to think that there was a quick fix like that – but of course there isn’t.

The Secretary General did not mince his words to the Security Council this week, “The tragedy in Darfur is one of the greatest challenges the international community faces today.  The whole world is watching this tragedy unfold, and it is watching us.  No one can be allowed to sidestep or ignore their responsibility to protect the innocent civilians.”

But Kofi Annan did not say who would stop us all from allowing it. As a world, we allow all too much in the way of atrocity.

Unless enough nations and their representatives stand up for a consistent humanitarian policy that does not excuse the crimes of allies, and is prepared to name and shame them, and if necessary take action to force adherence to international humanitarian law, there is sadly little prospect of relief for the Darfurians.

We can hope that the Europeans and Africans could shame Russia and China into not vetoing action, or that this administration would offer only tacit support until replaced by one less tainted.

But a lot of  people will die while we are waiting. It will not be genocide that killed them, but a murderous mixture of local impunity and global expediency.

     Email Ian Williams:  IanWilliams@MaximsNews.com

  Order Here!!! 

Deserter: George Bush's War on Military Families, Veterans, and His Past  

by Ian Williams

Order Now from Amazon.com       http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560256273/wwwmaximsnewc-20/103-2632401-6943852?creative=125577&camp=2321&link_code=as1

Ian Williams' Weekly Columns in MaximsNews.com

When Hypocrisy Can Kill...  7 October 2004

Bush  - Still A Deserter Safire, still wrong...  15 September 2004

Bushowulf – the Saga   10 September 2004

Why Lebanon ?...  9 September 2004

Ian Williams Welcomes Republicans to New York...  29 August 2004

What kind of Veteran?  Calley-type or Kerry-type?  25 August 2004

Chavez Beating about the Bush...  18 August 2004

The War Records of Bush and Kerry...  12 August 2004

Where is Osama Bin Laden?  6 August 2004

Sudan, To Intervene – or not to Intervene?  27 July 2004

Mr. Sharon, Tear Down This Wall!  16 July 2004

William Safire – Warped, on Speed, or Just Running Mad Again?  13 July 2004

Bosnian U.N. Defender Locked Up  7 July 2004

The U.N., the U.S. & the I.C.C.  30 June 2004

The New York Times, William Safire and the United Nations  23 June 2004

Hastily Contrived, Verbose, and Fudged: Security Council Resolution 1546  16 June 2004

Is the U.S. Clever Enough to Rule the World?  9 June 2004

Humor the Beast: the U.S. and the ICC  2 June 2004

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?  20 May 2004

The Solution to the Iraqi Knot  12 May 2004     

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