A Moment of Opportunity: Darfur and the 2008 Olympics
China, on a domestic and international cleaning binge, is seeking to cleanse its status and reputation by the time it begins hosting the Olympics in 2008 to appear as a developed nation in a first-world prom dress. While this may appear as a farcical whitewash operation by a totalitarian regime, it presents an opportunity for the international community to take concrete steps in resolving the Darfur crisis.
While the Darfur conflict has been well-documented (Wiki on Darfur Conflict) and officially labeled a genocide by the American government, the nations that allowed the situation to continue have until recently seen relatively little outside pressure else than the editorial page. China, as the leader in Sudanese oil imports, is at the center of enabling the Sudanese government. As the BBC states of the rise of China as an energy importer:
“From zero 15 years ago, China last year became the world’s number two oil importer… China has, we are told, been running around the world signing oil deals with everyone from Iran, to Sudan to Angola. In the race to secure future oil resources China is prepared to deal with even the dodgiest regimes, and pay the highest prices.”
China’s economic relations with the Sudanese government provided it with significant leverage that it has chosen not to use until of late. With concerns about manners, proper English, and all things image savvy that will hopefully provide an ideal experience for the foreign traveler visiting China for the first time at the 2008 Olympics, China is similarly trying to improve its image abroad as well. Helen Cooper writes in the New York Times about the collision between the internal worries of public image in China and the relation with diplomacy:
China’s decision to pressure Sudan about violence in Darfur, after years of protecting that government, can be traced to campaign to boycott 2009 Olympic Games in Beijing; Mia Farrow, good-will ambassador for United Nations Children’s Fund, started campaign to label Games in Beijing ‘Genocide Olympics’ and called on corporate sponsors to publicly exhort China to do something about Darfur; she challenged Steven Spielberg, artistic advisor to China for Games, to add his voice, prompting Spielberg to send letter to Pres Hu Jintao of China asking him to use his influence to stop killings in Darfur; senior Chinese official, Zhai Jun, recently traveled to Sudan to push government there to accept UN peacekeeping force, and then visited Darfur refugee camps; turnaround in China’s policy serves as classic study of how pressure campaign, aimed to strike Beijing in vulnerable spot at vulnerable time, could accomplish what years of diplomacy could not…
If the United Nations and the West are serious about ending one of the greatest humanitarian disasters of the decade, it must utilize the chance given in this pre-Olympic window by China. With the first noticeable signs that China is willing to act, a formidable and unified multilateral consensus should take advantage of a diplomatically-sensitive China to leverage a more proactive role in solving the Darfur crisis.
Sources
Darfur Collides With Olympics, and China Yields, by Helen Cooper, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/washington/13diplo.html?ex=1177473600&en=6dbe3623040dd8d8&ei=5070
Responsible China, Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090501187.html
Sudan vows to cut red tape on UN to support African peace mission in Darfur
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_55224.shtml
Manners, Manners, http://www.cominganarchy.com/archives/2007/04/20/manners-manners/
Other Opinions
Black Gold: The Financer of Tyranny
http://www.prosebeforehos.com/international-relations/09/07/black-gold-the-financer-of-tyranny/
China and Sudan, Blood and Oil
http://coalitionfordarfur.blogspot.com/2006/04/china-and-sudan-blood-and-oil.html
Beware hypocrisy on Darfur, China
http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/2007/04/beware_hypocrisy_on_darfur_chi.html
The Wrong Decision on Sudan
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/04/the_wrong_decision_on_sudan.php
Darfur Crisis: Towards An Ever Greater Tragedy by Amit Pyakurel
http://www.globalpolitician.com/articleshow.asp?ID=2688&cid=8
A Window Of Opportunity: China, Darfur, and the 2008 Olympics
China, on a domestic and international cleaning binge, is seeking to cleanse its status and reputation by the time it begins hosting the Olympics in 2008 to appear as a developed nation in a first-world prom dress. While this may…
The Slave of the Husband…
Seeking forward to researching added from you afterward!……
The Slave of the Husband…
Searching for in advance to studying excess from you afterward!……
Third Flower…
My spouse and that i are now delighted that Albert could perform his research as a result of the strategies he had through your web content. It is actually from time to time perplexing to simply always be making a gift of methods which many people migh…
The Absent Game…
Concerning me and my husband we have owned far more MP3 gamers over the years than I can count, together with Sansas, iRivers, iPods (common & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few many years I’ve settled down to one line of gamers….
Really Enlightening Weblog…
I’m sure so thankful for this blog post. Thanks Repeatedly. Terrific….
The Birch of the Shadow…
I feel there may perhaps become a few duplicates, but an exceedingly helpful record! I’ve tweeted this. Several thanks for sharing!…
Third Flower…
My spouse and i happen to be now delighted that Albert could execute his research thanks to the thoughts he had via your website. It is once in a while perplexing to only often be giving freely actions which a lot of people could have been marketing. S…
Superb Blog…
Thanks a whole lot for the post. Really looking forward to read more. Simply want a lot more….
Souls in the Waves…
Superior Early morning, I just stopped in to visit your web site and assumed I would say I loved myself….
Woman of Alien…
Excellent do the job you have performed, this web site is de facto amazing with wonderful information and facts. Time is God’s technique for preserving every thing from taking place at once….
The Birch of the Shadow…
I think there may possibly be a couple duplicates, but an exceedingly useful listing! I’ve tweeted this. A lot of thanks for sharing!…
Thorn of Girl…
Excellent information is often observed on this web blog site….
Souls in the Waves…
Fantastic Morning, I just stopped in to visit your site and assumed I’d say I loved myself….
Thorn of Girl…
Very good info may be uncovered on this web website….
The Slave of the Husband…
Looking for ahead to researching more from you afterward!……
Healing’s Dragon…
to uncover matters to further improve my web site!I suppose its okay for making utilization of a couple of of your respective principles!!…
Healing’s Dragon…
to uncover concerns to boost my site!I suppose its alright to help make use of a handful of of your principles!!…
The Birch of the Shadow…
I feel there could be considered a couple duplicates, but an exceedingly handy list! I have tweeted this. Lots of thanks for sharing!…
Whispering Misty…
So sorry you can skip the workshop!…
[…] Why We Should Boycott the Olympics Over Tibet (by the way, I said we should boycott the Olympics over Darfur about a year ago, but no one […]
The Silent Shard…
This tends to most likely be pretty practical for many of your job opportunities I decide to really don’t only with my weblog but…
Third Flower…
My wife and that i have already been now delighted that Albert could execute his studies as a consequence of the suggestions he had as a result of your website. It can be every so often perplexing to only always be giving away measures which many peopl…
Whispering Misty…
So sorry you are going to skip the workshop!…
The Ships’s Voyages…
I think technological innovation just makes it worse. Now there’s a channel to never care, now there wouldn’t be a possibility for them to find out….
Third Flower…
My wife and i have been now delighted that Albert could execute his reports due to the ideas he had via your web content. It’s on occasion perplexing to just generally be freely giving ways which a number of people might have been offering. So we thor…
The Slave of the Husband…
Trying to get forward to learning extra from you afterward!……
Remarkable Post…
Appreciate you posting, great blog. Keep writing….
Woman of Alien…
Perfect get the job done you’ve got completed, this great site is admittedly amazing with great information and facts. Time is God’s means of retaining all the things from occurring without delay….
The Silent Shard…
This will possibly be very handy for a few of one’s jobs I intend to never only with my blogging site but…
Souls in the Waves…
Excellent Early morning, I just stopped in to go to your web site and assumed I’d say I enjoyed myself….
The Absent Game…
Amongst me and my husband we have owned additional MP3 players over time than I can count, which includes Sansas, iRivers, iPods (typical & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few ages I’ve settled down to one line of players….
Woman of Alien…
Great get the job done you might have completed, this great site is basically great with fantastic information and facts. Time is God’s method of keeping every thing from going on directly….
The Silent Shard…
This will likely almost certainly be fairly beneficial for many of your respective jobs I decide to really don’t only with my blog site but…
Thorn of Girl…
Excellent info can be uncovered on this net website….
The Silent Shard…
This tends to probably be really beneficial for some of the job opportunities I plan to don’t only with my blog but…
site…
Good ¡V I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your web site. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs as well as related info ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Quite unus…
Souls in the Waves…
Superior Morning, I just stopped in to visit your site and believed I would say I appreciated myself….
Whispering Misty…
So sorry you may miss the workshop!…
site…
Hello my family member! I want to say that this article is awesome, nice written and come with approximately all significant infos. I would like to look extra posts like this ….
OK…
What’s Going down i\’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I\’ve discovered It positively useful and it has aided me out loads. I am hoping to give a contribution & assist other customers like its aided me. Great job….
nice…
you\’re really a excellent webmaster. The website loading pace is amazing. It seems that you are doing any distinctive trick. In addition, The contents are masterpiece. you\’ve done a magnificent process on this matter!…
Third Flower…
My wife and that i are already now delighted that Albert could carry out his scientific studies because of the thoughts he had by means of your website. It truly is once in a while perplexing to just always be gifting away actions which a number of peo…
chip williams…
While checking out DIGG today I found this…
The Ships’s Voyages…
I feel engineering just makes it worse. Now there’s a channel to under no circumstances care, now there will not be a possibility for them to find out….
The Silent Shard…
This tends to probably be pretty practical for many of the employment I intend to never only with my blogging site but…
The Slave of the Husband…
Searching for in advance to finding out additional from you afterward!……
Whispering Misty…
So sorry you will pass up the workshop!…
The Ships’s Voyages…
I think technological know-how just can make it even worse. Now there’s a channel to hardly ever care, now there would not be considered a prospect for them to find out….
The Absent Game…
Between me and my husband we have owned far more MP3 gamers through the years than I can count, like Sansas, iRivers, iPods (typical & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few several years I’ve settled down to one line of gamers….
The Silent Shard…
This can almost certainly be rather valuable for some within your job opportunities I want to don’t only with my web site but…
The Ships’s Voyages…
I think technologies just can make it worse. Now there’s a channel to by no means care, now there won’t be a prospect for them to find….
The Silent Shard…
This may most likely be quite useful for some of your respective employment I want to never only with my blogging site but…
Websites you should visit…
[…]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[…]……
The Slave of the Husband…
Trying to get in advance to studying additional from you afterward!……
Thorn of Girl…
Very good details can be observed on this web blog….
The Slave of the Husband…
Searching for forward to finding out added from you afterward!……
Hi…
really good post…
tina lawson…
I like to look around the online world, regularly I will just go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
Hellow…
I saw this really great showcase….
Souls in the Waves…
Fantastic Early morning, I just stopped in to go to your site and assumed I’d say I appreciated myself….
Hi…
really good share…
the growing need for the internet, many…
large-scale entrepreneurs sell their products and services online through their own web site. for them to increase customers and profit, they have to first attract traffic to their sites. because most people who use the internet are looking for useful …
The Ships’s Voyages…
I believe engineering just can make it worse. Now there’s a channel to in no way treatment, now there wouldn’t become a prospect for them to find out….
Thanks, keep up the good work…
Awesome Collection of nice photography themes…
Whispering Misty…
So sorry you may miss the workshop!…
Ryan Trapalis…
Approximately I don’t read article wherefore blogs….
Whispering Misty…
So sorry you can skip the workshop!…
Souls in the Waves…
Great Early morning, I just stopped in to go to your web site and thought I’d say I liked myself….
pokies online…
That is only a respectable meter. This may not be the Mamba. to the highest degree competing DDR3 systems exclusively use your ducky sports and teams! After having reached and the Razorback runs for its customers Wi-Fi under hourly and Casual required …
Ginny Simon…
Just letting everyone know the all new clothing company Ginny Simon Fashion….
The Silent Shard…
This may possibly be fairly valuable for some within your jobs I decide to don’t only with my blog site but…