I have a bit of a bugbear at the moment. It’s been something that has been nagging at me for the last month but is now filling me me with so much ire that I feel like punching something. Anyhow, it seems nowadays myriad important causes are increasingly becoming fashion statements for your everyday Joe or Jane and little more than rote PR exercises for celebrities. Anyhow, let’s get to my current bugbear and then I will elaborate further once I get something out of my system and that is I currently have two simple words for the International Criminal Court.
Fuck you.
I’ve been trying to avoid using strong language on my new blog but the blood in my veins is boiling to such a huge extent at the moment that a simple F-bomb directed towards the ICC is merely the tip of the iceberg. Just over one month ago the ICC issued an arrest warrant for the Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir, over “alleged” war crimes in Darfur. Sure it sounds great, it’s a wonderful symbol for the pursuit of human rights and international justice and it raises awareness and makes a bunch of people feel good about themselves but let’s get down to a little Realpolitik, shall we?
There is no doubt al-Bashir is responsible for horrific and unspeakable crimes that have and continue to be perpetrated in the Sudan. The current crisis in Darfur is nothing short of devastating and no words can or ever will do justice to the inhumanity that is the order of the day in the region. As difficult as it is to provide a summary in this case, the following paragraph from a recent article in Der Spiegel does a reasonable job.
The violence in Darfur has been far-reaching and extreme. Arrest warrants have been issued on 10 charges, including murder, torture, extermination and rape. Prosecutors say Sudanese troops, and the Arab militias they support, murdered civilians in their villages, and then continued to attack them in refugee camps. The militia has also used rape as a weapon against Darfuri women.
Source: “Arrest Warrant Issued for Sudan President” from Spiegel Online
It is thus clear we are not dealing with a bloke who gives a rat’s about neither human rights nor human dignity and, moreover, has spared much – if any – thought about what any international human rights organisation or international justice body thinks of him. Just click on the image below of al-Bashir dancing a jig shortly after the ICC issued the arrest warrant to be brought to an article in Times Online reporting on just how seriously he is taking this whole thing.
So okay, the ICC has gone and taken the unprecedented step of indicting a ruling head of state. My thoughts? Whoop-de-freaking-do. I can’t help but wonder why on earth the ICC went ahead with the indictment considering the likelihood of ever actually getting al-Bashir to The Hague is about as likely as me throwing on a tutu and performing for the National Ballet.
A wide variety of people from politicians to seasoned bureaucrats to celebrities to bleeding hearts are congratulating this move, citing the importance of symbolism and awareness raising which the indictment of al-Bashir will bring about. Well I’ve got another idea, it’s pretty crazy and all, but wouldn’t it be, like, totally wacky if we stopped for a second to spare a thought for those individuals on the ground whose living hell has just been made a millionfold worse by the issuing of the indictment rather than feeling all warm and fuzzy about symbolism and awareness. We know what’s going on in Darfur, so what’s the bloody point of symbolism and awareness when not a single positive result is yielded for those we are ostensibly trying to help?
Now again I’m going to steal someone else’s words, and this time from the International Crisis Group whose online updates I have long subscribed to.
In Sudan, fears of a rapid deterioration of humanitarian conditions and security in Darfur mounted after Khartoum expelled 13 international aid organisations, following the International Criminal Court pre-trial chamber’s 4 March decision to issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir for atrocity crimes. The UN estimates that up to 1.5 million are at risk of losing food, water and shelter, while tensions in the capital continue to rise as the government moves to brutally repress signs of pro-ICC support.
Source: CrisisWatch N°68, 1 April 2009 (link)
I don’t know what more I can say other than the ICC should be ashamed of itself. More people are now going to suffer an even more agonising fate because the ICC wanted to prove a point. This move has essentially done nothing but empower and embolden al-Bashir who will undoubtedly find refuge in a friendly country when he decides he no longer wants to be leader and people will continue to suffer and die.
But forget the ICC and fear not because we have George Clooney on the case!
[After the expulsion of the aid agencies] Clooney “went to the region, so he grounded himself in the realities of people’s lives, and he came back to meet with the president and vice president with a specific message, which was that the president needed to send a special envoy immediately to help end this crisis,” said John Prendergast, who is co-founder of the anti-genocide group the Enough Project and has advised the actor.
Source: “The Evolution of Celebrity Diplomacy” from Politico
By jove, a specially appointed envoy! Now that’s a brilliant idea George, just brilliant. I just hope this specially appointed envoy knows how to write strongly worded letters as well. By crikey, it’s just such a powerful and clever idea because really, I’ve no doubt a genocidal maniac like al-Bashir responsible for little things like state-sponsored murder and rape will sit down and listen to a specially appointed envoy. Yup. Khatami style “Dialogue among Civilisations” will no doubt fix this!
*rolls eyes*
But what’s criticism without a offering an alternative? Well how about we start applying pressure on China to not just start cleaning up the human rights abuses in their own backyard but to also start cleaning up their relationship with the Sudan. Where do you think al-Bashir and his henchmen get their arms from? That’s right, China. But we need China so we can’t let a little thing like human rights get in the way now, can we? Well that’s what US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reckons anyway, and I quote
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s comments en route to China that contentious issues such as human rights “can’t interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises,” send the wrong message to the Chinese government, Human Rights Watch said today. Secretary Clinton also suggested that on human rights issues it “might be better [for the US and China] to agree to disagree.”
Source: “US: Clinton Remarks Undermine Rights Refrorm in China” from Human Rights Watch
It’s not just Barack Obama’s administration that is willing to turn a blind eye to China’s actions but also Australia’s very own blinkered sinophile Kevin Rudd and countless other world leaders. The crisis in Darfur will not end until we look at and face up to the reality of the various links in the long chain which arms the Sudanese government with the weapons to keep on perpetrating the horrific abuses it has been carrying out for years. All the dialogue and envoys and warrants in the world are not going to stop al-Bashir and it is completely and utterly delusional to think otherwise. So while some people think it is fantastic the ICC has put a warrant out for al-Bashir’s arrest which, let’s face it, we all know will not result in him being brought to trial, more people are suffering further and on a much, much grander scale because of a self gratifying obsession with symbolism and awareness raising.
Well my friends, that’s enough of my rambling kvetch for now, so I will just conclude with all this symbolism and awareness raising BS without real action is futile because all it does is lure people into the false belief they are actually achieving something when in effect all of the symbolism and awareness raising and dialogue and whatever else is not going to change the likes of al-Bashir, but rather these self-gratifying public and grandiose shows do nothing but strengthen the position of those whose power we need to undermine.
In a nutshell, as long as we continue to allow China to literally get away with murder because we want their trade and money means that nothing in the Sudan will change.
April 6th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Well done. Maybe if the special envoy had an appropriate weapon at hand at the time of their meeting with that sh*t, a little progress could be made.
China’s in Nigeria, too. A little later than the other empires, but hey. Better late than never.
April 6th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Agreeing to disagree about human rights is exactly like jettisoning human rights, right?
April 6th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Tom
How about the envoy rocks up to Khartoum armed with cupcakes and a great big cuddle? That should do it, right?
Caz
If by jettisoning you mean flushing down the toilet then yes, yes I think you might be right!
April 6th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
“I’ve been trying to avoid using strong language on my new blog.”
Yeah that has made things a little…black and white.
“as likely as me throwing on a tutu and performing for the National Ballet.”
Didn’t we talk about this already? All you need is android mechanical legs: then you’ll be lucky enough to dance without even learning how, you just program the legs to dance…like in the Matrix!
“By jove, a specially appointed envoy!”
It might work if the envoy has a f**t l*ong c*ck (unlike George Clooney) and does a helicopter long enough to distract al-Bashir while somebody else bashes him over the head, or chokes him with an*ther, even l*nger, tw* f**t l*ng c*ck.
Tom, what a minute, “China’s in Nigeria?” So lemme get this straight: Tibet is in China, China’s in Nigeria, is Nigeria in another, even bigger country?? Possibly Canada???
April 7th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Aras, I like your idea better than the gun thing. Brilliant!
Yes, China has perfected a method of being both small and large at the same time. Quite interesting, really. Though the concept of Canada being involved is quite intriguing…