From the article:

There are signs that action may be coming. African countries stand ready to
send troops, provided that rich countries pay their passage. Over the
weekend, Australia's foreign minister declared that his country was also
willing to contribute, and Britain's top military commander, Gen. Mike
Jackson, said his country could muster 5,000 troops. Secretary of State
Colin L. Powell described Gen. Jackson's suggestion as "premature"
yesterday, but how long is Darfur supposed to remain patient? Until 100,000
die? Or 200,000? The rich world's governments are free to make that choice.

----------------------------------------------------

How Many More Deaths?

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

THE FOREIGN ministers of the European Union met Monday to debate the
humanitarian crisis in Sudan's western province of Darfur. The ministers
noted that Sudan's government has not delivered on its July 3 promise to
Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary general, to rein in the Arab death squads
that it created to murder Darfur's African civilians. They noted that Sudan
had also failed to respect calls for a cease-fire from the African Union the
following week, as well as the Europeans' own statement on the crisis, dated
July 12. But although the Europeans did their best to sound gruff and
impatient, they took only limited action. Meanwhile, huddled in refugee
camps that lack food and medicine, Darfur's civilians are dying at an
estimated rate of 1,000 a day.

The Europeans know that the killings in Darfur probably constitute genocide,
as Congress recognized last week, but they shrank from calling it that. They
suggested they might increase their support for the African Union's
cease-fire monitors in Darfur, but stopped short of calling for a force
large enough to protect civilians from the government-backed militia. They
declared qualified support for "imminent" sanctions, but assigned
responsibility for imposing these to the U.N. Security Council, which is
hamstrung by the threat of a Chinese veto. They advertised the aid that they
have given, but they failed to note that the U.N. relief appeal is less than
50 percent funded and made no mention of the detailed request for
helicopters that the U.N. staff had presented to them the previous week.
More than 30,000 people are thought to have died in Darfur already. How many
deaths will it take?

The case for European gradualism is two-fold, and it is based on two
mistakes. First, the Europeans appear to assume that they cannot act without
authorization from the Security Council, even though the resolution that the
council may adopt this week falls short of a clear authorization for foreign
peacekeepers to protect Darfur's civilians. Europe's position ignores the
fact that the Kosovo war, which Europeans regarded as legitimate, took place
without a Security Council resolution; that Mr. Annan, who embodies a good
part of the United Nations' moral authority, has visited Darfur and urged
action; and that the U.N. staff is crying out for relief supplies
immediately, regardless of the timing or content of a resolution. Second,
the Europeans hope to push Sudan into peace talks with Darfur's small rebel
groups, and they believe this requires a moderate approach toward the
government. But the humanitarian crisis is so appalling -- at least 300,000
may die, according to an official U.S. estimate -- that peace talks cannot
be allowed to delay action.

There are signs that action may be coming. African countries stand ready to
send troops, provided that rich countries pay their passage. Over the
weekend, Australia's foreign minister declared that his country was also
willing to contribute, and Britain's top military commander, Gen. Mike
Jackson, said his country could muster 5,000 troops. Secretary of State
Colin L. Powell described Gen. Jackson's suggestion as "premature"
yesterday, but how long is Darfur supposed to remain patient? Until 100,000
die? Or 200,000? The rich world's governments are free to make that choice.

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