What you can do

There are so many different things you can do to try to stop the genocide in Darfur. Some of the smallest contributions can make a huge difference. As I've said before, small amounts of money can make a huge impact on the lives of those suffering through the destructive effects of the violence in Darfur. If everyone in the United States donated a dollar, think of the difference we could make. If everyone at Chapel Hill donated a dollar, think of all the lives we could change. Or, send an email. Raise awareness. The more people that are educated on the issue, more change and end of violence will be promoted. Pass on the word, share an article on Facebook. There is so much we can do that can help make a difference, that can help end genocide, human rights violations, and the cycle of violence.

http://www.savedarfur.org/

Check out these images of the genocide in Darfur: http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-500145_162-634181-4.html?tag=page;next

This site show how much destruction genocide can cause. I think witnessing the actual damage is essential, as reading or hearing about something is much different than seeing the destruction. 

To encourage people to take action, it is important that they understand what is occurring in Darfur. The Sudanese government is incredibly corrupt, and uses horrible tactics against the non-Arabian African tribes in Darfur. Some of these tactics are:

•  use of mass starvation and mass forcible displacement as a weapon 
• obstructing humanitarian aid
• harassment of displaced persons
• bombing of civilian sites, hospitals, clinics, and schools
• use of rape as a weapon 
• pitting ethnic groups against each other, causing huge loss of civilian life 
• training and supporting ethnic militias who commit human rights violations 
• destruction of culture 
• enslavement of women and children 
• failure to implement peace agreements 

It is terrible that a government, that should be taking care of its people, and providing necessities for it citizen, is instead supporting destructive and violent groups, and is supporting the slaughter of hundreds and the displacement of millions.

Empathize: Possible?

http://blogfordarfur.org/archives/5931: Here is a testimony of a victim of genocide.

Sometimes it is incredibly difficult to empathize, and understand what the victims of genocide are experiencing. Here in the United States, we live in a very cushioned world. Never have we, and probably never will, experienced first-hand the effects of genocide. But I encourage everyone to try and understand, to contemplate, how millions of humans are suffering at the hand of an incredibly corrupt government. I really do think a lack of empathy is a huge problem in ending the cycle of genocide. If we go on living our lives without empathizing, without recognizing the horrors taking place, nothing will ever change. I know if I was directly effected by genocide, I would want a country that is capable of intervening to stop the violence. So, take a minute, empathize, and do what you can to make a difference.

Self-Analysis

   Though my feelings about genocide have not really changed through the course of this blog project, I do believe this project has lead to a growth in my knowledge and has allowed me to further understand the issue of genocide in Darfur, by understanding both sides of the argument. When I began this project, I was very pro-intervention, and could not even begin to understand why some people had a non-intervention position on the issue of genocide. This was unfathomable to me, as I could find not a single reason why we should not get involved to end genocide and save millions of lives. After the completion of this project, I am still pro-intervention, but I have a more complete understanding of both positions of the debate. I am now capable of understanding why non-interventionists do not want to get involved, both through personal experience with classmates’ opinions and through research. Genocide and intervention are a complicated issue. Financial problems, state sovereignty, chance of success, getting involved for the right reasons and many other issues factor in to why some people believe we should not get involved in the genocide occurring in Darfur. On the other hand, this project has made it obvious to me just how important getting involved now and stopping human rights violations is.  I believe that based on the millions of people suffering, the violence, the environment that creates more genocide, spreading to other countries and starting new conflicts, our responsibility to protect, and our capability to make a difference, that we should definitely be involved in ending the conflict. This project has allowed me to expand my knowledge, and learn that international issues are not as cut and dried as they may seem to me.

Blogs to Follow

Interested in being informed on important issues? Check out some of my classmates blogs, especially:

http://healthcared-carolina.blogspot.com/
 I read this blog multiple times, as it is very informative and interesting. The health care debate has been a huge national issue, and this blog does a great job of breaking the controversial debate down, and explaining simply why health care is necessary, without large amounts of bias.

http://reformingimmigrationlaws.blogspot.com/
  This is another great blog to read if you want to stay informed on national issues. It presents a clear argument, talking about an issue that is also very controversial, remains relatively neutral, and explains exactly why there is reform needed on Immigration Laws.

http://cholywar.blogspot.com/
   I really enjoyed reading this blog. It is informative and the writer is deeply involved in his topic. It clearly presents information, while at the same time remaining neutral about a complex issue. This is a great blog to follow if you want to learn more about the current Holy War, and international issue that could greatly effect us all.

Extending Reading: Links Post

Education, and making sure the general public understand what is taking place in Darfur is is an essential step to combating genocide and ending the violence. To further educate yourself on the genocide in Darfur, check out the links below. 

The violence in Darfur is unimaginable, and many people struggle to comprehend how awful the situation in Darfur is. Rape (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/02/AR2007070201627.html), murder based on ethnicity or tribe, massive displacement and destruction continue to occur. Be aware of these statistics: http://www.darfuraustralia.org/files/statistics_student.pdf. Understanding what is happening will go a long way in motivation people to get involved. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Darfur

It is essential to understand both noninterventionist and interventionist sides of the issue of genocide in Darfur, as both these movements have a huge influence of governmental policy. Check out these sides, over the right reasons to get involved, or “precautionary principles” (http://homepage.univie.ac.at/heinz.gaertner/wp-content/folien-13junipw.pdf) , and how interventionists feel the US should be involved, as one of the only countries capable of ending the problem (http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,NI_1204_Intervene,00.html)

  In allowing genocide to occur, we are only setting up an environment where genocide can continue to occur. This link http://www.jstor.org/stable/1149436?seq=3 sets up this argument about the environment, where examples of how similar violence in Rwanda and in Darfur (http://darfurupdate.blogspot.com/2004/03/comparable-to-rwanda.html)  are, and how the violence in Darfur is spilling into Chad (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/15655588) shows how the cycle of genocide is perpetuated, and will continue if we don’t make our best effort to stop the violence while we can.

 

Responsibility to protect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_to_protect) is a policy that is a motivation factor behind both interventionists and non-interventionists. It deals with the debate over whether it is our moral responsibility to get involved, or if it is against the rights of state sovereignty (http://www.cicr.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/5WNJDL/$File/IRRC_852_Kioko.pdf) 

There are so many different things, both large and small contributions that could make a huge difference in the lives of victims of human rights violations. Check out this site to learn more about what you can do to get involved: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/15655588. Send an email, make a donation, or learn more about the conflict.