When the annoucement was made that President Elect Barack Obama was nominated as the 44th president of the United States, no one can deny the victorious cheer that resonated across the globe. An example that I'm going to go with hits close to home. All my friends from Sudan were beyond ecstatic at Obama's sweeping triumph. Whether they were people I knew that resided within Sudan or ex-patriates living abroad - they were undoubtedly thrilled at the new U.S. president. I was, and still am, right there beside them sharing their excitement. Alas, not all is rose-colored my friends.
I want to ask you, especially, fellow Sudanese aged 18-27: why are you so ecstatic at Obama's nomination? Is it because it's just NOT McCain or does he possess some kind of ideal that you find immeausureably admirable? Lastly, and this is the point I want you to really reflect on..do you, fellow Sudanese, know what Obama's presidency means to our home country?
I didn't think so.
It is our responsibilty, our duty to know, to understand to be prepared for what's to come. Sure President Elect Obama is a wonderful man. He's charming, he represents the ideals of change, progressiveness, the silver lining in the course of bad U.S. political affairs. Plus, he's an ethnic minority. Always a plus, right? But it's more than that. So much more. This situation needs to be viewed at via Obama's team. First, his Vice President, Joe Biden.
Senator Biden is the chairman of the foreign relations committee at the US senate and presided over many hearings discussing the situation in Darfur. He has been extremely active and voiceful in regards to the Darfur issue.
In April 2007 he said "it’s time to put force on the table and use it." Biden said that senior US military NATO officials in Europe told him that 2,500 U.S. troops could “radically change the situation on the ground [in Darfur]”.
So, after letting that marinate for a little, I urge you to ask yourself again - what does this mean for Sudan?
Allow me to pose future scenarios. The U.S. is facing one of its most challenging times in its history: the economic crisis. Barack Obama is going full-fledged with this #1 issue on America's minds. He just completed setting up his economic advisory board, fully equipped with former Federal Reserve chairman Paul A. Volcker, and is preparing himself for some serious investiagtions and assessments to possible solutions on this growing problem. You can say that starting January 20, 2009, Obama's schedule will pretty much be heavily dedicated towards dealing with this financial mess. So, as far as Washington's foreign-relations are concerned, there are loud whispers among sources that Hillary Clinton will be appointed as President Obama's Secreatry of State. It's looking more and more certain that Hillary will be taking over on C Street.
In a letter to President George Bush dated February 8, 2008, Hillary Clinton urged the administration to work towards tackling the Darfur situation:
"The genocide in Darfur must be brought to an end, and the United States has a responsibility as a world leader to bring its weight to bear in order to achieve peace...It is time for this administration to develop a clear, coherent policy toward Sudan and to make all necessary diplomatic efforts to stop this tragedy.”
Through various amendments and speeches, Sen. Clinton makes it utterly clear that "the United States should apply all points of pressure" to ensure that the govenrment of Sudan takes action to stop the situation in Darfur.
Essentially, Obama's VP and his potential Secretary of State will be the ones leading all things foreign-related while he strives to tackle the economic state of the country. With that said, I ask you, fellow Sudanese, once again: what does this mean for our country?
I believe, passionately, that over 200,000 civilian deaths and 2.5 million displaced is not something to shrug your shoulders and casually look the other way about. Not at all. But while Brtain ruled over India, Lord Louis Moutbatten told Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi: "If we just leave, there will be chaos," to what Ghandi replied: "Yes, but it will be our chaos."
Darfur is a horrible situation, one that, without a doubt, needs critical attention. But it is our responsibility, our chaos. The very LAST thing Sudan needs is U.S. forces injected into our country. We do not need another Iraq. As editor of Newsweek International Fareed Zakaria stated: "if the United States acted alone or with a small coalition - invading its third Muslim country in five years - the attempt would almost certainly backfire, providing the Sudanese government with a fiery rallying cry against "U.S. imperialism."
So in effect, when 2009 rolls around, strengthetning U.S. pressure on Sudan, by however methods they deem necessary, may be a top item on the Presidential to-do list. The only aspect that may possibly withstand a move towards that direction is again, the troubled economy. Right now, the U.S. does not have the money to send a ship to Somalia to ratify the piracy happening off the coast of Somalia or send more troops to the lingering situation in Afghansitan, let alone plan, train, manage and command another military movement to Sudan. But if the economy does begin to straighten itself out, the prospect is still out there.
So, I ask you again, fellow Sudanese: what does President Obama really mean for Sudan?
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3 comments:
On election day, I was up all through the night to the early hours of the morning...cnn on the tv in my room, bbc on the other tv, and the abc website on my laptop. I was so excited about this, despite the fact that Im not an American.
why? Because the new President of the United States is not a decision that affects only the Americans living in the States; it affects the entire world.
Prsident Elect Obama is a very smart man; he tapped into something that gave him that amazing landslide win..something that Mcain didnt have..the hearts and hopes of people. THAT is what won him the election.
If I had the right to vote, I would have voted for Obama.heres why:
first lets get something straight..theres a difference between liking someone to win and wanting someone to win. I like Obama; to me, its the ultimate under dog story. A black man, not from a big political family like the Bushes, Clintons or Kennedys,he wasnt really backed from washigton. its that all familair "American Dream" we keep hearing..that you can become anything you choose in America.
But, this is not why I would vote for him if I could. I would vote for him because his policies and priorities are in the right place.
You say Biden & Hilary want to bring in troops to Darfur, and you say, as Ghandi once put it "its our choas". yes, it is our mess. but, by now, I think its very clear and fair to say that we've disastrously failed to clean up our own mess.Infact, we may have even made things worse.
You're right...the United States should'nt be forcing troops in Darfur. No one should force troops into a nation that refuses thier presence.But we should be the ones asking for help. This should not be percieved as fear or surrendering to the Big Bad West, but it should be seen as wisdom, and knowing our limits,beacuse what it all comes to down to in the end is that people are dying needlessly ....hundreds of thousands...our people, not theirs. And our goverment has failed to control this situation without outside aid.
so let me ask you.. is it wrong for us to want to help our people in anyway we can?
is it wrong to ask for help where we have failed?
you make some great points mo but i'm just posing certain scenarios. i totally agree that if things haven't been done until now (aside from the recent "cease fire" command by president bashir last week - which may just be empty rhetoric), i do not think turning to the West would necessarily be in our best interests. its not a pride thing or anything i just truly believe a grassroots movement needs to be estabilshed or some kind of movement through our african neighbors. politics will always be involved. we really cant escape that and i'm aware of that, but to put our hands up in surrender and hand it over to the "Big bad west" would jus lead way for more disaster. nobody helps out of the goodness of their hearts, mo. we have to truly understand that. i dont know of the "Right" solution, i think it requires us to think outside of what we're typically used to doing - i just think it needs new, fresh and enthusiastic minds to think passionately and seriously about this..
i think darling you are one of the few who has been able to see past the hype of a black president in america. what is truly surprising is that given the last few years of lopsided rule, conspiracy theories, media bombardment, you would think that people may begin to put a little more thought into their opinions or emotions.
Surprisingly, the Obama campaign showed us once again how we can all be manipulated by the powers that be to believe exactly what we are told.
people hav ebeen saluting obama an damerica since the election an dobviously there are things to be happy about. But ask them what they think he will do for us, as you have so eloquently stated, and very few can answer intelligently.
keep up the good work my aspiring journalist friend and thanks for the inspiration!
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