People die in Darfur! Tens of thousands of them. Men murdered. Women raped. Homes burned. Children starving to death in refugee camps. Americans wring their hands as they watch the evening news. Politicians and statesmen visit the region. Congress and the Senate declare that it's genocide. Stern words fly through the air waves. Sanctions might be imposed. And all the while, more people die in Darfur.
And what is the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world doing about it? Practically nothing. While government backed Arab militias carry on with their year old pogrom against the African minority in southern Sudan, the "World's Policeman" has finally come to the decision, after much debate, that we can actually label this atrocity as "genocide." Beyond that, we haven't done a thing. We aren't sending in tons of aid. We aren't demanding that the UN Security Council pass resolutions or send in Peace Keepers. And we certainly haven't sent in 140,000 US troops to overthrow the despotic government that's behind all of this. We reserve that kind of intervention for oil rich nations.
But this isn't the first time the US has turned a blind eye on Africa. We have a long history of ignoring Africa. When the massacres took place in Rwanda ten years ago, America stood by wringing its hands. When Idi Amin was butchering his own people in Uganda, America turned a blind eye. While Angola was ripping itself apart in a twenty-year civil war, America sent weapons to the rebels and ignored the cries of the civilians caught up in the crossfire. When Liberia melted down into civil war, America declared it an "African problem." And all the years that the white minority ruled South Africa and oppressed the black majority, America actually supported the apartheid regime. And we have done almost nothing to help stop the AIDS epidemic that is killing millions across the continent. Oh yes, we're very good at ignoring the people of Africa.
But why should this be? Because we - as a nation - are racist. OH NO! HE SAID IT!!! Yes, I did. I spoke the dirty truth that no one in this country wants to hear. I actually pointed at the elephant in the living room and said, "Look at that!" Why doesn't America do more to help out Africa? Why do we spend billions of dollars a year to support Israel and hundreds of billions of dollars to prosecute a war in Iraq, but spend almost nothing in Africa? Because America is still largely a racist country. We don't help out Africa because it is full of Africans. And if a few hundred million Africans die, what of it? They're just Africans. We'll say a prayer, wring our hands and contribute $$30 a month to some charitable organization, and that'll make us feel better about it. But we won't commit troops and $200 billion.
"But wait," you say. "What about Somalia? We tried to help there, and they just attacked us. So when we try to help, no one appreciates it." Well, not really. We sent a token force into Somalia, along with a bunch of other countries. And when 13 US soldiers were killed in the Infamous "Blackhawk Down" incident, we determined that the cost - in both dollars and lives - was too high, and we pulled out and left the country to its own resources. Thirteen casualties! So far, we've lost over 1,000 Americans in Iraq and seen almost 13,000 severely wounded. And we consider an acceptable price to pay. But 13 lives was too high a price for Somalia. But, after all, Somalia had no "strategic resources"; we had no "national interests" to protect there. All Somalia had was Somalians, and it's hard for the world's wealthiest, most powerful nation to whip up a lot of enthusiam for an impoverished, oppressed people who have nothing to offer us in return.
And on the issue of American foreign policy, that's the elephant in the living room that no one wants to talk about.
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