FX-Based

Some context for the last two posts and life in general: I am home after two weeks on the road. Military exercise. Huge exercise. My last two post were from an airport, and my quarters late at night, respectively. I was tired and not under ideal conditions when I posted and I found out I had some misspellings which I promptly fixed as soon as I had time at home. Everything went really well during this trip. I had an awesome time and learned a lot. Worked with some great people too. I will be on the road all summer and part of the fall fighting the good fight. Depending on where I am I might be able to post on some things that have been banging around in my cranium. My main priority right now is to get mentally and physically ready for the long time I'll be out there. Realistically, FX-Based might actually be in hiatus for several months due to my realignment of priorities in order to serve my country the best I can. I truly appreciate the comments made by Eddie, Federalist X, and Ben Singer on the Darfur posts. I always strive to answer all comments in one way or another, either in the "Comments" section, by e-mail or by answering as a separate post.

The last two post were fantasies based on reality. This post addresses reality and the contradictions of our world.

"Cool" fact before we continue: The Russians sold 12 MiG-29s to the Sudanese in 2004. Do you think these 4th generation fighters are being flown by Sudanese pilots?

Protests in US cities seek to "Save Darfur Now" Sun Apr 30, 10:35 PM ETWASHINGTON (AFP) - Tens of thousands of demonstrators, led by lawmakers and Hollywood star George Clooney, descended on Washington and other US cities to demand an end to the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

This has been brewing for months now. I expect to see more demonstrations full of college students, celebrities and politicians. My question is, are this the same people that want us out of Iraq? People seem to forget about our experience in Somalia. Logistically and operationally speaking, Somalia was far easier than what would be required to operate effectively in Darfur. What would the demonstrators do if we get troops in Darfur and a month (or less) into the operation CNN broadcasts images of one of our troops being dragged across the African sand by a "Janjaweed" horse?

What's the plan? Get out of Iraq and go to Darfur?The same people that criticize how much we screwed up in Iraq, where we had been involved for over a decade before the 2003 invasion, now want us to go into Darfur, a place we know next to nothing about and even military people struggle to find on a map. And yes, intervention in Darfur will require military power. The Janjaweed are unlikely to be deterred by strong language and protest signs. You have to go in there armed and willing to kill. And I seriously doubdt that any of the demonstrators will spill any blood in Darfur fighting the Janjaweed. Will these activists run to the nearest military recruitment office to enlist if the President announces that we are going into Darfur? My suspicion is that, if we go into Darfur (a huge if), you will see many of the veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq in western Sudan. Of course, the US will not go alone. The intervention might be US-led, but with another "coalition of the willing". I just don't see a lot of other countries lining up to send their troops to Sudan. Who will stop the killings? NATO? Think again. Remember Bosnia and Kosovo? It took American power to solve the situations there. And that was on NATO's own backyard. The UN? The African Union? No, and hell no. So, like a said before, if you live in Darfur and your people are victims of genocide, you’re pretty much SOL.

Somehow, these demonstrators think that the same US military that they claim misapplied its power in Iraq will do a better job in Darfur fighting another nasty group of guerrillas. Basically they are saying: "You guys fucked up in Iraq, (even though you had been operating in the area since at least 1990), but now get out of Iraq and please help the poor people of Darfur. Here it is on the map. It's in Africa. Don't fight the guerrillas in Iraq anymore. Fight the guerrillas in Africa now. They are Muslims too, by the way, and Arabs. Only in a different continent, and with much darker skin. Now ship all your troops, Humvees, tanks, planes and helicopters to Africa and save Darfur!" What a joke.

So it if makes you feel better, go ahead and march. Protest. Speak out. You might sleep better at night thinking that you did your part for the people of Darfur. But keep in mind that your march is a walking contradiction.

Further Reading:

• Washington Post April 24, 2006 Pg. 1
  On Tape, Bin Laden Warns Of Long War
  He Accuses the West Of Acting as 'Crusader'
  By Craig Whitlock, Washington Post Foreign Service
  BERLIN, April 23 -- Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged his followers to prepare for a drawn-out conflict with the Western world in a new audiotape broadcast Sunday, blaming what he called "a Crusader-Zionist war" for a long list of attacks on Islam in places from Darfur to Denmark.
• Philadelphia Inquirer April 25, 2006
  Sudan Rejects Bin Laden's 'Jihad' Call
  Leaders said they would not allow such interference, but experts feared the Darfur troubles could worsen.
  By Mohamed Osman and Alfred De Montesquiou, Associated Press
  KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan dismissed Osama bin Laden's renewed calls for "jihad" in its troubled Darfur region, saying yesterday that it would not harbor terrorists or allow foreign interference in the country.
• New York Times April 25, 2006
  Osama's Crusade In Darfur
  By Nicholas D. Kristof
  Those of us who want a more forceful response to genocide in Darfur should be sobered by Osama bin Laden's latest tape.
• Washington Times April 27, 2006 Pg. 19
  Analysts Downplay Bin Laden's Sudan Appeal
  By Alistair Lyon, Reuters News Agency
  LONDON -- For now, there may be more symbol than substance in Osama bin Laden's call for jihad in Darfur, but that could change if U.N. peacekeepers go to Sudan's troubled western region, security analysts say.
• Washington Times April 28, 2006 Pg. 1
  NATO To Intensify Its Role In Sudan's Darfur Region
  Rice presses U.N., others to aid mission
  By Nicholas Kralev, The Washington Times
  SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that NATO leaders have agreed to take on a more "robust" role in Sudan's Darfur region and urged other international bodies to prepare the way.
• New York Times April 28, 2006
  Blowback In Africa
  By Raffi Khatchadourian
  EVER since Chad gained independence 46 years ago, it has been a world-class model of political dysfunction. In the 1970's, Chad's president, François Tombalbaye, compelled civil servants to renounce Western customs, undergo a tribal initiation rite known as yondo and profess belief in a nationalist creed he called Chaditude. He was executed in 1975. In the 1980's, a rebel leader named Hissène Habré led an army to the presidential palace and seized power. He became known as the "African Pinochet" and murderously pursued opponents for nearly a decade.
• New York Times April 30, 2006
  Sudan And Darfur
  To the Editor:
  Re "Osama's Crusade in Darfur," by Nicholas D. Kristof (column, April 25):
  Sudan quickly distanced itself from the recent statement by Osama bin Laden that referred to Sudan, Darfur and jihad. Sudan will not be a pawn in any organization's war against the West.