Western Sudan - what is to be done?

[DinoDoc]

I care more about my house than I do about Africa. Who would we split the spoils of this "civilizing" mission with?

[Whoha]

Africa is quite wealthy when it comes to resources.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I care more about my house than I do about Africa. Who would we split the spoils of this "civilizing" mission with?

Whoever is willing to be our lap dog in carrying it out, without chewing our slippers or pissing on the carpet. Now that we've got the UK on board, we don't need much else.

[Arrian]

Ok, now I think you're out of YOUR ****ing mind, MtG. Take over Africa? Really go for an Empire? Come on, that's even more far-fetched than a successful UN intervention in Sudan. It would require: 1) an American public that actually WANTS empire; 2) a ****load more ground troops; 3) that the rest of the world will just roll over and take it in the ass, which I don't think they will do if they *really* think we're after an empire.

-Arrian

[MichaeltheGreat]

Well, then the alternative (since the bandaid approach is a known chronic failure) is to do nothing more than whatever token approach makes us individually feel good.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
Do you just exterminate cockroaches in the kitchen and let them wander around at will near the trash can outside the garage?

Depends on the part of the country in which you live. Exterminating cockroaches outside in Florida is a bit like swatting moquitoes in Minnesota, a wast of time.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat


How does being halfassed and not getting in the way of the thugs and letting them do their thing until they get bored "save lives?"

It doesn't. It just takes credit for being around at the moment the thugs figured they'd killed enough people for this go-round.

Im not quite sure what youre talking about, actually. Can you give me an example of an intervention where the thugs just got bored? Are you talking about Kosovo? Rwanda?

Im not advocating we wait till it stops before we act. I am suggesting that we act to stop the genocide, and not to overthrow the Sudanese govt, unless that should prove necessary. I am suggesting that we use threats, whether of force or sanctions - it would take a while to prepare force anyway, so we might as well threaten.

The UN forces have disadvantages. US forces are overstreched. I suggest using whatever force is available, IF it comes to that.

[MichaeltheGreat]

I'm not just talking interventions, but the fact that the thugs usually get bored before they kill off everybody - whether there's an intervention or not.

Somalia, Rwanda and Cambodia are nice starter examples, though.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
I'm not just talking interventions, but the fact that the thugs usually get bored before they kill off everybody - whether there's an intervention or not.

Somalia, Rwanda and Cambodia are nice starter examples, though.

In rwanda the Hutu genocidaire thugs were driven off by the Tutsi forces from outside. In cambodia the Khmer Rouge were driven off by the Viet Namese Army. No credit to the West in either instance, but hardly a case of the genocidaires getting bored.

In somalia there was no organized genocide. Just a failed state and lots of interclan warfare and associated hunger.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
I care more about my house than I do about Africa.

RACIST!!

[lord of the mark]

canada calls on UNSC to act

evidence of summary executions of civilians

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...nada_sudan_col

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Depends on the part of the country in which you live. Exterminating cockroaches outside in Florida is a bit like swatting moquitoes in Minnesota, a wast of time.

The two legged variety of cockroach can be killed faster than hatchlings grow up enough to become a capable two-legged cockroach.

The six-legged variety does tend to have a faster pain-in-the-ass cycle.

[chequita guevara]

Yeah, but when you swat one of them, two others sprout up to take his place.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Yeah, but when you swat one of them, two others sprout up to take his place.

Swat them too. They'll run out of cockroaches before we run out of swatters.

[Ramo]

We didn't "lose control" - we relaxed our grip so as to minimize the wailing and gnashing of teeth that would result if we decided to seriously exercise control.

The effect's the same. Holding onto Najaf or Fallujah was politically untenable for us at times, just as it was militarily untenable for the UN to hold onto Bakuva. That the UN allowed Bakuva to fall into rebel hands doesn't make their peacekeeping forces useless.