International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) representatives visited Sudan this week to discuss the African nation’s plans to build at least one nuclear reactor by 2020. The ambitious scheme, which oil-producing Sudan claims would be purely for civil use to produce electricity, is the latest in Arab nuclear initiatives, paralleling Iran’s highly controversial program.
The whatboutery dispute, therefore, comes down to this. One side subscribes to the universality of human rights and urges two conclusions. Firstly, more equitable distribution of popular concern across the myriad human rights crises in the world. Secondly, greater awareness that the internal character of a regime - whether it’s a democracy or a tyranny - will tell you a great deal about how responsive it will be to human rights complaints.The other side filters everything through the idea of Empire - including the ICC. If you regard the ICC as a tool of a sinister global conspiracy, there is no need to examine its status as a “court of last resort,” and therefore particularly appropriate for those states which lack robust, transparent judicial systems.
From my latest article for The Huffington Post.
In recent weeks, the courageous Nicholas Kristof, accompanied by George Clooney, has been revisiting the hell on earth that has enveloped Darfur and eastern Chad. In one of his searing columns, he wrote about a 27 year-old woman named Suad Ahmed.
That the savagery of the Sudanese regime and its Janjaweed thugs in Darfur knows no bounds is a fact we have all been aware of for a long time - too long. Now, though, there is a new report which should shake the world out of its complacency, or “Darfur fatigue,” or whatever you want to call it.
This is a guest post by Michelle Sieff, Assistant Director of the American Jewish Committee’s Africa Institute.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has announced a unilateral ceasefire in Darfur, promising to disarm pro-government janjaweed militias that have killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. The pronouncements were a result of the Sudan People’s Initiative, which brought together government, political opposition parties and civil society - but not the rebel groups - to brainstorm solutions to the crisis.
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