For those interested, TONIGHT at 7 PM in Marvin Center 414 there will be a Human Rights Policy Center coordination meeting. Please attend if you have time, it should be great!

IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS
-outreach on campus and in the city
-Darfur informational workshop
We will be doing some outreach on AND off campus, spreading awareness about the issue and spreading the STAND love all around. Also, we will be running a Darfur informational workshop again to fill people in on the issues relating to the crisis in Darfur. Whether you are totally educated on the issue or not, please be on the lookout for the informal workshop session. If you would like to help run part of the workshop (ex. discuss the refugee situation, policy, women's issues)  OR if you are interested in helping to table and outreach please pretty please contact Tara at tbiller@....
Dates will be announced upon confirmation!

More events and activities are in working order, and the rest of the semester will be filled with opportunities for you to learn and become active in the campaign to stop the genocide in Darfur.

ARTICLES!

Darfur: It's not about religion or race. It's about greed.

http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2006%20Opinion%20Editorials/February/12%20o/Darfur%20It's%20not%20about%20religion%20or%20race.%20It's%20about%20greed%20By%20Jane%20Stillwater.htm

A response from Justin Zorn on this article:

      While it's a good reminder that victims and assailants in Darfur are the same religion and color, the article misses the point that killing is very much on the basis of identified ethnicity. Darfuris are born into a Fur, Maasalit, or Zaghawa non-arab identity to which they can't help but ascribe, and this becomes the basis of their death sentence.  
      Since the 60's Darfuris have organized groups like the Darfur Development Front to defend their interests against those of people identifying as Arab.  The rift grew and was seriously exacerbated by famine in the 80's.  Now, the Sudanese Gov't plays the race card in recruiting all sorts of outlaws to join the Janjaweed ranks.  The standard cry of the militias as they enter towns is, according to Gerard Prunier: "You are opponents of the regime, we must crush you.  As you are black, you are born to be our slaves."   We've gotta bear in mind that race has alot to do with this. 

 

Our friend, an architect of the genocide in Darfur

The U.S. sacrifices moral leadership when it cozies up to killers for snippets of counterterrorism information.
By John Prendergast and Don Cheadle
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-cheadle14feb14,0,5547915.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

STAND NATIONAL NEWS                  
To see STAND National's first set of Weekly Talking Points, visit www.powertoprotect.org/talkingpoints1

DARFUR NEWS HIGHLIGHTS:

Sudan's Personal Lobbyist Resigns

Robert Cabelly, the U.S. lobbyist hired by the Sudanese Government through a special waiver of State Department sanctions against Sudan, has resigned under pressure from Darfur advocates. Cabelly had signed a $530,000 contract to improve the image and reputation of the genocidal regime in Washington. However, advocates, including students at schools such as Georgetown and George Washington Universities, rallied against this shameful move. The Genocide Intervention Network says his resignation is an important sign that citizen advocacy can create change on this issue. 

U.N. Security Council Initiates Planning for Peacekeepers in Darfur

Led by the U.S., the U.N. Security Council issued a statement last week calling on Secretary General Kofi Annan to begin initial planning for a U.N. Peacekeeping force in Darfur. This statement is an important first step toward an effective civilian protection force; however, it is also the easiest step in what will be a long and difficult process. A U.N. resolution and commitments of troops and equipment still lie ahead, and even if these and all other challenges are met, peacekeepers will probably not arrive in Darfur for another nine months to twelve months.

Senator Calls for Immediate NATO Force in Darfur

Writing in the Baltimore Sun, Senator Joseph Biden called for a NATO force to supplement the work of African Union peacekeepers in Darfur until UN peacekeepers can arrive. This is an important sign that Congress is gearing up to consider a NATO intervention. Noting that a UN force will take up to a year to deploy, Biden said that this is "simply not soon enough." He declared that "We can and should do better. NATO forces can be a bridge between the current AU mission—7,000 soldiers strong—and any future U.N. mission." 

THE LATEST ON THE POWER TO PROTECT CAMPAIGN:

The Power to Protect Campaign is now well under way, with over 60 colleges participating in widespread media outreach, community outreach, and congressional lobbying to demand that our elected leaders secure effective civilian protection for the people of Darfur.

The campaign will culminate in the Power to Protect: D.C. to Darfur weekend of action in Washington, D.C. from April 28 to 30. At this national event, over 500 students will:

• lobby their representatives for concrete action in Darfur;
• receive training on every aspect of Darfur advocacy, from updates on the conflict to organizing, outreach, and lobbying skills;
• participate in a press conference with high-profile speakers, including public leaders and celebrity advocates;
• participate in a massive Sunday rally for Darfur in downtown D.C.;
• and yes, when our work is finished, party with Darfur student advocates from across the country.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HELPING OUT WITH THE POWER TO PROTECT CAMPAIGN, contact MICAELA at micaela@.... She's hot, you'll want to work with her!


Have a great week!!!
Peace,
GW STAND