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Monty Pythons Guide to Darfur

Posted by Nomadic • 8/07/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Tags: clooney, darfur, justin marozzi, spectator, sudan

There has been a fair amount of interest in Darfur on the discussion boards of late. I thought I would share an excellent article in the Spectator written by a good friend and colleague who has just returned from working with us in Sudan.

www.spectator.co.uk/print/the-magazine/features/880096/monty-pythons-guide-...

User Comments

8/07/08

riverstyxxx

Nothing to do with Monty Python

[reply]
1. 8/07/08
  
  Nomadic
  
  That was the title the Spectator gave the article. But I have to tell you, having been on the other end of Justins emails over the past couple of months the situation there had EVERY similarity to Monty Python.
8/07/08

alexmcone

Wow.

Ok that's it ... I'm tackling Darfur next.

[reply]
1. 8/07/08
  
  Nomadic
  
  I predict a riot
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=spYcp0ZB4nM
2. 8/07/08
  
  alexmcone
  
  Actually I might need help ... soak up a lot of information and try to decide which angle is best cook up an article that can generate further interest in the issue.
  
  Do you have other such articles ?
3. 8/07/08
  
  Nomadic
  
  On Darfur? Lots. These of late:
  
  Video: Al Jazeera Report on Equestrian Festival in Sudan
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu7VVw5B8EA
  
  Al Jazeera Report on Arab Media on Darfur
  english.aljazeera.net/programmes/listeningpost/2008/07/20087111423350627.ht...
  
  Another by Justin in the Financial Times, July 25 2008
  www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c3a89dc-59d8-11dd-90f8-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1
  
  There is no Peace for us to Keep, article in South African Mail & Guardian, Jul 21 2008
  www.mg.co.za/article/2008-07-21-theres-no-peace-for-us-to-keep
4. 8/07/08
  
  Nomadic
  
  Oh yeah...and I blogged something in May about celebrity endorsement, the sentiment of which is echoed in Justin's more up to date article
  
  public-diplomacy.blogspot.com/2008/05/celebrity-backerspublic-diplomats.htm...
5. 8/07/08
  
  alexmcone
  
  I'd read your post on celebrity endorsement some time ago.
  
  At first I felt odd, but the more I thought about it the more I tend to agree with you.
6. 8/07/08
  
  Nomadic
  
  Thanks, I think.
8/07/08

aningeniousname

Lovely concept of rape this official had, wonder if it would be the same when it was his wife, daughter, mother that was the victim.

[reply]
1. 8/07/08
  
  Nomadic
  
  I know! It's a western concept clearly!
8/07/08

casualblogger

Thanks for bridging back to the spotlight such an important issue.

[reply]
8/07/08

Nomadic

Thanks casual. I should flag it up to Norski, Cooper and others who showed an interest I guess.

[reply]
1. 8/07/08
  
  markstoneman
  
  Yes.
8/07/08

markstoneman

I've bookmarked it for later on today.

[reply]
8/07/08

barryfromtexas

The article spells it out well. (coming from a UN insider) UN peacekeepers are hare to come by for Darfur. Of course, it didn't help that they used the failed African Union troops and gave them blue berets and said now you are UN Peacekeepers was a dumb idea. They need real peacekeepers, meaning real trained troops , not more AU types or flooding by India or Pakistan. The recent deaths of peacekeepers has also made it where donor nations are not going to be quick to send in troops.

Good article though.
Oh yeah - any UN peacekeeping mission has a monty python look to it

[reply]
8/07/08

cooper

I've run a blog on Darfur for some time. Involved in STAND since college and started an organization here for high school students to join and increase awareness, it is fairly successful and is now a stand alone project.

I think the absolute best sites for comprehensive information on Darfur are
Eric Reeves www.sudanreeves.org/

Enough Project - enoughproject.org / Anything by John Pendergast a former
special adviser to the "International Crisis Group" and currently working with the Enough Project.

andsavedarfur.org

for opposing viewpoints anything by Alex de Waal. He does not post exclusively on Darfur but here is his site
www.ssrc.org/blogs/darfur/category/darfur/
If you google his name you will find a lot of articles by him on this subject.

There are also several good Sudanese blogs the Sudanese Thinker lives in Khartoum http://the sudanesethinker.com

"The Coalition for Darfur" A BLOGSPOT BLOG was the first blog ever posting about this - four years ago when absolutely no one was interested these people persisted. It is where most people who now post on Darfur found out about Darfur. Way before the celebrity boom.

[reply]
1. 8/07/08
  
  Nomadic
  
  Thanks Cooper, you got my message - I knew you could contribute.
2. 8/07/08
  
  kevinatserieatalk
  
  thanks for the links
8/08/08

Villager

Thanks for the link to this article...

[reply]