Genocide in Sudan

Reader Brendan Ritchie writes:

I am a Canadian student, and an avid reader of your blog. I was wondering if you might mention something about the genocide occuring in the Sudan. There are various websites, and organizations at universities in the US trying to help save the people of Darfur.

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/

has information, and a "kit" for starting a group at ones own campus.

Here are links for signing online petitions:

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/darfurIntervention.htm

http://www.therespublica.org/Alliance/defaultwestern4.php

Here is a link to an article in the NYT, from February, that gives some details:

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/News/nytimes.htm

UPDATE:  Reader David Ledyard-Marks writes:

I too am an avid reader of your blog, but I think you may want to consider a correction to the crisis in Sudan (Darfur).  The United Nations has not deemed this situation a genocide (http://www.ohchr.org/english/darfur.htm).  Reading the first 8 pages provides great background to the situation, and page 4 has the statement about genocide (more details are provided upon looking at the table of contents).  Obviously, this is just one opinion on this situation, and, as we witnessed in Iraq, it does not prevent the US from military intervention.  However, two more issues arise: 1.  the US is training African Union troops that are intervening already in the Region and GW Bush seeks other means (i.e. not US military intervention) -- since Khartoum provided anti-terrorist intelligence to the US post - 9/11 (see In the Shadow of 'Just Wars' by Fabrice Weissman.  Ch. 6, p.145-6)

This is just an overview on the complex situation and a brief correction on definition.