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Why We Like Kristof

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Why We Like Kristof

Posted by Maggie Fick on January 3, 2009

Nicholas Kristof’s recent New York Times op-ed, “A New Chance for Darfur,” underlines why a new Obama administration is well placed to take “serious steps” to end the crisis in Darfur. In effect, Kristof is saying what the Enough Project has been saying for some time—although the situation in Darfur is still dire, there are opportunities in the midst of crisis, and the incoming Obama administration is uniquely suited to tackle the Darfur crisis if he makes ending the genocide a priority instead of following the Bush administration’s policy of what John Prendergast, John Norris, and Jerry Fowler recently called “simply managing the symptoms of Darfur.” (See the Enough Project/Save Darfur Coalition/ Genocide Intervention Network joint publication, “Letter to President-elect Barak Obama: A Peace Surge for Sudan.”)

Kristof also highlights the grim possibility that the north-south war in Sudan will resume, “leading to a slaughter even worse than Darfur.” Instead of waiting for this potentially explosive situation to worsen, we all hope that President-elect Obama will show leadership and resolve in helping to END the conflict in Darfur and making conflict prevention a priority during his presidency.