My Focus Country: Sudan

Nestled beneath Egypt and neighbored by Ethiopia, Sudan is a North African country whose history is etched in stone, and painted with blood. In my International Studies class, we have each been assigned a focus country of which we are to analyze, and construct in depth reports. I have little knowledge regarding Sudan, and it intrigues me to think that I may come to know many wonderful bits about Sudan and its culture, cuisine, traditions, and battles for sustainability. Topics ranging from the civil war there in the 1970's up and through to Darfur which has been a massive issue in recent years. In this world, when millions of people are perishing on a biblical scale in one concentrated location, it draws the attention of many nations. Much has been done to help facilitate the ever-dangerous and tragic situations in Sudan. In September of 2004, then Secretary of State Colin Powell called the Darfur conflict "genocide" stating that the conflict is one of the "worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century (Wikipedia, 2007)."

With regard to my International Studies class, we have been given a list of characteristics which can place a nation into the category of being "3rd World." One of the deciding factors in determining this is the inability to establish consistent political habits of which allow a country to build a foundation for its own sustainability. Sudan has militias who have been accused of crimes against humanity and have also been noted for creating disruptions regarding any recent political processes. So far, 2.5 million residents of Sudan have been displaced, and it is estimated that anywhere between 200,000 and 400,000 Sudanese have died or been killed since the dawn of Darfur (Wikipedia, 2007)."

It is my great hope that I will be able to delve into the blueprints of Sudan's history and construction allowing for a new vision of how to help solve the galactic issues that Sudan faces.

In my intital research process regarding Sudan, I came across an article that stunned me. In the opening paragraph of this article written by staff writers of AFROL news, they quoted the United States as saying that they "do not intend to stand by while violence and atrocities continue in Darfur, do not doubt our determination. A military intervention is being considered (Afrol News, 25 July 2007)."

Considering the current political tensions in our world, especially those between the United States and nations of the Middle-East, I feel that such talk is overzealous and uneccessary. Any military action taken in Sudan will inevitably end in tragedy just as we witnessed in Somalia during the 1993 incursion of U.S. forces to remove threats interfering with foreign aid. This region of the world is incredibly unstable and much like Iraq and Afghanistan, any military force faces an enemy capable of violating any and all guidelines established by the Geneva conventions. Lives will be lost without legitimate rhyme or reason (not to say that ANY life lost ever truly is). War and/or conflict is something that this world needs LESS of. Especially the united States and another Middle-Eastern nation. As history often repeats itself, we may see a new transcription of this generations desire for humanitarian efforts to change the world. Unfortunately, we may end up seeing these transcriptions written in blood.

Link: http://www.afrol.com/articles/13383