Mr. Just Meets Evil

By E M Barner | Monday, August 18th, 2008 | Policy

This week’s edition of The New Republic features Richard Just’s insightful article:

The Truth Will Not Set You Free
It Happened While We Watched -
Why We Didn’t Save Darfur

I won’t say I’m a frequent fan of TNR but this article ought to be read. Both ends of the political spectrum can benefit from Just’s jaded, yet morally sensitive and realistic, look at the failure of the free world to keep its “never again” promise. And both are skewered in his analysis.

On the side of the right, there is a general lack of moral leadership – with a few notable exceptions (what have Republicans in power done to stop the genocide being perpetrated by the Janjaweed?).

On the side of the left, in which Mr. Just would readily include himself, something else is wrong:

Genocide really is different from other foreign policy crises, in that it will not wait. Either you stop genocide immediately or you fail to stop it. And when it came to the question of troops, the Darfur activists were split. Many were uncomfortable with the use of force. Cheadle and Prendergast are candid about this: “Many of us peace and human rights advocates are rightly reluctant about the use of force. We need to get over it. There is such a thing as evil in this world, and sometimes the only way to confront evil is through the judicious use of military force.” Amen, as long as “judicious” also means effective.

“There is such a thing as evil in this world.”

There is indeed. And a foreign policy of talking, however wonderfully idealistic, does not stop evil.

In 2005, Just argued that serious humanitarian liberals should not be wedded to idealistic foreign policy. He said then,

If one claims to be a believer in the moral use of American power, and yet one can’t advocate the use of American power in the most clear-cut and extreme of moral cases, then when, exactly, would one ever advocate intervention on moral grounds?

A realistic foreign policy is made for the confrontation of evil — it works because it is willing to get its hands dirty. But proponents of realistic foreign policy are often reluctant to use it for moral activism (though they may justify a self-preservation or economic application on moral grounds). And idealists entire worldview depends on solving problems through superior understanding and communication – a policy that sounds nice but is historically ineffective.

Just confronts the naivety on the one side and the selfishness on the other. His is a bitter essay, full of regrets and condemnations — both well deserved by the free world.

Where there is evil — there ought to be great men and women with the courage to fight it effectively. These have been sadly lacking today. The few there are have seen little success. The crisis in Darfur, despite substantial media attention and crusading by young activists, is still unknown to tens of thousands of Americans.

Just concludes:

…While genocide is an old phenomenon, our experience of the Darfur genocide has been in one way novel. Never before have we observed a genocide so diligently. We educated ourselves about the suffering. We watched movies, read books, and wore bracelets. Our politicians attended peace conferences, issued ultimatums, even dispatched an international force. And yet none of it has stopped the killing. What has gone wrong? Did we, over time, grow immune to the images and the testimonies? Did we give too much weight to what seemed like the conflict’s complexities, and too little to the raw human suffering that was taking place before our eyes? Did we put too much faith in the United Nations and too little in ourselves? Did we allow our elected leaders to deflect responsibility back onto us–to seduce us with airy statements congratulating us on our passion, when they should have been consulting with generals about how to get soldiers onto the ground as quickly as possible? True, we were poorly served by a small-minded president and his bungling administration. But did liberals demand the right things of him? Did we push for what would really save the people of Darfur? Or did we get trapped by the inclinations of our worldview, and advocate for too little?

From Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) to Reps. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Michael Capuano (D-MA), advocacy for the people of Darfur has been bi-partisan — and woefully ineffective — according to a scorecard produced by the Genocide Intervention Network.

In Virginia, advocacy for Darfur has been similarly bi-partisan and similarly ineffective. Sen. Ken Cuccinelli and Del. Shannon Valentine have led unsuccessful efforts — for two years running — to stop state employees’ funding of the genocide through pension investments.

The presidential candidates haven’t had much to say about it. If they don’t use their bully pulpit now, what will they do once one of them is in office? Will it be more of the same? Congress and the President have long agreed that there is ongoing genocide in the Sudan. But they haven’t done anything to stop it.

Just opines:

during some of the worst days of the genocide, …Congress authorized a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur. There is nothing wrong with praying for Darfur; but when we reach the point where our leaders are asking us to pray for them to act, something has gone very wrong.

Bottom line: talk is cheap. Action matters. Will we continue to watch the brutality as though it were an evening horror film?

Oh, and just one more PSA via Mr. Just:

The name of the biggest problem was China. Since China, which purchases Sudanese oil and sells the country weapons, holds a veto on the Security Council, there was never a chance that the United Nations would authorize a non-consensual deployment of troops. This meant that no troops would enter Darfur without Khartoum’s approval. And just like that, the international community found that it had essentially given those committing the genocide veto power over whether and when forces would be deployed to stop them.

Yup, China.
We passively stand by while they prevent the “international community” from doing anything to actually stop genocide in the Sudan. Worse, we honor them with the hosting of the Olympic Games.

Our Superman suit is torn, maybe shredded – “never again” has happened on our watch, while we watched. For shame.

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