Much to-do has been made about President Bush announcing more sanctions against Sudan over its government’s involvement in the genocide in Darfur. This comes on the heels of the Sudanese government’s refusal to let U.N. troops come to the aid of the people of Darfur. What we heard today was tough talk that rings hollow when certain facts are brought to light.
What Bush didn’t tell us was that these sanctions don’t really target the one commodity Sudan has at its disposal - oil. This means that sanctions targeting other areas of business in the Sudan don’t really mean that much to the bottom line when you have a country that pumps about 500,000 barrels of oil every day. If you multiply that by the roughly $63/barrel price, you can see that this country will be awash in enough cash to withstand any sanctions that don’t affect oil revenues.
So, while I am hopeful, I am not holding my breath on what Bush will do. As long as oil is in play, I believe that the lives of the people of Darfur will only continue to be in peril.
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