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Author: John Norris

Another Washington Post Bombshell

As if yesterday’s story in the Post was not enough, a piece today delves into a fascinating and sordid web of connections between disgraced former U.S. National Security Advisor Bud McFarlane and the Sudanese government as part of an effort to improve Khartoum’s relationship with the Obama administration ...

Sizing Up the Sudan Policy

Sizing Up the Sudan Policy
As we have known all along, the most interesting things to come out of a policy reviews are usually absent from the public documents and pronouncements. But in this closed door meeting, some of the senior-most officials in the U.S. government will have to do a gut check on a few key issues ...

Obama, Sudan, and the UN General Assembly Speech

Obama, Sudan, and the UN General Assembly Speech
President Obama's speech was well-crafted and well-delivered. The president rightly stressed that all nations have both rights and responsibilities. He also made specific mention of Sudan. But it is important to note, in keeping with his theme on the responsibility of nations, that the government of Sudan has repeatedly abrogated its fundamental responsibilities by deliberately targeting innocent civilians while failing to fulfill peace agreement after peace agreement ...

Honey for Sudan’s President?

Honey for Sudan's President?
Special Envoy for Sudan Major General Scott Gration recently did an interview with Radio Dabanga, located in Holland. The special envoy’s office had some specific concerns, and we gave them a chance to point out where they felt there were inaccuracies. Yet, by any measure, some of the comments which the envoy’s office does not dispute are quite provocative, such as, “You catch more bears with honey,” the special envoy said in explaining his approach to diplomacy and the Government of Sudan ...

Two Years to Self Destruct in Sudan

Two Years to Self Destruct in Sudan
Imagine if we had enjoyed the luxury of knowing, two years before it happened, that Yugoslavia would disintegrate in 1991. Or just think if U.S. diplomats had been able to predict years earlier exactly when the Soviet Union was going to collapse. One certainly hopes the United States would have been better positioned to deal with these momentous events. But a current case gives one pause. Sudan might very well split in half in precisely two years, and policymakers have taken far too little notice ...

Cozy Ties between Khartoum and the LRA: Guess Who Pays?

The World Food Program is now suspending its ground operations in parts of southern Sudan because of attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army ...

Sunny Darfur?

Sunny Darfur?
In talking about the situation in Darfur as he departs his post, the commander of UNAMID Martin Luther Agwai, has offered some very self-serving remarks. Agwai rightly notes the declining levels of violence in Darfur, but entirely misses the big picture in doing so. "As of today, I would not say there is a war going on in Darfur," declared Agwai in a briefing in Khartoum ...

Sudan Now

Sudan Now
This post appeared today on the Huffington Post. Yesterday, a coalition of anti-genocide advocacy organizations announced the launch of a bold new campaign called Sudan Now: Keep the Promise. The campaign will challenge President Barack Obama and top U.S. administration officials to live up to their campaign and political promises by taking strong and immediate action to help end the international crisis in Sudan and bring a lasting peace to the people of that country. Members of the coalition include Humanity United, the Enough Project, Stop Genocide Now, and Investors Against Genocide. The situation in Sudan is urgent: Nearly 3 ...

Happy Days are Here Again

Happy Days are Here Again
In a speech Wednesday night at New York University, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice spelled out the Obama administration's vision for U.N. and global engagement. Her tone was decidedly upbeat -- almost valedictory -- and it came as no surprise to hear her happily declare, "It is a great time to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations." After eight years of hostility from the George W. Bush administration, two of which were spent under Ambassador John Bolton (who left little tiny shoes to fill), the high-spirited atmospherics were to be expected. The new administration, in ...

Rice on Diplomacy with Warlords

An interesting note in Ambassador Rice’s prepared testimony today. She carefully goes out of her way to praise the work of Special Envoy for Sudan, Major General Scott Gration. But there is also this telling passage slightly later in the testimony: “But the U.S. can afford no illusions. Some of the actors involved have long histories of lofty pledges and paltry results. We will not take merely the word of those who have committed genocide and crimes against humanity. We will insist on verifiable, significant and lasting action before we offer meaningful rewards.” This is a welcome acknowledgment by a ...