Stop Genocide - Change.org: The Obama-Biden Plan for Darfur (and input from ENOUGH)

The Obama-Biden Plan for Darfur (and input from ENOUGH)

Published November 06, 2008 @ 06:07PM PT

You've been campaigning for two years, first in an intense nomination battle and then in an even more intense general election, and you've emerged victorious in an moment sure to define a generation. What do you do? If you're Barack Obama, you give a great speech, and then get back to work. (I would've gone on vacation. Or at the very least, slept for a week straight.)

The Obama-Biden Administration launched their impressive Change.gov website, replete with information on the new agenda, including the Obama-Biden Plan for Renewing American Diplomacy. (Which, as I say here and here, should be a key priority of our new president.)

Ending the genocide in Darfur is a specific priority:

"As president, Obama will take immediate steps to end the genocide in Darfur by increasing pressure on the Sudanese and pressure the government to halt the killing and stop impeding the deployment of a robust international force. He and Joe Biden will hold the government in Khartoum accountable for abiding by its commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Accord that ended the 30 year conflict between the north and south. Obama worked with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) to pass the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act in 2006."

More details on exactly how they plan to do this would be nice. Lucky for the transition team, the ENOUGH Project released a set of recommendations for a "Peace Surge" earlier today, which advises the new administration to:

Continue the ICC investigation of President al-Bashir and others;
Enhance multilateral, non-military coercion, such as UN-sanctioned targeted sanctions;
Expand the arms embargo, with a monitoring mechanism to guarantee enforcement;
Make UNAMID effective, by building capacity and removing the Sudanese government's "de-facto veto power" over the mission's deployment and mandate; and
Ban offensive military flights, by enforcing a no-fly zone to prevent the bombings of villages in Darfur.

The difficulty of dealing with China at the UN will pose a particular challenge--China has the ability to thwart or mitigate the effect of sanctions and arms embargos, as we've already seen, and thus Chinese cooperation is critical for ending the crisis in Darfur. (The ENOUGH paper is "the first in a series of letters...spelling out a practical roadmap to end the crisis in Sudan," so I hope they address the China issue in an upcoming addition.)

I'm generally not the most optimistic person in the world (goes with the territory), but I've never felt so hopeful about the prospects for substantial change--an end, even?--to the dynamics of the conflict in Darfur. It's high time, and I hope it remains an administration priority.

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PLEASE DO YOUR BEST...IM WITH YOU ALL THE WAY...XX.

Posted by JEAN-MARCEL TREMBLAY on 11/07/2008 @ 11:52AM PT
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I am very grateful for your amazing effort and care. I am also surprised by some people's priorities, I noticed that there are more people registered to fight global warming and animal rights than human rights and lives. May God and Jesus bless you. Please, if I can help raise awareness in my area, teach me how I can do it.
Magda Prieto-Kop

Posted by Magda Prieto-Kop on 11/07/2008 @ 09:47PM PT
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idk, this would have to be implimented very cautiously. Personaly I think intervening in darfur is a bad idea.... but I won't blame Obama for trying, just so long as he doesnt send in troops..... imo it's china that needs to be stopped. They are after all funding sudan and the genocide.

Posted by Morgan Cordray on 11/07/2008 @ 11:30PM PT
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Right---direct US military intervention would likely be a disaster, for reasons I will get in to in an upcoming post, and there are a variety of other options available for a coordinated approach by the international community. The "China Question" is the most difficult. I attended an event last night with a speaker who had interesting insights on that issue, which I will write later today.

Posted by Michelle . on 11/08/2008 @ 05:24AM PT
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Hi,

I would like to be part of president elect Barack Obama's peace plan.

I am a peace loving individual. I believe in peace.

I am a Liberian, a person that has a true story of the opposite of peace.

I can also be contacted on cell number 05402670.

Posted by Anthony Stephens on 11/08/2008 @ 07:00AM PT
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Congratulations to Barack Obama for President! I thought I would never see a black man president in my lifetime. I are truly a Martin Luther King Dream Come True! I had a vision in September that you would be President of this country and you you know who told me this in my dream, a man name William Thompson Jr. I also know you are going to be the best president ever and I say this not because you're half black, because of your character. You are the One! Your walk, your talk, you are very intelligent and young. You are just a beautiful man inside and out. I knew it would be you all along. Your family is beautiful. May God always protect you and your family and america as well as our world. We are well overdue for change and God gave us you. I can't tell you Mr. President how I cried and cried and still are crying because you are our new president. I know you will do you're best to save our country and keep us safe. I believe in you and always will. I never ever believed in politics until you came along. You are a very sincere young man and your mom and grandmom and dad are looking down on you and smiling. They are very happy. This is why your grandmom invested in you because she knew you were something special and that you were going to become something magnifient and you did! I would also like to know how can I help you in anyway that is possible for me, you will forever always have my support. One more thing. You will be Mr. President in 2012 because I had the vision of that 2. God Bless.....

Posted by Patricia Watson on 11/08/2008 @ 11:18AM PT
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To Michelle Obama our very first beautiful first lady. You are wonderful. I loved the way you helped support your husband in his campaign. You are a tiger! You are beautiful and intelligent and I can see why Mr. President chose you to be his wife. You're children are just gorgeous. I've watched some of your speeches and you are so inspirational just as your husband. You have a way with words that when you speak, people hearts just melt. I congratulate you to first lady and if their is anything that I can do to help you and your family I would be honored to do so. God Bless you and your family....

Posted by Patricia Watson on 11/08/2008 @ 11:33AM PT
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Author Biography

Michelle .: Washington, DC; Michelle became involved in the anti-genocide cause at a young age, and has been involved in various activist endeavors, including the Teach Against Genocide pilot campaigns, ever since.