It is about time....

Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council unaminmously approved a resolution authorizing the creation of a UN peace-keeping force in the Darfur region of the Sudan. Perhaps after many months of a state sponsored genocide, the United Nations will finally live up to its pledge to ensure international peace and security. Granted, Sudan's fanatic President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has repeatably blocked efforts to provide for a reasonably sized force; however, the international community could have been doing more to quell the bloodshed that has resulted in thousands of deaths and over 2 million displaced people.

For one, China is a large supporter of the Sudanese economy. I agree with the likes of Senator Biden who has called for a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics until China does more to pressure their trading partner. The Chinese hold a great deal of leverage with the Sudanese; nevertheless, they have shown once again that human rights are not of great importance in China.

Additionally, lets hope that this resolution actually provides for a force that is operationally capable of making a difference. Despite their valiant efforts, the horriblely outnumbered African Union force has been forced to sit back and watch as women have been raped and children murdered just because of what tribe they were a part of.

There seems to be an all to common theme here... The international community makes grandiose statements proclaiming unity against a common threat. Yet, it sits back and watched as thousands of innocents were killed in Rwanda or Sierra Leon. The United Nations formed in the wake of the atrocities of World War II promising to never allow such horrors to occur again. Many Jews, including myself, speak of the phrase "never again" as a constant reminder of our obligation to ensure that the Holocaust is never repeated. Now is the time, to stand up and say truly once and for all "NEVER AGAIN" Visit this link to see what myself and other University of Michigan students are doing to stop the genocide.